Two Peas in a Pod…

Or in a bowlful of salad

To bacon or not to bacon? That is the question in our house. When one first meets their spouse-to-be doesn’t the conversation eventually turn to pea salad? For some reason, it did for us. And during this exchange my husband told me that he used to make the BEST pea salad. Ummmmm…. Excuse me. I make the BEST pea salad. Why this discussion occurred is beyond me, but at the time it was a thing. Maybe before one considers the commitment of marriage, there should be a mandatory talk about how one prefers their pea salad.

Anyway, for me, evidenced by the recipe you will see here, it includes bacon. Along with other goodies. Also, you will see that this recipe uses frozen peas, but fresh would be just as good – no doubt better. But I’ve had trouble finding fresh green peas lately. Maybe I’m not visiting the right farmers’ markets or grocery stores, but I just don’t find any. And I miss them. Where are all the peas? And I mean shelling peas... not snap peas or snow peas.

Making pea salad takes me back to the spring days at my grandma’s house in tiny-town, Iowa (actually Deloit, which is five miles outside Denison). In the late afternoon we would go out to her garden and pick the pea pods that were ready. Then, in the cooler evening time after dinner, we would gently sway on the wooden porch swing hanging from the ceiling of her screened-in front porch shelling peas as we talked about nothing and everything.

Sometimes she would make pea salad (without bacon, I’m sad to report), but most of the time we had them just steamed with butter, salt, and pepper. SO good. But wanting to jazz them up a bit as I got older, I began making this pea salad recipe, WITH bacon. Because isn’t everything better with bacon? It contributes a bit of a smoky, salty taste, along with some interesting texture. What’s not to love? So here’s the recipe, and I will leave it up to you if you want to include the bacon or not. (Trust me – add the bacon!)

My pea salad recipe

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PEA SALAD

· 10 ounces frozen peas (or fresh if you can find them, cooked)

· 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped + 1 sliced for topping (3 total)

· ¾ cup (3 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

· ¼ cup chopped celery

· 2 Tablespoons chopped green onion

· ½ cup Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise)

· ¼ teaspoon salt

· 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

· Paprika (for sprinkling on top)

Rinse frozen peas with cool water to thaw, then drain well. In a large bowl, combine peas, eggs, cheese, celery, onion, and bacon.

In a small bowl, combine Miracle Whip with salt and pepper to taste. Add to pea mixture and gently stir to coat all ingredients well.

Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. Stir mixture gently, top with sliced egg, sprinkle with paprika, and serve.

(Helpful Hint: Store the salad, covered, in the refrigerator and eat within a couple of days, as the cheese does not stand up well to the Miracle Whip. If making the salad a day or two ahead of time, keep the cheese out and stir in directly before serving.)

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Pea salad….WITH bacon!

However you decide to prepare this pea salad, I hope you enjoy it. I serve it every spring and summer as an accompaniment to grilled brats, hamburgers, or hotdogs. And, no worries, we continue to be two peas in a pod happily eating their pea salad together… WITH bacon!

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I also write a Substack column entitled The Life and Times of a Midwestern Girl, where I expound on living life in the Midwest. I may be talking about the magic of a summers’ evening spent at a little league baseball game or maybe things I encounter that just make me go “Hmmmmmm.” I will undoubtedly share stories of my adventures at the Iowa State Fair – both as an attendee and as a food-contest judge.

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