This Texas recipe is credited to Helen Corbitt—who left her native New York to teach at University of Texas at Austin in the 1930s and later became head chef for the famed Driskill Hotel and Neimann Marcus.
Corbitt’s 1940 recipe was inspired when she was tasked with creating a dish entirely from Texas ingredients. Southern tradition says black-eyed peas eaten the first day of the New Year guarantees good luck for the next 364 days. Hers was an effort to dress up the pesky legume.
Ingredients
½ red onion, chopped
1 bunch green onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, any colors, chopped
2 Jalapeño peppers, deseeded and chopped
1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped (seeded optional)
5 cloves garlic, minced and chopped
2 cups fresh corn
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
15-ounce can black beans, drained
15-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
½ teaspoon grated coriander
8 ounces zesty Italian dressing
Directions
Mix all and refrigerate for two hours.
Serve with tortilla chips.