Cowboy Caviar

There was a recipe that uncle Steve was perfecting the last few years of his life. I remember it appearing at family gatherings for several years, but I don't recall the first time he made it. He called it "Cowboy Caviar", but I found two recipes in his things, one for "Poor Man's Caviar", and one for "Black-Eyed Pea Caviar", which I believe the "Cowboy Caviar" was modified from, based on the cook's love of his ingredients.

We made this together at the September 2008 family reunion. I asked if he needed any help, and was promptly handed a knife and cutting board. We stood side by side, me dicing, "Is this small enough?", and him mixing and seasoning. I diced the yellow, red and green sweet peppers, he opened the cans of pinto beans, white beans and black eyed peas. I diced the tomatoes, he diced the scallions and garlic. He added the cilantro, vinegar and oil. I teased him that the beans weren't getting mixed up enough, and he handed me the bowl and spoon with that exasperated look he had of, "well mix it yourself then"..... although he never said it out loud. I tasted, he tasted. He added cumin, salt and pepper. He tasted, I tasted. We agreed that it was pretty good and the seasoning was right. I was happy that the beans got mixed in. We covered it and put it in the refrigerator, so it would taste just right at supper time.

Just over a month later, uncle Steve was gone. I searched my memory: When was the last time I saw him? What was the last thing we did or said to one another? I was so grateful to find this ordinary memory of us sharing a few minutes together, doing something he loved: standing at the stainless steel kitchen, dicing, mixing and tasting.

It was the last thing we did together, stirring up a perfect batch of the "Caviar".

Happiness is a big 'ole plate of "Cowboy Caviar", some chips and a beer to wash it down!

Based loosely on these recipes:

Poor Man's Caviar
Drain two 15 ounce cans of black-eyed peas into a large bowl. Add 8 chopped, trimmed scallions. 1 finely diced seeded green bell pepper, 1 finely diced seeded red bell pepper, 1 large diced cored tomato, 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, one 16 ounce bottle of spicy Italian salad dressing and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight, to allow the flavors to come together, serve cold or at room temperature. Makes 8 cups.


Black-Eyed Pea Caviar
2- 15 oz. cans black-eyed peas, drained
1 yellow or green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup roasted red peppers packed in oil, drained and finely chopped
1/2 cup minced purple onion
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. coarse-ground mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
Combine all ingredients in a medium-size bowl; stir well. Cover and chill for several hours. Serve at room temperature with pita chips. Makes 36 servings.

ENJOY!