Green Pea and Cheese Salad

Every spring, I start seeing recipes using fresh green peas yet I have never seen them in the market. Green peas are not a Southern crop and they are too perishable for shipping. Therefore, when I want peas, I buy frozen, which are quite good.  (I find many frozen vegetables to be unpalatable). 

After I made this salad, and ate a delicious, refreshing serving, I mused that I must have already been thinking about our upcoming Curry-Palooza.  It is my turn to choose a recipe, which we will post (always the first Friday of each month) on June 3.  I chose the recipe, Muttar Paneer, which is curried peas with cheese. But Muttar Paneer is nothing, nothing, like this salad, they just happen to share the same two main ingredients. We would love to have you cook along with us. Just let Grapefruit or I know and we will happily send you the recipe we are using. 

Back to the pea salad, here is a recipe for you. Make the dressing first and refrigerate until needed. Making it the day before is even better. This enables the mayo to lose that gloppy appearance and acrid smell I don't care for.

Green Pea and Cheese Salad
16 oz. frozen peas, thawed
1 cup diced celery
1 small sweet onion, diced
3 - 4 Tbsp. chopped sweet pickles
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
Half a red pepper, diced
4 oz. cheddar cheese, diced into small cubes

Dressing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. fresh, minced dill weed

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Toss together the peas, celery, onion, pickles, egg, pepper, and cheese. Stir in the chilled dressing and stir gently to blend.