Texas Caviar Dip

Ah, the rain. Lovely rain. These past few days we’ve seen it rain almost non-stop. I’m okay with that. I pretty much hate the sun. Cloudy, overcast, drizzly weather is what I prefer.

I would like to see some sunshine today, though. We’re having our annual storm chaser barbecue at our Chief Meteorologist’s house, and if it’s all rainy it won’t be quite as end-of-summer barbecuey, you know?

I signed up to bring a dip and a new banana bread recipe I’m making (recipe coming soon, if it works out the way I hope it will!) an this is what I decided on dip-wise. I’ve had Texas caviar once or twice before, and always loved it. Black-eyed peas, green onions, Italian dressing…it just goes so well on club crackers.

I wanted mine to be a little different so I added some roasted corn and made my own “Italian” dressing. Red wine vinegar, oil, garlic and a few spices is all you need. Throw in a dash of cumin to make it more Tex-Mex-y and you’re good to go.

This dip is so versatile, you can  pretty much try it with anything. Tortilla chips, crackers, alone by the spoonful—all of it is great. Somebody in my house ate all the tortilla chips (looking at you, Rob) and all I had in the pantry to snap pictures with were Ritz crackers. I tried it on the crackers and it tasted amazing! A little bit of sweetness from the crackers and corn, mixed with spice from the jalapenos and tang from the dressing. Lovely!

Hopefully the tons of onion I put in this dip doesn’t turn everybody off. What can I say? I’m an onion lover.

And I get most people on this planet are not. I don’t understand why. Onions are so misunderstood. They add so much flavor to anything they’re put into, I don’t know why people don’t like them. I probably never will.

I used to hate raw onions, though. If they were on pizza I would pick them off. Now, I can eat raw onions almost anytime of day. I guess you grow out of some pickiness when you grow older.

Anyway, I digress. Try this dip! It’s fresh, tangy, spicy, and perfect for end-of-summer bashes. Hopefully yours have more sunlight than mine!

Texas Caviar Dip

• Servings: 10-12
• Time: 40 mins, plus 4 hours to marinate
• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 TBS. olive oil

For the dip:

• 2 corn cobs, shucked
• 1 can (15 oz) black-eyed peas, drained
• 2 jalapenos, minced
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place corn cobs directly on rack (middle) and roast until tender and golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool on the counter while making the dip.
2. Make the dressing: whisk together vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin and olive oil in a large bowl.
3. Add black-eyed peas, jalapenos, tomato, bell pepper, and onion to the dressing bowl. Slice corn kernels off cob and into bowl. Stir everything together until well coated. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours to marinate.
4. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place corn cobs directly on rack (middle) and roast until tender and golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool on the counter while making the dip.

Make the dressing: whisk together vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin and olive oil in a large bowl.

Add black-eyed peas, jalapenos, tomato, bell pepper, and onion to the dressing bowl.

Slice corn kernels off cob and into bowl. Stir everything together until well coated. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours to marinate.

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.