Still comfort food, but this Southern pea salad has kick
Your definition of comfort food depends, of course, on what you find comforting, and for most of us it's something nostalgic. Beyond that, it could be anything, really: A cupcake. Mac and cheese. Enchiladas. Fried rice.
I've got a lot of comfort foods, but one that I had nearly forgotten about is pea salad. It was a popular Sunday dish, potluck buffet item and even occasional barbecue side in the West Texas of my youth. My favorite versions were heavy on the mayo, the eggs and the cubed cheese. Diet food it isn't.
I remembered it when I paged through Eddie Hernandez's charming new book with Susan Puckett, “Turnip Greens & Tortillas” (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Hernandez, the Atlanta chef-restaurateur behind Taqueria del Sol, notes its Southern popularity but says he learned to make his version in South America. I'm happy for the influence, because he adds heat in the form of poblano and jalapeño peppers (while leaving out the cheese). One bite, and the comfort kicked right in.