One tried-and-true recipe that has been made for decades and continues to be a crowd-pleaser is my mom’s version of Texas caviar. It can easily be made ahead of a day or two. It’s a perfect addition to pretty much any gathering.
Serve with Fritos Scoops, corn tortilla chips or even use it as a condiment to spoon over tacos. You can also get creative and enjoy it as a filling for a lettuce wrap
Yield: 3 quarts
Ingredients
Main
- 1 (15oz) can shoe peg corn (sweet corn is a fine substitute)
- 1 (15oz) can of black-eyed peas (rinsed and strained)
- 1 (15oz) can of black beans (rinsed and strained)
- 1 (15oz) can of kidney beans (rinsed and strained)
- 1 (15oz) can of pinto beans (rinsed and strained)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded, finely diced
- 1 medium red onion, finely diced
- 3 to 4 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
Syrup
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup avocado oil (or olive oil if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
Read more: Grow your own beans in the garden! They’re good for you and the soil.
Instructions
Start by combining the syrup ingredients in a small-sized saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat and allow to completely cool.
While the syrup cools, in a large bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Once the syrup is cooled, pour it over the bean mixture and stir well. Cover and transfer the “caviar” to the refrigerator and allow it to chill for at least two hours, or ideally, overnight.
Enjoy within one week. After a few days, the ingredients do begin to soften so I usually finish ours up by day four or five.
Trick for Simplicity
When my mom was making this recipe once, she didn’t have a bowl large enough to mix up all the ingredients. But she had a plastic gallon-sized zipper storage bag.
This was an aha moment for her because this made making the recipe incredibly simple, not only for mixing together but also for refrigerator storage and transportation. She rinsed all the canned ingredients, strained them, and dumped them into the baggie. She added all her chopped vegetables and poured the cooled syrup over the mixture. She zipped it up tightly and gently mixed things together with her hands, through the baggie, and stored it in the refrigerator until she was ready to serve it.
She’s continued to make it this way since!
Notes
Frozen (thawed before using in the recipe) or fresh corn can be used in place of canned.
My mom never measured this recipe until I asked her for this Hobby Farms contribution. That being said, feel free to be flexible with the ingredients. There is no hard measurement you must stand by. If you want more or less hot peppers or onions, adjust the recipe. If you want to add some fresh herbs or other seasonings, or use different beans, go for it!
Get creative and enjoy!
