Tomato and Field-Pea Salad With Tangy Garlic Sauce

Try to use at least three varieties of field peas in this salad to appreciate their different flavors, textures, shapes, and colors, writes Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. Varieties include butter beans, pink-eyed peas, black eyed-peas, speckled butter beans and white acre peas. If you can get heirloom tomatoes mix and match these as well.

The Salad:
1 1/4 cups mixed fresh field peas and beans, at least 3 varieties if possible*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 vine-ripe tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch wedges

The Dressing:
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

The Garlic Sauce:
1 small clove garlic, rubbed to a paste with a pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise
1 to 2 tablespoons boiling water, if needed
*If you can’t get fresh field peas you can use canned peas but they taste and texture won’t be precisely the same. Make sure to rinse canned peas well under cold running water, if using.

1. Boil the mixed peas and beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain immediately and refresh in a bowl of salted ice water. As soon as the peas are chilled, drain well and put them into a bowl with the tomato wedges

2. Make the dressing: Put the sherry and red wine vinegars, the salt, freshly ground black pepper, mustard, and shallot into a small nonreactive mixing bowl. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved and slowly whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

3. Make the garlic sauce: stir the garlic into the mayonnaise, and slowly stir in a little boiling water until the sauce is thinned to a drizzling consistency. Refrigerate until needed.

4. When you are ready to serve, season the peas and tomatoes with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Pour enough of the dressing over the vegetables to coat them, and gently toss to mix the salad. Drizzle the garlic sauce generously over the salad, and serve, passing additional garlic sauce with the salad.