Introducing Minnesota to a Tasty Southern Dish

I’m like most people, I enjoy a lot of different types of foods. When my wife and I moved to Minnesota from Western North Carolina, we knew we would be exposed to foods prepared in different ways than we were used to.  

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But we also knew we would have the opportunity to bring some of the flavors of the south to the Mid-West. Some of the foods that we were accustomed to, we can’t find or find easily here in Minnesota. For example, my wife loves grits and has them shipped to her here. 

Last week, we had a company pot-luck lunch where our employees brought in dishes to go along with the meats that the company offered up. My skills in the kitchen are minimal at best, so I asked my wife to make something. 

She saw this as an opportunity to bring one of her specialties from North Carolina, “Mimi’s Southern Pea Salad”. The “Mimi” comes from what our granddaughter calls her. Some of my co-workers were hesitant, others took the opportunity to give it a try.

Here’s the ingredients: 

1 Large Head of Iceberg Lettuce Shredded 

1 ½ Cup of Mayonnaise 

½ Cup of Sugar 

2 Cans of Peas drained 

1 Can of Parmesan Cheese 

1 Small Yellow or Purple or Yellow Onion Chopped 

1 bottle of Salad Toppers 

Here’s how you put it together: 

Take the Mayonnaise and Sugar and mix those items together 

Place half of the lettuce in a bowl, then pour in the mayonnaise-sugar mixture with one can of peas, and half of the onion. Then sprinkle parmesan cheese on it. The amount of parmesan depends on how much you like it. Then repeat the above process. Finally top the dish off with the salad toppers.  

This is a light, tasty dish that goes with so many entrees. We hope that you enjoy Mimi’s Southern Pea Salad. 

One side note, I didn’t like peas before Kim and I were married, but this is one of my favorite things she makes.