Corn & Butter Pea Salad with Glazed Country Ham

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 6 ears fresh white corn, kernels scraped from the cob (see note), or 1 1/2 pounds frozen shoepeg corn
• 1 pound shelled or frozen butter peas or petite lima beans
• 2 thin slices Smithfield country ham (or other smoked and cured ham)
• 1/2 cup Coca-Cola (the real thing, not diet)
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 Vidalia (sweet) onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 green onions, finely chopped

1) Fill a 3 1/2 quart Dutch oven with lightly salted water; bring to a boil.

2) Add the corn and butter peas and simmer 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Do not overcook! Drain and refresh under cold running water. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

3) In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, fry the country ham slices until heated through, turning once, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

4) Add the Coca-Cola and simmer until the liquid has evaporated and glazed the ham. Remove the ham from the skillet and cut into bite-sized pieces.

5) In the same skillet over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

6) Stir the onion into the skillet and cook just long enough to wilt the onion, about 2 minutes.

7) Add the apple cider vinegar and cook until the liquid has been reduced by half. Stir in the poultry seasoning and set aside to cool.

8) In the bowl with the corn and butter peas, add the cucumber, red bell pepper, mayonnaise and thyme leaves. Fold in the contents of the skillet and the glazed ham. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

9) Cover salad and chill at least 4 hours or overnight to let the flavors marry. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the chopped green onions. Serve at once. Salad will keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

NOTE: The easiest way to remove the kernels from the cob is to anchor one end of a corncob on the center tube of an angel food cake pan. With a sharp knife, cut the kernels straight down. The kernels will collect in the bottom of the pan instead of flying all over the kitchen counter.

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