STUFF that doesn't suck
This stuff is readily available in a regular grocery store and is good.
FROZEN PeAS
All I am saying is Give Peas a Chance.
Are you patiently waiting for FRESH Spring peas to show up? Well, it won't happen in a regular grocery store. If they come to the Co-op, I've missed them. Trader Joe's does have bags of shelled peas, but I have found they go bad quickly. So while I wish to celebrate Spring with the ultimate Spring produce, you have to time it right and track them down at the Farmers Market, and when you do, Score!
But, wait… why not give those (frozen) peas a chance. You can do it any time of the year!
I thought I hated peas. It is actually canned peas I loath. And to prove it, I have a pea horror story. Grab a beer and get comfy. In first grade, I had a black patent leather Barbie lunch box. It was so glam, and I loved carrying it. My lunch mainly was a peanut butter sandwich, potato chips, maybe fruit, and something sweet. If I was really "lucky," the something sweet was chocolate chips. I think it was more out of convenience than a treat. If there were no cookies in the house, just throw some chocolate chips in a baggie. LOL. One day I had to take hot lunch. I was my first time and I naively followed the hot lunch line to the cafeteria window. I found mac and cheese (yay) and peas (oh no). Hot lunch eaters were required to clean their plates. I stared long and hard at the peas in their own orangey compartment, grateful for the fence, so they didn't roll into the mac and cheese.
An older and wiser 4th grader whispered, "put your peas in the milk carton and toss them in the garbage when you take your tray up." So I did. Roadblock… the lunch lady! She was inspecting the trays. So as the story goes, she might grab your tray and check the milk carton. If it felt heavy, she would look inside, and if you were hiding anything, you were instructed to sit back down and eat whatever was in your milk carton. The thought of that, quite honestly to this day, gives me shivers. However, I got away with it. My milk carton was successfully tossed, though I had scars.
This lunch box is so GLAM!
For years I never ever ate peas. Then Broadstreet Cafe opened, and I was converted. All the entrees were accompanied by delicious white rice studded with golden raises or roasted potatoes. All the plates came with peas. WTF. I was a grown-ass woman; I couldn't stuff them into my milk carton. So I tried them. I loved them. I later found out they were cooked ever so slightly in fresh thyme, butter, and a bit of water. They had to have been frozen peas because they had them year-round. From that point on, I permanently had frozen peas in my freezer. Birds Eye Baby Sweet Peas, to be exact. I added them to everything my kids ate.
Toss frozen peas in everything!
Frozen peas are reliably tender, sweet, and perfect. When peas are flash frozen after just being picked, they retain both texture and freshness. Additionally, flash-frozen peas are just as healthy as fresh peas, as they contain the same vitamins, so you won't be compromising your nutrition by going the frozen route. Plus, to state the obvious, you don't need to shell them or even thaw them before incorporating them into any dish.
I read somewhere there was a Michelin restaurant that served something on their menu accompanied with Green Giant Simply Steam Sweet Peas & Butter Sauce. Chef Eric Rippert found out, and once when he came back in the kitchen, the chef at this restaurant showed him their well-stocked freezer. Unfortunately, I can't find the story to back that up, but I did find articles where Eric Rippert declares he loves frozen peas. Hmmm.
This recipe is from Bon Appetit, and it read perfect for a bit of spring sunshine in a bowl. Much needed this year. Curse you, Minnesota Third Winter.
Spring Minestrone Verde with Pistachio Pesto
Step 1: Prep this simple soffritto and nutty pesto.
Step 2: Make this beautiful, clean soup.
Ingredients:
SOFFRITTO
¼ cup olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts only, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
Kosher salt
PESTO
2 tablespoons raw pistachios
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup (packed) basil leaves
1 cup (packed) parsley leaves with tender stems
⅔ cup olive oil, divided
½ cup finely grated Parmesan
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
SOUP AND ASSEMBLY
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock or water
6 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed, sliced in half crosswise
½ bunch small Tuscan kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn
1 14.5-ounce can cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed
1 cup shelled fresh peas (from about 1 pound pods) or frozen peas, thawed (no need to thaw LZ)
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Thinly shaved Parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes (for serving)
4 ¾-inch-thick slices country-style bread, toasted (optional)
For Preparation click here
Peas out.