Thursday, June 2, 2011

How Do I Eat All Those Sugar Snap Peas...


Let me count the ways.

1. Within seconds of separation from the mother plant. Mmm, sweet and crunchy!

2. Raw sliced thin in my salad for lunch today, along with arugula, haricot verts, avocado, sliced almonds, Oregon pink shrimp, meyer lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Variation yesterday with thin sliced leftover skirt steak instead of shrimp and sweet moscatel vinegar instead of lemon juice. Previous versions included leftover salmon or smoked trout, walnuts instead of almonds, sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, hazelnut or walnut oil... Use your imagination!

3. In the vegetable side dish last night - Pixie cabbage wilted with sliced snap peas in brown butter, olive oil, fresh sage, pine nuts, and garlic pulled fresh from the garden.

4. My favorite simple braised snap peas - brown butter with some sage leaves, toss in the whole stringed snap peas, add a small splash of water, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The little bit of water will help to steam the peas and as it cooks down it will emulsify with the butter to make a lovely sauce. Cook until the peas are as crunchy or soft as you like them, cover the pan if you like your peas well done. Also good with some diagonally sliced asparagus added to the mix, and thin sliced garlic is another option. Another variation, instead of brown butter crisp some pancetta in a little olive oil, add peas to pan and proceed...

5. Raw, sliced thin on the diagonal and added to Asian seasoned cole slaw.

6. Refrigerator pickles - my latest version is made with rice vinegar and seasoned with tarragon, garlic, dried chile pepper, and sliced fresh ginger.

7. Sugar Snap Peas, fava beans, shredded duck confit - all sauteed with some olive oil, sweet onions, garlic, and thyme - braise all in some good homemade chicken stock and serve in a warm bowl with a big spoon. Poached egg on top is optional.

8. How do you eat your sugar snap peas?

10 comments:

  1. Yummmmmm~~~~~~~~they all sound so good, I'll eat them raw or cooked, any combination, with or without dressing, but never frozen, hate frozen and canned vegetables!

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  2. In stirfies, salad, just out of hand, and I really can't wait to make pickled snap peas too. I miss refrigerator pickles and they are always the first to be made.

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  3. I expected sugar snap peas to look like flat, mangetout peas... but they're not, but you still eat the whole thing, right? By the way, I've gone over to Wordpress now and will try and keep up with everyone's blogs a bit better.

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  4. You're so inventive with your recipes! I eat mine lightly cooked then add a drizzle of olive oil and some chopped garlic, or simmered in a little olive oil with cured ham, bacon, or pieces of chorizo, and some garlic, of course!

    I can't sign in here with my new blog identity, but I've moved Olives and Artichokes to:
    http://olivesandartichokes.wordpress.com/ - I hope you'll follow me there!

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  5. If I'd grown any, lots would be eaten by children (assuming the dog didn't lie on them) and then I bet they'd mostly be salads. Your ways all seem yummy.

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  6. I don't know why I don't grow sugar snap peas. They always look so delicious when others grow it. Maybe I'll cut back on my snow peas next year and live a little.

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  7. Nice article, thanks for the information.

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  8. Were they hard to grow? they look delish! Wonder if I could grow them in a container??

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  9. Yum, the snap peas with butter and sage sounds delish! I often make pasta with sage parmesan sauce, I might add peas to it, or just try your version. When I have peas, that is. Soon I hope.

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