'Tis the season. Not that season. Farmers' market season! While I'm trying to grow my own little pathetic potted garden in the back yard (I'm sure I'll write about it sometime), if I ever want to actually have vegetables to eat, I need to buy them.
I just happened to be walking around the farmers' market near work and there was a big bushel of peas to sample. I'd never had raw peas before - they were delicious! So I immediately bought a bag full. Their marketing tactic worked.
I didn't want to take away from the fresh pea crunch and taste, so I just blanched them and put a little butter, salt, and pepper on top. After all the work it takes to get these puppies out of the pod, I wasn't about to hide them in a more cumbersome dish. But you can do whatever you want. When we were kids my brother refused to eat salads, so he would eat a bowl full of peas and shredded cheese. Yes, really. And Lily eats her peas mashed up with pureed brown rice (when she's not cruisin' the internet/ breaking the computer). Imagine the possibilities you could dream up!
Though there is really no recipe needed for this, here is what I did:
Fresh Peas Printer-friendly version
1 pound peas 1/2 - 1 Tbsp. butter Salt and pepper to taste
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Put all of the peas into the pot until they start to rise to the top (like 3o seconds). Immediately drain and put the peas into a bowl of ice water. Or just run them under cold water in the colander. Soften/melt butter and combine with peas. Add the salt and pepper.
I love how the peas are just barely cooked and still pop in your mouth. Now, get to your local farmers' market!
