Weak in the knees for peas

Versatile little legumes with sweet crunch will be gone in a snap

When fresh, locally grown peas become available in Lawrence, there’s no shortage of takers.

To find a few of them, just visit the Lawrence Farmers Market, 1000 Vt., these days, where sugar snap peas and snow peas are among the bounty of produce offered by vendors.

Lawrence resident Mary Ayling doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the varieties of peas – she likes them all.

“Peas is peas, to me. I use them in macaroni salad and tuna casseroles. I like to take them with new potatoes, and I make a white sauce and cream them. My husband loves it,” says Ayling, a regular shopper at the farmers market, which is open 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m.Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 6:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Saturdays.

Same goes for Sydney Pitchford, a Red Oak, Okla., resident who’s visiting Lawrence while her husband does work for a company here.

She likes to stop by the farmers market when she’s in town. She’s a fan of English peas and snow peas.

“I put them in salads. I like them because of their crunch and color – the snow peas, especially. When I was growing up, we used to just shell them and eat them raw,” Pitchford says.

This is a good time of year for pea lovers like Ayling and Pitchford, because farmers markets are soon to become a sea of green, with plenty of pods to choose among.

“They’re coming on now, and they’ll go for about three weeks,” says Karen Pendleton, co-owner of Pendleton’s Country Market, 1446 E. 1850 Road.

“Peas are kind of in between asparagus and green beans. Then once the peas are gone, the green beans come on. It’s a short season.”

This year, for the first time, Pendleton’s Market is giving customers the option of picking their own peas, which cuts the price down to $1.75 per pound.

They normally sell for $3 to $4 per pound.

“My biggest concern is that we’ll run out of them earlier,” Pendleton says.

Tom King, a trained chef and Lawrence food writer, knows you have to get your fresh peas while you still can.

“They’re a fleeting thing. It’s like asparagus. When the season comes, you look forward to it, you treasure it, but it’s gone too quickly,” he says.

King likes to incorporate fresh peas in his cooking, prizing their convenience and versatility.

“They’re primary use is in stir fries. You don’t want to cook them too much, because you want that snap and that fresh green taste. They’re wonderful raw in salads. Or you can puree any of them, mix them with a little cream or yogurt, add some mint, and you’ve got a cold soup for a hot day,” King says.

Peas show up in many types of cuisine, according to King.

“They’re used in nearly every culture. You see them in (Spanish) paella, in chicken-pot pies, as part of a boiled (English) Easter dinner, peas and onions down in the South. They’re everywhere,” he adds.

You don’t even have to cook them.

“All you have to do is pick ’em and throw ’em in your mouth,” says Randy Farley, owner of Lake View Gardens, a farm at 1886 E. 1150 Road, in rural Douglas County.

A purple blossom signals Alaskan snow peas on the way.

He’s grown crops like watermelon, sweet corn and several kinds of peas for the past 20 years.

“They’re kind of sweet, kind of crunchy,” Farley says of his sugar snap peas. “You just blanch them a little bit; you don’t have to cook them very long. I eat most of them raw, and they’re good in salads, too.”

Farley’s sold plenty of peas through the years at the Lawrence Farmers Market.

When he has them, that is.

“They’re a pretty short season. You have to plant several varieties, so that they come on at different times,” Farley says.

That way, he’s able to offer peas to customers for a whole month.

Just add butter

Peas are an early summer treat, say those who love fresh produce – Pendleton, among them.

“Sugar snap peas taste very sweet, so sweet that we don’t even cook them here. That’s our lifestyle; we don’t get a lot of cooking done, not this time of year,” she says.

“We sit around in the evening, pop off the stem end (of pea pods) and just eat them raw. If you do cook them, they only need to be warmed up. I’d stir fry them in hot oil.”

Pendleton also recommends using peas in a salad, or serving them as a side dish, with a little butter.

Elaine Penny, a Lawrence resident who often shops at the farmers market, also enjoys peas.

“We just had fresh sugar snap peas last night, stir fried with leftover rice. Fabulous,” she says.

Her friend, Gwen Blumenschein, visiting from Lakewood, Colo., also confesses to being weak in the knees for peas.

“My husband likes to eat sugar snap peas and snow peas raw, as a snack. And I like to do stir fries with them,” she says.

“I just read a Real Simple magazine article with a recipe for fresh pea soup with mint, served cold. I cut out the recipe.”

Fresh Green Peas and Sugar Snap Peas in Sesame Dressing

3 cups fresh shelled peas (from 3 pounds peas in pods)

12 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil

1 tablespoon (packed) golden brown sugar

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook shelled peas in large saucepan of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add sugar snap peas to same pan and continue boiling 30 seconds. Drain; rinse under cold water and drain again. Transfer to large bowl.

Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper in small bowl to blend. (Peas and dressing can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand separately at room temperature.) Pour dressing over peas in large bowl; toss to coat. Season salad to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Source: Bon Appetit, July 2004; epicurious.com.

Cream of Fresh Peas with Mint Soup

8 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups fresh shelled peas (or 20 ounces frozen small baby peas)

2 tablespoons butter

2 leeks, cleaned and sliced coarsely (about 4 cups loose)

2 tablespoons regular Cream of Wheat

2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring water and salt to boil. Add peas and bring to a boil. Uncover and boil 1 minute. Drain, reserving the liquid. Process the peas, still hot, in the food processor until very smooth. Strain through a food mill to eliminate remaining skin.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the leeks. Saute the leeks on medium heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle Cream of Wheat on top and mix in. Add the liquid from the peas. Bring to a boil and boil gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid, and process the solids in the processor.

Combine the solids with pea puree and liquid and bring to a boil. Set aside.

At serving time, bring the vegetable mixture to a boil and add the cream. Add salt and pepper if needed, and serve with fresh mint sprinkled on top.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: Cooks.com Recipe Search.

Herbed New Potatoes with Fresh Peas

2 pounds new potatoes

Boiling water

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 pound fresh green peas (precooked)

1/2 teaspoon ground basil

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup light cream

Fresh parsley for garnish

Scrape potatoes and place in saucepan with 1/2 inch boiling water and salt. Cover and boil until done, about 25 minutes. Shake pan occasionally.

Five minutes before potatoes are completely cooked, add peas and basil. When peas are heated through, remove from heat and drain if necessary.

Add pepper, butter and cream and heat a few seconds. Turn into a serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Source: Cooks.com Recipe Search.

Sauteed Peas and Small Potatoes

2 pounds small boiling potatoes (preferably red)

3/4 pound fresh peas in pods or 1 cup frozen baby peas

1/2 pound sugar snap peas

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

In 4-quart saucepan, cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch and simmer 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when pierced with sharp knife. Drain potatoes in colander. Potatoes may be cooked 1 day ahead and cooled before being chilled in a sealable plastic bag. Bring potatoes to room temperature before proceeding.

Shell peas if using fresh, and trim sugar snap peas. In large skillet, heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, and saute all vegetables, stirring frequently, until sugar snaps are crisp-tender and potatoes are heated through, about 4 minutes. Season vegetables with salt and pepper.

Serves 6.

Source: Gourmet, June 1999; epicurious.com.

Stir-Fried Tofu with Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas and Green Onions

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon dried crush red pepper

1 12-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, patted dry with paper towels

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps quartered

8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

4 green onions, sliced on diagonal

Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add tofu and stir to coat; let marinate 30 minutes. Drain, reserving marinade in small bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup water and cornstarch into marinade.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and saute until golden, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer tofu to plate. Add remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and stir fry until tender, about 3 minutes. Add sugar snap peas; stir fry 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; stir fry 30 seconds. Return tofu to skillet; drizzle reserved marinade mixture over. Stir fry until marinade thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Bon Apetit, January 2004; epicurious.com.