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Glut of sugar snap peas


Emily_R

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So I've got a huge glut of sugar snap peas from our garden. Right now maybe 5 or 6 pounds of them in our fridge. Any ideas for something just a little unusual to do with them? And by unusual, I mean something other than eating them raw or putting a few into a salad?

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How about slicing them very thinly on the diagonal, salting them for about an hour, rinse and dry, then toss them with olive oil and lemon juice and shave a bunch of pecorino or parmesan over the top. In other words, instead of adding them to a salad, they become the salad.

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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A few years ago at Momofuku I had a salad of radishes and sugar snap peas with a sour cream-horseradish dressing. It was a great combination, so I made up my own version. Blanch the peas for a couple of minutes (they should be crunchy but not raw), mix with about equal parts sliced radishes, and dress with 1 part prepared horseradish to 4 parts sour cream, with a little grated lemon zest. Thin if necessary and toss with the vegetables. Garnish with chives.

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I think sugar snaps are better for being briefly blanched (until they turn jade green from their raw 'dusty' green) and shocked. When they are dry, toss them with a sesame vinaigrette. A few lightly cooked carrot matchsticks are good with this as well.

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I think sugar snaps are better for being briefly blanched (until they turn jade green from their raw 'dusty' green) and shocked. When they are dry, toss them with a sesame vinaigrette. A few lightly cooked carrot matchsticks are good with this as well.

I used to think many vegetables were better by being briefly blanched, but thinly slicing and salting, or lightly pickling, works just as well - in some cases, depending on the final use, even better.

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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Sugar snap puree soup. I made some just the other day. There are quite a few recipes available. I went with one of the simplest I found, but upon tasting added some parmesan, which was an ingredient from a "Splendid Table" recipe. I added just a half Tbl. of sugar, as per the recipe. The results were quite sweet, and I think the sugar could have been omitted.

I only have an immersion blender, and a China cap, so the results were not quite as smooth as I might have liked. Also, a little watery. I used 3 cups fluids (broth, half-n-half) to 1+ pounds of peas. I think a half C less, or maybe a reduction simmer would be good.

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I believe this came a book called "Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables: A Commonsense Guide," by Elizabeth Schneider, published in 1986--which goes to show you how things have changed.

Lime-Mint Cream Dip for Sugar Snap Peas

Finely chop 2-4 tablespoons of mint. Mash it around in a small bowl with !/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of lime juice. Let sit at least half an hour. Strain the juice out, pressing the mint to extract all the juice. Stir 2/3 cup of cream into the lime juice. Add salt to taste. Cover and chill several hours, until the cream thickens. Stir in another tablespoon of chopped mint leaves.

String and blanch the sugar snap peas. Cool. Serve with the dip.

Delicious.

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Dmitri's, one of my favorite restaurants here in Philly serves sugar snap peas Greek style in a chunky oregano spiked tomato sauce with crumbled feta cheese on top. They're delicious and I never fail to order them every time I'm there. I suspect the peas are merely steamed al dente and then tossed with the tomato sauce, placed in an oven proof dish, topped with the cheese and run under a broiler for just a few seconds to get the cheese starting to soften up. Try these. You'll love them.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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My next-door neighbor serves sugar snaps tossed in sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt as a finger food at every party during pea season. They fly off the plate.

MelissaH

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

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Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

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Our favorite way to use them is to saute them in olive oil with garlic (lots), and chicken if you like, and toss with pasta. Add some pasta water if needed, and S&P to taste. Top with big shavings of parm reggiano.

Or you could mail them to me - we love them and they tend to be expensive.

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I use a lot of sugar snap peas interchangeable with pea pods.

One of my favorite recipes is this simple base to which I add what veg I have on hand.

I generally use equal amounts of meat/peas and I use a lot more garlic (4-5 large cloves), and I slice it and after cooking it in the oil, take it out, reserve it and add it back at the end of cooking the rest.

I used to have a great recipe for Garlic Beef with pea pods but lost it and I like this one better than some of the others because it does not restrict one to particular ingredients.

I also add scallions or regular onions, in larger chunks, - quartered small onions, larger cut in wedges so everything is about the same size.

You can blanch the snap peas first but I like them quite crunchy so usually don't bother.

You can also use other meats. I have made this dish with pork, venison, chicken, turkey, duck and even goat.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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If you want to shell the peas instead of using the entire pod, this is absolutely one of the best recipes I have ever tasted. I will confess to oh-so-lightly blanching my peas, for less than a minute, then shocking them in ice water.

Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

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saute in butter with garlic, some salt and pepper. The mint mentioned above is also great, did that with Fava beans, was great!

Toss with pasta, olive oil, some fresh garlic if you like, basil, chili flakes. Or layer in between lasagna pasta, looks neat :-)

"And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!"

- Thomas Keller

Diablo Kitchen, my food blog

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