Peas: A Love Story

This post was supposed to be about honey chicken with preserved lemons.  Instead, it’s about something much better…a Spring discovery involving peas.

Peas! How I hated them as a child. If only I’d known what a difference fresh peas made, rather than their less flavorful (and frankly awful) relations found in a can.

I decided to make mushy peas to go with a honey lemon chicken recipe I adapted from Cooking Light.

I chopped up a shallot and sauteed it with about a tablespoon of butter until the butter browned and smelled nutty. I then added fresh-shelled peas (peas I shelled while commuting home on Caltrain, strangely enough), about two tablespoons of half and half, and two tablespoons of water. I brought it to a boil and cooked for about 12 minutes.

At this point I could have put the peas in the food processor to make them “mushy.” Or perhaps used our emersion blender. But the chicken took so long that I was rushing to get food on the table, so I beat the peas with a mallet for a while to make it look more “mush” and less “pea.” They would up looking like peas that had been beaten with a mallet.

I can’t begin to describe how good these peas are. The combination of fresh peas, with nutty brown butter, the light yet deep flavor of shallots, and cream…oh dear. I instruct you now, my 7 readers, to go out and make this. You will be amazed and delighted and convinced you can live on peas alone.