At the end of the market this past Saturday in downtown Santa Barbara, I overheard one of the farmers say, “This is just one of those sugar snap pea-type of weekends.”
I smiled thinking about how I had been watching our customers filling up their bags with these crisp vibrant pods all day, with several local farmers well stocked with this seasonal favorite. The first harvest of fresh peas is always the best, and it delivers a wave of excitement when they make their grand entrance.
Less popular but still looking beautiful were the first few cases of English shelling peas at the Tutti Frutti Farm’s stand. They were organically grown at the Lompoc farm, and I couldn’t resist purchasing a couple of pounds.
Once home, my kids and I went out in the back yard and unzipped the inedible pods to release the jumbo peas into a bowl. The pods found their way into the compost bin.
We all snacked on quite a few of the fresh peas and reserved the rest to enjoy in a fresh spring pasta, which included some rainbow carrots harvested from our home garden.
Enjoyed both raw or cooked, English shelling peas can be most simply prepared by simmering in water for about 5 minutes until almost soft. Then you finish them in a pan by gently sautéing them in butter or olive oil and a simple seasoning.
English shelling peas are very versatile. They’re excellent when used to top a mixed green salad, puréed, added to rice dishes such as a risotto or incorporated into grain bowls.
If you want to utilize the pods, they can be used in a vegetable stock, infusing a pleasing sweet and grassy flavor to the broth.
Fresh Pea Pasta
1/2-pound shelling peas, pods discarded.
1 pound sugar snap peas, stems removed.
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced or julienned.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
8 ounces pasta of your choice, cooked to package instructions.
3 radishes, cut into very thin rounds.
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, very finely chopped.
Zest from one lemon.
Splash of lemon juice.
Olive oil to taste.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Aged balsamic vinegar to taste.
Crumbled chèvre or shaved/grated Parmesan style cheese to taste.
Simmer the shelling peas for about 5 minutes, then set aside. In a sauté pan with olive oil, sauté sugar snap peas and carrots over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally. Add garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender.
Then toss in pasta, radishes, parsley, lemon zest and juice and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar and finish with the cheese.
Yield: Serves 4.
