It’s a good time of year to cook with peas. Peas are a very under rated veggie here in the States. In Britain it is estimated the average Englander eats 9,000 peas per year.
Here are some other interesting pea facts:
- Proper etiquette for eating peas is to squash them with the back of your fork
- Freshly frozen garden peas are frozen within just two and a half-hours of being picked, locking in all the nutrients.
- Just one serving of freshly frozen garden peas contains as much vitamin C as two large apples!
- Peas are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, thiamine (B1), iron and phosphorus.
- They are rich in protein, carbohydrates and fiber and low in fat.
- A 100 calories serving of peas contains more protein than a whole egg or tablespoon of peanut butter.
- The less water you use when cooking peas, the less vitamin C is lost. Steaming helps to conserve this vitamin. When boiling frozen peas, add enough water to cover, bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Peas can be eaten directly from the pod.
Now how about a few easy peas-y ways to cook this delicious veggie-
- Add a little thin sliced garlic and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic until translucent. Toss in your fresh peas in pods and a dash of salt. Cook 2-3 minutes or until soft , but still bright green. Toss in some lemon juice.
- For an easy frozen pea recipe, add 2 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 lb peas, 3 cloves garlic. Throw everything into a medium skillet at medium heat for 5- 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- And finally my favorite way to eat peas y’all is with some bacon and country ham. This is my personal recipe for Split Pea Soup in a crockpot: ( no I haven’t tried the instapot yet.)
Ingredients for Split Pea Soup
- 1 lb dry split peas (see below)
- 1 Sweet Vidalia Onion Chopped
- 4 Carrots peeled and diced
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 7 Cups of Chicken Stock
- 5 slices cooked bacon (preferably thick and hickory smoked) chopped
- 1/2 lb country ham browned in skillet chopped
- 1/2 tbsp crushed or powdered rosemary
- Salt and Pepper to taste
If you aren’t in a rush you can just rinse your peas. If you are soaking peas overnight cuts cooking time from 1.5-2 hours to about 45 minutes.
Follow directions above. Bay leaf need to go on top
I prefer setting the crockpot to slow and low for about 6 hours.
Thin with chicken stock
Thicken with a couple of teaspoons of flour dissolved in water before adding to.
