Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: snap peas

14 July 2008

snap peas

Sharon is visiting us this weekend. The lovely, amazing Sharon, who has been with me for over 25 years of my life. She and the Chef and I have been eating well, and often, for the past two days. Grilled peaches with basil butter. Chickpea and octopus salad. Dinner at the Dahlia Lounge. Roasted potatoes with zucchini flowers from the garden.

We're not going hungry around here.

We are short of time. Little Bean arrives next week. (Next week!) Sharon leaves tomorrow. (Dammit.) Frankly, we have movies to watch and Wii tennis to play. (But not golf, because Sharon might throw the remote against the wall in frustration.) I just don't have time for a post.

But I do like snap peas. And they're here. Finally, after a long cold spring, all the produce is here at once. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the bounty, so we have been trying to eat every single summer fruit and vegetable in two days.

These are snack food for me, plain and simple, like popcorn or potato chips, or peanuts grown in Eastern Washington and cracked open on a paper towel. Do they need any other adornment?

What do you make with snap peas?

55 Comments:

At 10:49 PM, Anonymous said...: I can remember sitting in the supermarket cart/seat as a toddler, munching on snap peas. I would always open them and take the little peas out and eat them. They were heaven to me. Funny, my earliest memory of the supermarket is in the produce section.

Honestly, all I do with them is steam them. I also like the snap peas by Calbee available at Trader Joe's. They are crunchy, like chips. They recommend it for salads.

Take care,

Shoshannah
At 12:20 AM, Kitt said...: I eat them straight from the vine and swear that next year I'm going to plant more.

This year I finally planted enough to put some in salads or to take to work to nosh on. I don't think I've ever cooked them. They're too good raw!

Good luck with your own little sweet pea.
At 4:51 AM, Tiara said...: Oh I LOVE snap peas!! That picture, just, mmmmmmmm... I'd be wishing spring to hurry up here down under, but I'm enjoying the winter pears too much. LOL
At 5:15 AM, Anonymous said...: I just have to say, I'm tons more excited about Little Bean than any celebrity baby in the news! Sending you peaceful thoughts for these last few pregnant days of waiting.
At 5:39 AM, Anonymous said...: All my childhood, I was a vegetable hater. Except for corn. It was the only cooked veggie I'd eat. But then, sometime in my twenties, I realized something. I liked a lot of vegetables...raw!

I was having a conversation with someone about gardening, and had the memory of being quite put out that I had to help in the garden, since I hated its bounty. But I keenly recalled the smell of a green bean fresh off the vine, the refreshing taste in the hot sun. Cooking just ruined it for me. Why didn't I just ask for raw veggies?

Snap peas are one of my favorites. I'll eat them cooked now and then, but just like Shoshannah, we keep them in the fridge for snacking. Sweet, crunchy. Perfect chopped for salads, great for hummus. Sometimes, I think, it's best to just leave a food alone and do nothing to it!
At 6:03 AM, Dk's Wife said...: I love snap peas in salads. And I cannot you feeling like playing WII Tennis! :) Early congratulations!
At 6:39 AM, Maria said...: My sweet girls just 'em "peas in the pod" they call 'em. Nature's candy I tell ya!
At 6:48 AM, Anonymous said...: Grilled peaches with basil butter?! Tell me more!!

Snap peas are eaten whole by me and carefully shelled for the baby peas inside by my daughters. They never last long enough in our house to make it to a skillet.

Unfortunately in Virginia it gets a little too hot in the spring for snap peas to retain the perfect sweetness they have when grown in a cooler climate.

Kris
At 7:30 AM, Summer said...: I just bought some snap peas for my 5 year old son at the market.
He was completely fascinated and kept saying "More! More!" He smiled as he picked each pea out of the pod.

I stirfried the ones that he didn't eat with some yellow summer squash and red pepper, and a touch of olive oil and dill.
At 8:22 AM, Mindy said...: mmmmm, those look delish. i was just in my garden & i don't have any ready yet, but the vines look gorgeous. can't wait to see what other people do with theirs. i usually just steam mine or eat them raw dipped in greek yogurt mixed with fresh garlic & shredded zucchini. maybe your next post will be your birth story! can't wait to hear that!
At 9:20 AM, Melanie Tyler Kanz said...: I recently tried this recipe that I found online. I usually love to eat snap peas raw but I decide to try something new when I bought a bunch of these recently.

Snap peas with Tarragon Butter

3/4 pound sugar snap peas, remove the strings and cut the peas in half diagonally
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest (I used a little more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Blanch peas in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain. Immerse peas in ice water for 1 minute. Drain and dry peas.

Cook shallot in butter over moderate heat until soft (1 minute). Increase heat to high, then add peas and sauté until peas are crisp-tender (2 to 4 minutes). Add tarragon, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

Enjoy!
At 9:22 AM, Anonymous said...: Yummy!!!! And so much better from the farmer's market than the supermarket!

My sister-in-law made a big bowl of raw sugar snap peas with lemon juice, cracked pepper, sea salt and fresh tarragon. AMAZING!
At 9:51 AM, manon said...: In Maine, the spring's been warm, and the peas shot out their curly tendrils a month and a half ago. Their plump crunchy bounty was one of the first things to be avialable after a green-hungry winter, and our appetites had only been whet by the asparagussy fiddleheads. The peas' popping explosion of greenness was instant relief from the starchy roots of winter.
Now, we've been pea'd out. i never think it's going to happen, but invariably, by the time the first patty pan rears its crown from under cover, I cant think what else to do with them.
So I've been blanching then freezing them, thinking of stir-fries in the winter. Best of all though, is stringing them, steaming them a few minutes, and blenderizing them into a fresh pea soup. Mix in a chunk of butter, a cup of cold chicken stock, some creme fraiche, some summer savory for tang, sea salt, and whole uncooked shelled peas. Garnish with chopped nasturtiums instead of pepper for the color contrast and joy of eating flowers.
Serve chilled.
At 11:58 AM, Anonymous said...: HUMMUS, baby!!!

Not very original, but soooo good.
At 12:14 PM, Anonymous said...: Happy last week of pregancy, Shauna. I hope you have plenty of time to wrap your arms around your belly and relish the joy and amazing time you are living now.

Sugar-snap peas are the best fresh-crunch stir fry addition - as well as a wonderful addition to spring rolls, salads, or just a refreshing cool snack in the hot dog days of summer.

(And not too bad in a risotto -but I rather prefer the cool crunch of the peas in something else.)

Blessed be, blogger buddy!
At 12:41 PM, Milhan said...: I like them raw, unadulterated, and fresh off the vine if possible...
At 1:13 PM, Hapamama said...: Sauteed w/olive oil, sprinkled w/sea salt and fresh ground pepper. YUMMY!

I'm sure this has already been said before, but you know that we do not expect to hear from you for a while after next week, right?

It's a wonderful, crazy, and very short time. Enjoy what you can and know the rest will pass soon.
At 1:55 PM, Anonymous said...: I saute with a touch of sesame oil, then a bit of soy sauce.
At 2:00 PM, Porkchop Hill said...: I started trying to be gluten free just yesterday (so far, so good) and we had snap peas for dinner last night. I sauteed them with garlic and green onions. Delicious!!
At 2:43 PM, Kimsue said...: Holy cow. Next week?
We are eagerly awaiting LB's arrival.
I am a long-time lurker who used to live in Pomona.
At 3:14 PM, Carrie Adair said...: I, actually do not do anything with snap peas, other than eating them raw. I visit my local farmers market every Friday morning and fill my cloth bags with all the best local fruits and vegetables. Then run home and eat amazing raw food all weekend. yummy!!! Once I went gluten free I found a new love for raw,fresh vegetables.
Pre-congrats on your new upcoming addition!! Get some sleep now!! carrieAdair(Calgary, Alberta)
At 3:28 PM, Anonymous said...: Peas and quiet... that's what I need.

Our snap peas are not quite ready, but a few days ago I bought some from farmer friends on the island. I blanched them whole, and made a Caesar salad with island freckled lettuce. I topped the lemony-anchovy-Romano cheese coated leaves with the crispy blanched snap peas, hunks of avocado and chunks of smoked salmon. Served with Famega- a Spanish slightly sparkling vino verde- it was a perfect summer dinner.

Lately we've had peas. Just waiting for the quiet.
Peas to you, my dear friend.
At 4:13 PM, Anonymous said...: I'm with you. I eat them just as is. No cooking, no seasoning.... just sweet, snappy goodness.
At 4:34 PM, Anonymous said...: I used to love them raw----until they sent me to the ER a few months ago in anaphylactic shock. Can't have them raw anymore, but cooked is fine. I surely miss the crunchy sweetness.
At 4:42 PM, Anonymous said...: Raw snap peas are definately best. I saw them sauteed in olive oil with pepper and fresh hard sheep's cheese grated on top and it made me dizzy with excitement. mmmm. hooray for LB!!!!! My little girl eats nothing but peas currently and we have a bounty of them.
At 7:05 PM, ley said...: I just have to say that I get so excited for your blog when I do my weekly blog rounds...each time I visit your page I'm always like, "Baby yet??!!?!?" And, no...not yet. I'm actually getting married and going on a honeymoon next week, when your Little Bean is due! But I'll keep checking, just to be able to say congratulations! :)
At 8:35 PM, Tara said...: Last week I made a chicken stir fry with snap peas, red cabbage and kale. It was delicious.
At 8:57 PM, Christine said...: If you want them cooked, stir fry! But mine never make it that far.

Also, holy moly. One week! I'm so excited for you guys!
At 9:56 PM, Anonymous said...: Snap peas as they are, dipped into hummous or any other bean + tonnes-of-garlic-containing dip. How can you do any better than that?

And one week Shauna - best, best of luck to you and look forward to hearing about the emergence of LB.
At 9:56 PM, Anonymous said...: The Amateur Gourmet had an interesting post about sugar snap peas on 7/15. We just like them raw, maybe a sprinkle of lemon and smoked spanish paprika or dipped into a fresh made hummus. Enjoy the last few days with only the Chef; wishing you a safe delivery and healthy baby.
Suzanne
At 10:19 PM, Unknown said...: My dad always grew a big veg garden and peas were a staple. My sister and I had to pick those crazy things and then sit there and pod them. You know that sound that's made by the first peas into the bottom of a metal bowl?!

Half of the peas always ended up in our mouths - they were so yummy.

Thanks for bringing back such wonderful memories!

All the best as THE DAY approaches - best times ever!
At 10:43 PM, Anonymous said...: Dear Shauna,

This is my baby gift--from me to you!

THE NIGHT BEFORE DELIVERY

originally by Clement Clarke Moore
or Henry Livingston

Adapted for Shauna and The Chef
by Shoshannah K

'Twas the night before delivery, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The onesies were hung in the closet with care,

In hopes that Little Bean soon would be there;

Shauna and The Chef were snug in their bed,

While visions of Little Bean danced in their heads;

Shauna in her 'kerchief, and The Chef in his cap,

Had just settled down for a long summer's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

They sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window they flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the green grass below

Gave the lustre of moonlight to objects below,

When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, WITHOUT the reindeer,

With a wonderul driver, drinking Orangina,

They knew in a moment it must be Nina.

More rapid than bloggers her commenters came,

And she whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Shoshannah! now, Julia! now, Tara and Mindy!

Stephanie! on Carrie! on, Annie and Krissy!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the commenters flew,

With the sleigh full of gifts, and La Nina too.

And then, in a twinkling, they heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little goof.

As they drew in their hands, and were turning around,

Down the chimney La Nina came with a bound.

She was dressed all in silk, from her head to her foot,

And her clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of gifts she had flung on her back,

And she looked like a blogger just opening her pack.

Her eyes -- how they sparkled! her dimples how merry!

Her cheeks were like roses, her nose like a cherry!

A wink of her eye and a twist of her head,

Soon gave them to know they were not being fed;

She spoke not a word, but went straight to her work,

And gave them baby gifts; then turned with a jerk,

And laying her finger aside of her nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney she rose;

She sprang to her sleigh, to her team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But they heard them all shout, when she drove out of sight,

"Congratulations to all, and to all a good-night."
----------------------------------
Take care,

Shoshannah
At 5:06 AM, *the mama said...: congrats early on the little bean! very exciting!!

as for the snap peas...my gosh, i detest them any other way than freshly brought home from the farmers market, rinsed and chilled for a hot sec!

xo,

A
At 6:15 AM, Anonymous said...: i am 38 1/2 weeks pregnant and have been eating snap peas like it's going out of style. i did enjoy them in a quinoa salad with spicy (everything i eat must be spicy nowadays) thai peanut sauce. we belong to an organic csa, so i just threw in what looked good to me: a diced pattypan, basil, broccoli. and i added some thai-marinated tofu for good measure (and for baby-building)! thrilled for your new family!

--k
At 9:29 AM, Anonymous said...: Snap peas never even get the chance to become anything in our house. I eat them raw all the time. We have some growing in the garden and they sometimes make it to the dinner table in a bowl, but most of the time I eat them as I weed. Pure bliss.
At 10:02 AM, Anonymous said...: Ha ha ha... (or is that Ho Ho Ho) to Shoshannah! Do you want to write kid's books? I know a publisher or two.

...and how did you know about all the gifts?

My secret identity has been revealed. o<;-}
At 10:11 AM, Sandy said...: I love snap peas - cooked in olive oil and fresh sugared ginger! To die for! Glad I found your site!
At 11:05 AM, shady charbonnet said...: ...ever so slightly steamed, then chilled. Served with my fresh garden pesto dip.

GARDEN PESTO DIP
1 T fresh pesto
1 cup yogurt

GARDEN PESTO
zest and juice of 1 lemon
3-4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup parmigiano
1 cup packed assorted garden fresh herbs (all basil or a mix of basil, mint, parsley and chives are my favorites)
1 cup packed baby spinach leaves
a splash of water (just to get it going)
-layer ingredients in blender or food processer and stream in.....
1/2 cup flavorful extra virgin olive oil (more or less depending on consistency preference)

I sometimes do a red pesto using all purple ruffles and red rubin basils and throw in about 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes. Use some of the oil from the tomatoes.

Another pesto version I like(also delicious to serve with roasted pork or turkey) uses oranges instead of lemons, a shallot in place of the garlic, walnuts instead of pine nuts, walnut oil (or canola) instead of evoo, sage in the herb mix and 1/2 cup dried cranberries.
At 4:08 PM, Just a girl said...: Yayyy Little Bean!! You know, when I was reading your book, I kept thinking to myself, "She would be such a great mom." And I just started reading your blog again after several months (probably close to 9), and suddenly you're having a baby next week?! That's just fantastic. The kid is going to be so well-fed. No crappy restaurant food for him/her. Unless it's his daddy's of course. Best of luck to you!
At 5:37 PM, Anonymous said...: My little beans, now 5 and 7, love to go in our bamboo sugar snap pea tepee and snack away in between games of tag. Nothing better than a raw snap pea at our house. Can't wait to hear about your Little Bean! Wishing you well!
At 5:59 PM, Anonymous said...: 1 week till little bean's arrival! that's so exciting for you and dan.
At 6:07 PM, Anonymous said...: What a wonderful poem from Sho--just another example of wonderful talent from the bloggeshpere!

As to recipes for sugar snap peas, . . . well, I grew a bushellfull, and none of them made it to recipe-land (other than to be dipped in hummus or baba ganuj). Those that made it home from the garden (where they are just-deserts for gardeners, fresh-picked) just got munched raw. For any pods that went unnoticed and went beyond the fresh-eat stage, a wonderful fresh pea soup can't be beat. Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall has a great recipe in his River Cottage Cookbook that uses peas, lettuce, and loveage to flavor the soup. Served cold or hot, it's wonderful--if any peas make it to that stage! One of the greatest ways to appreciate much of summer's bounty is the joy of eating things right "off the vine", as nature intended! I've just had my first sun-warmed tomato, and it's better than any haute cuisine I can think of!!

Best wishes for Little Bean's journey into this world!

Jeannine from Pittsburgh
At 11:33 AM, celeste said...: snap peas in a bowl of ice water
a bit of chunky sea salt sprinkled over.
yum.
i hope your little bean comes when you expect, but as we heard in our birthing classes and reading, you know LB could come up to 2 weeks later than due date too. ours came 1.5 weeks early. (he's perfect and healthy and we cannot believe how lucky we've been to have him this extra time already).
At 1:39 PM, Anonymous said...: here's an easy and special way i like to dress up those sweet little pods: lightly steam or blanch them, then toss with plenty of butter, good salt and fresh pepper, and chiffonade of fresh mint. try it, you'll love it!
At 3:42 PM, Bowl of Soul Gal said...: Wow...next week your Little Bean arrives! You must be so excited and nervous, to boot!

Snap peas are the best in summer - try dipping them in Trader Joes tomatoe basil hummus...mmm. Delicious.
Cheers!
At 6:43 PM, E! said...: Oh Shauna,

YES!

YES!

YES!

YOU'RE GOING TO BE A MOMMY!!!!!!!!!

words are just insufficient, although i'm sure you'll work your usual miracles with them when read all about little bean's arrival.

Snap peas? Yes please. Plain, preferably washed (tho not necessary), unadulterated crunchy goodness.
At 8:22 AM, Alexa said...: We get them from our CSA every week. We go and pick them and then the challenge is not eating all of them in the car on the way home. It's a challenge we love to fail at!
Have a great weekend!
At 9:22 AM, Tiffani said...: I am so lucky to have someone sitting in the cube next to me who is a master gardener. He's been bringing in the largest, sweetest most delicious snap peas all week. I could make myself sick eating too many of them they're so good.
At 11:07 AM, Anonymous said...: I like them straight up, in salads or in a stir-fry. I've been reading and enjoying your blog for many months now, Shauna, and since I listed your blog as one of my favorites recently on my blog, I thought I'd stop and say hello. Wishing you all the best in your last days of pregnancy, and all good things for the arrival of LB. You are a true inspiration. Cheers! Val
At 10:52 PM, Anonymous said...: We have quite the bounty of them in our garden and have been getting lots in our CSA as well!!! Our little sweet pea is 1yr next week and has not been too interested in food, until she had a snap pea in her hand. Now she walks over to the vine and gets them herself...not to shabby a diet huh, fresh peas all day long. To be honest she doesn't have teeth yet so she mostly gums them, but she gets her share down in the belly!! We have them as treats while we garden, we have them as treats as we are on walks, and I throw them on every salad we eat. I can't even think about cooking them, they are too perfect!!
Leo babes are lots of fun and oh so social...have fun, take in each day, live in the moment, its a beautiful trip!!!
jesi
At 12:26 AM, shila said...: I too very much love snap peas raw and they are perhaps the most delicious healthy snack food. But they are also lovely in stir-fries and salads.
At 9:10 AM, LizNoVeggieGirl said...: I love making simple salads with snap peas - yum!!

***I just recently found out that I am allergic to wheat/gluten (and just posted about it on my blog, as well). I'd appreciate ANY advice, since obviously you know what I'm dealing with :0)
At 1:50 PM, Anonymous said...: I can't make it into my kitchen with them from the garden. They are by far one of my most favorite veggies. Growing them myself is so different from buying them. They really do snap, unlike the ones I get from the market. I do love them in stir-fry!
At 7:39 AM, Anonymous said...: If we don't devour them raw, we love snap peas with sauteed scallops over mashed potatoes and a balsamic vinegar reduction sauce. I tried your scallops with the black rice dusting with this dish, and they were incredible.

Happy Baby Time!
At 12:42 PM, Anonymous said...: Raw snap peas with sesame oil and black sesame seeds. Yum.

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14 July 2008

snap peas

55 Comments:

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