Peas are one of the first crops we can plant and harvest in the vegetable garden, so we love them first for their earliness. Sugar snap peas are particularly satisfying, since they can be harvested early and eaten whole, or picked slightly later and shelled as regular peas. This vegetable is sweet and delicious so it’s no wonder we plant them annually. But let’s face it: they need to be picked daily once they start to mature and how many peas can the average family eat?
When the sugar snap peas start maturing they need to be picked at least every other day. Look closely and go down the same row at least twice!
If you have lots of kids or a large extended family there isn’t a problem. But if there are two to four people in your household, you’ll harvest more sugar snap peas then humans should be allowed to have. And this is one vegetable that doesn’t really freeze or can very well.
This is just one evening’s harvest: enough for six people!
In the early summer it becomes my mission to develop as many recipes as possible that use sugar snap peas. Yes, you can stir fry them with traditional Asian seasonings such as ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. But why stop there? The sweet, crunchiness of sugar snap peas lends itself to other, cross-cultural combinations. Here are the two dishes I’ve made most frequently with my nightly harvests.
One night I used mushrooms, chives, and artichoke hearts with the snap peas. You could use either the vacuum packed artichoke hearts or canned. Slice the mushrooms and chop the chives. Add olive oil to the pan and heat, first tossing in the sliced mushrooms, then the chives and then the artichokes and snap peas. Stir fry over medium heat for just a minute or two. Season with fresh pepper, salt and any herb you like.
Snap peas with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, chives and pepper.
My second recipe is an easy dish that uses snap peas, olives, and chopped cheese. I had manchego cheese on hand but you could also use Parmesan or goat cheese. This combination is good because you have the sweet crunch of the snap peas, the oil and saltiness of the olives, and the creaminess of the cheese.
First, put some olive oil into a pan and saute the peas for only one minute. You want them to turn bright green as in the photo, but not cook for very long. This preserves their crunch and sweetness.
Once the peas are cooked add the olives (pitted) and cheese. Toss and serve immediately.
Bon appétit!
