Peas are an often-neglected side dish. For one thing, you can spend almost an entire meal chasing a pea around your plate before finally piercing it with your fork. Once captured, it seems the effort was hardly worth the trouble. A pea doesn’t exactly sparkle with flavor.
Peas need partners and, being a vegetable with a rather bland taste, they pair remarkably well with a host of other ingredients. Best yet, frozen peas don’t need to be cooked. Just place them in a colander under running water and it only takes a minute for them to thaw, then toss them in a salad or add them to a casserole.
Anne BralyOther ideas include:
* Toss them with pasta and Alfredo sauce.
* Use as a topping for a baked potato with cheese and sour cream.
* Make an incredible pesto sauce for buttery rounds of crusty bread. Simply add a bag of frozen peas to a handful of mint leaves and a half cup of Parmesan cheese. Blend them together in a food processor, adding olive oil as the machine is running until you get a smooth, thick consistency.
Green peas are considered a starchy vegetable and are, according to the World’s Healthiest Foods (whfoods.org), an excellent source of coumestrol, which has come to the forefront of research into the prevention of stomach cancer. Peas also contain phytonutrients that offer key antioxidant benefits. They’re low in fat, high in vitamin K and B vitamins, and they’re among the most-economical vegetables you can buy.
This recipe for pea salad is one way to get your pea pleasure. It’s excellent paired with a slow-cooked pot roast, a skillet-fried pork chop or chicken fresh from the grill. And it’s a nice change of pace from tossed salad and cole slaw; the smoked almonds taste like bacon, add a nice crunch and even more nutrition.
Pea Salad with Smoked Almonds
2 (16-ounce) packages frozen peas
6 ounces smoke-flavored almonds, finely chopped
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped, or more to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise (reduced-fat mayonnaise OK)
1/2 cup sour cream (light sour cream OK)
Ground black pepper, to taste
1/2-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Place frozen peas in a colander; rinse under cold water until thawed. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add almonds and onions; mix well. Fold mayonnaise, sour cream and black pepper into pea mixture until evenly coated. Transfer to serving container and top with shredded cheese. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Before serving, you way want to blend cheese into mixture, or leave it on top for a prettier presentation.
Kudos to Chicks
The latest edition of Cooking with Paula Deen magazine names Chicken Salad Chicks as the top spot in the country for chicken salad, as well as highlighting the eatery’s humble beginnings, its multiple locations and variety of flavors. There are two places in town to experience the flavors of Chicken Salad Chicks: 629 Market St. and 1820 Gunbarrel Road.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.