Cynthia's Kitchen - Shelling Peas

There are three main types of peas; snow peas, snap peas, and shelling peas (often called sweet peas, English peas, or garden peas). When I was a child,  we never had snap or snow peas, but the beginning of sweet peas coming from our garden meant lots of shelling and salmon dinners because what would a salmon dinner be without baby potatoes and peas?

There’s a quick way to shell peas that my father taught me because I was the main pea sheller in our family. Take the pod, straight side down. Pop the end where the curve is with your thumb. That opens the pod, making it easy to scoop the peas out into a bowl. It’s very fast and you can do it with one hand.

My favorite way to eat peas is right out of the pod while I’m shelling, but I love peas any way except for out of a can. The easiest way is to shell them, bring a pot of water to a boil, drop in the peas, simmer for just a couple of minutes, and they’re ready to eat with a little butter/mint/oil/yogurt/cream. Don’t cook too long or they become mushy.

You can add cooked peas to a salad, any creamed dishes, new potatoes.

Here’s an easy soup to make that’s very British.

Chop some onion (shallot, onion, green onion), a couple of sprigs of mint, and a garlic scape. You can also blend in food processor.

Heat over low heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in a small pot. Add the mint onion mix and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Add a cup of peas and a cup of broth. Simmer about 15 minutes.

Blend the soup until its creamy.

Season with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of oil.

Delicious and refreshing.