Everyone should have a last meal. Mine is my mom's baked chicken, white rice with gravy, and green peas. Back then, peas came in a can—locally sourced vegetables was unheard of in the 1970s. Don't forget that T.V. dinners in aluminum trays with that mystery desert at twelve o’clock were the height of Western civilization.
But my peas didn't come in just any can—mine came from LeSueur, its silver, plain, slightly French label was the height of sophistication to this sever-year old. My mom would not dare buy any other brand.
To this day, green peas remain my favorite vegetable. However, I didn’t discover fresh green peas until I was an adult. If you have never had fresh peas, then you don’t know what you’ve been missing. But don't feel bad because there is a a good reason if you haven't.
To this day, green peas remain my favorite vegetable. However, I didn’t discover fresh green peas until I was an adult. If you have never had fresh peas, then you don’t know what you’ve been missing. But don't feel bad because there is a a good reason if you haven't.
Peas are in season a short time in early spring and are best eaten shortly after picking. They also don't travel well and spoil easily, which is why most peas are found frozen or canned. In fact, only 5 percent of peas harvested are actually eaten fresh. This scarcity reserved their pleasure to the wealthy and the royalty. They were quite the rage in the Court of Louis XIV of France. Here’s what Madame de Maintenon (second wife of Louis XIV), said about peas in a letter to Cardinal of Noailles in 1696:
The question of peas continues. The anticipation of eating them, the pleasure of having eaten them and the joy of eating them again are the three subjects that our princes have been discussing for four days...It has become a fashion—indeed a passion.
Peas are best eaten simply and require very little effort. They are good raw in a salad or gently simmered and served with butter and mint or other light herbs.
Cook the peas in boiling salted water, drain them, and put them back in the saucepan over a brisk heat, adding a pinch of sugar and 3 ½ ounces of fresh butter per 6¾ cups of peas. Serve with chopped fresh mint.
Here’s a simple recipe for peas called “peas in butter” from Larouse Gastronomique:
Cook the peas in boiling salted water, drain them, and put them back in the saucepan over a brisk heat, adding a pinch of sugar and 3 ½ ounces of fresh butter per 6¾ cups of peas. Serve with chopped fresh mint.
Peas are spring’s reward for our survival of winter. So pick some peas (or more likely grab some frozen in a bag) and enjoy. More peas please!
