Keeping it Simple

Now anyone who knows me will tell you that while I love me some veggies, the one green thing that I absolutely will not touch is the dreaded pea. I find them so texturally offensive that I will open up samosas, pick the peas out one by one, and put the samosa back together again before I eat. Peas are mushy, unpleasant little creatures and I will not abide them in my meals.

EXCEPT! When they are beautiful fresh peas that have just been popped out of their pod. Fresh peas taste NOTHING LIKE those horrible mushy little bombs of unpleasantness that come out of freezers and cans everywhere! They're crisp and sweet and deserve to be at the very center of your meal! I love to see peas - shell or sugar snap - in my CSA box.

There's nothing like a few good, fresh ingredients put together in a way that lets the flavor of your tasty farm-fresh veggies come through, and good peas are perfect for meals that keep it simple. Two weeks ago my box had a big bag of delicious sugar snap peas, and I just sauteed those suckers in a little garlic and butter and then ate them like they were candy. This past week it was shell peas - yum! I looked around my cupboards and pulled together a handful of ingredients - peas, butter, couscous, and pinches of salt and saffron. And in fifteen minutes (not counting pea-shelling time!) the peas were lightly sauteed in butter and stirred into some saffron couscous, and I was happily opening a summer ale and starting my dinner. Couldn't be easier or more refreshing.

Now I have to figure out what to do with all of THIS!