My roommate, Helen, doesn’t much like mushy peas. In fact, there is this lovely pub in our neighborhood that offers them as a side, and she regularly tells me what a terrible choice ordering them is.
But I love them. I don’t know if it is the severe lack of mushy peas that I had growing up, or the fact that they have a distinct flavor of summer, but it was love at first bite.
And then I put them on toast. It might have been life changing.
Yes. Peas. Life change.
(I know, I know, it’s no buttercream on toast or cream cheese and jelly sandwich, but it is good. Really, really good.)
I read one too many recipes involving mint and peas and then saw one too many photos of avocado toast. It was bound to happen.
Peas are sweet and taste like summer. Mint is sharp, cooling and lightly sweet. It’s all that is good about summer produce (or a bag of veg that you keep in your freezer but are never really excited about and a bunch of fresh herbs that you grab at the grocery store).
A couple minutes of cooking. Thirty seconds of blending. Maybe throw in a side of chicken sausage and call it dinner.
If you are going to eat them on toast, please buy good bread. The Udi’s Millet Chia bread is pretty stellar. So is Turano’s rye-style gluten-free bread (although I can’t seem to find a link to it…it is a local Chicago company, and I’ve gotten it a few times…)
You can also just put a dollop on your plate like mashed potatoes. But green. And summery.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bunch spring onions, chopped
- 1 handful fresh mint, leaves picked
- 1 pound (500 grams) fresh or frozen peas
- 2 large knobs (2-3 tablespoons, but you don’t have to measure carefully) butter (optional)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped onions, mint, and peas.
- Cover and leave for a few minutes to steam.
- Pop everything in the blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If you don’t want to dirty another dish, you can use a potato masher, but your peas won’t be quite as smooth.
- When it’s done add the butter (optional) and season carefully, to taste. (And try not to eat it all while tasting…)
- These can be eaten hot when freshly made or cold for up to 3 days after making them (provided you kept them in a sealed container in the fridge.)