Peas & Mint

This spring, Jenny & I have been seeing articles about the combination of peas and mint absolutely everywhere. Every blog, book and newspaper we read is filled with recipes for this odd-sounding combination. So last week I made a decision, I would try it just to see.

Originally I was considering making peas, mint and cream as I read that was one variation but that sounded even weirder and more likely to fail, so I just stuck to the basics.

Let me tell you, shelling peas is so not rewarding! I bought probably a half pound of peas and after shelling had enough for a very small vegetable portion for one person.

I really did keep it simple - I steamed the peas for 3 minutes in a steamer basket and added some chopped mint during the last minute of steaming.

The Result? Actually pretty good. Fresh peas are nothing like the soggy smooshy frozen peas you probably ate as a child. Fresh peas when steamed shortly have a little bit of a bite too them and a bit more of a sweeter flavor. And the mint? It takes on a whole different level of flavor--kind of like the bite of freshness one can impart from parsley. The mintyness of mint that I despise was not there, it was just fresh and springy and I would make it again.