Steamed Peas and Sugar Snap Peas

From Serena, Food & Stories: Feeding Friends Every Hour of the Day (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2004). © 2004 by Serena Bass

Serves 8

• One 16-ounce package frozen baby sweet peas
• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add the frozen sweet peas, cook for about 2 minutes, drain, and set aside. Grasp the tip of the stalk end of each sugar snap pea and pull down, removing the string along the spine. Cook the sugar snap peas in the same way as the sweet peas, but for 3 minutes, or until still crunchy.

Drain and immediately run the peas under cold water to stop the cooking. Tip them into a bowl with crumpled-up paper towel on the bottom, pour on the sweet peas, and set aside to drain well. Remove the paper towel, add the olive oil, salt, and pepper and stir to mix. To heat, either microwave at a low level until hot or put in a heavy-based saucepan with 1 tablespoon water over low heat; cover and steam for 5 minutes.

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