Each month in Well Stocked, our staff shares unfussy recipe ideas that you can call upon any day of the week. Because yes, our editors love to cook, but sometimes we need to get dinner on the table 12 minutes ago. That’s when we look to pantry and fridge staples that can quickly morph into delicious meals. This month, it’s all about frozen peas.
When picked right off the vine, during the sneaky warmth of late spring, a fresh pea can taste ethereal. Juicy, like a grassy gusher. But not every fresh pea is a sugary garden treat. They vary widely and can often turn mealy and tough. Because of this, I had sworn them off completely. What I have not sworn off, and quite frankly never will, are frozen peas.
Each bag you pick up at the supermarket is reliably delicious. This is because the peas are picked at peak freshness, then flash-frozen, pronto. So all that sweet flavor is preserved. No shelling necessarily, all you have to do is stir them into soups, blitz them into pestos, or throw them into curries. They add instant pizzazz and much-needed greenery to the simplest of meals. Read on for our editors’ favorite ways to use a bag.
A green super sauce
Green sauces are my superpower. I turn cilantro into aji verde; parsley into gremolata; and frozen peas into a protein-packed pesto. They’re a way to take the back-of-fridge (or freezer) scraps and, with the push of a button, turn them into restaurant-worthy condiment. This Ravioli With Creamy Peas is a recipe I call upon often. Boil a pot of water and toss in frozen peas for two minutes. Yes, I know the recipe says four, but I like them crisp-tender. Then, when the peas are just about done, you’ll toss in basil to the pot for a couple of seconds. Fish them all out and blend with parm, butter, and a splash of the boiling water. A quick whiz and you get a magnetic green sauce that screams spring. Toss it into ravioli, tortellini, rigantoni—I’ve done it all. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
Comforting soboro don
A bag of peas in my freezer is an insurance policy against dinners lacking greens. I particularly love to deploy them in soboro don, a Japanese comfort food. You season ground chicken with ginger, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce, and serve it atop rice alongside gently scrambled eggs and green peas. Right when the timer goes off on my Zojurishi, I’ll scatter the peas atop the just-cooked white rice, close the lid, and let them steam in the residual heat. —Li Goldstein, contributor
Spring carbonara
Call me a heathen, a blasphemer, a rogue, but here it is: Carbonara is too heavy on its own. But cookbook author Joshua McFadden’s Spring Carbonara, which uses a ton of fresh spring peas, is absolutely delightful. A few handfuls of frozen peas will do the trick, although here’s the important thing: Don’t cook them! Just toss the frozen veg with the hot pasta at the end to warm through. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, SEO & cooking
