How to cook peas

Like peanuts, peas may not be immediately recognizable as a legume, because they are marketed and consumed as a vegetable. But appearances are deceiving because, like other legumes, peas are an excellent source of protein. A serving of peas (about 3/4 of a cup) contains as much protein as a tablespoon of peanut butter, but with far less fat.

The pea is an annual plant that grows from 1 to 5 feet high. It requires a cool, relatively humid climate. There are more than 1,000 different types of peas. Different plants produce smooth-seeded peas, wrinkled-seeded peas, field peas, snow peas, and sugar snap peas.

Smooth-seeded peas are commonly sold frozen, whereas wrinkled-seeded peas are used for canning because they are sweeter. Field peas are grown mainly for drying. Snow peas and sugar snap peas are grown for their edible crisp, sweet pods. Peas are a good source of iron.

How to cook peas

Peas are available fresh, canned, frozen, or dried. Dried peas, which can be yellow or green, are sold whole. Or, they may be split. Whole dried peas need to be soaked before cooking and may take up to 1 to 2 hours to become soft. Split dried peas do not need to be soaked; however, they do not hold their shape during cooking and so are generally used for sauces and soups. A familiar dish made of split peas is, of course, split pea soup. Snow peas and sugar snap peas are usually sold fresh. Before eating, rinse them off and then cut the top from a snow pea pod. Remove the string from both sides of a sugar snap pea’s seams by pulling the attached fibrous string upward from the bottom. Although they are delicious raw, pea pods also can be cooked in the same way as green beans. Many Asian dishes call for them as a key ingredient.

To shell fresh peas (usually green peas or English peas), use the same stringing technique on only one side of the pod, then use your thumb to push out the peas. Rinse thoroughly. When buying fresh peas, look for bright-green, smooth, uniform pods that are free of spots, dryness, or other blight.

Serving suggestions

Peas can be added to meals in a variety of ways. They can be braised, boiled, steamed, or stir-fried and added to pasta dishes and casseroles. Pea pods can be substituted in any recipe that calls for green beans.

Raw, fresh peas, although difficult to find, are tasty additions to salads. So are snow peas and sugar snap peas. Fresh and frozen peas should be cooked only briefly to preserve their color and flavor.