Fresh peas are prayer for pasta
Yoga ends with the word “namaste,” and though I'm willing to bend into up-dog and sweat through down-dog and collapse into dead-dog, honestly, when it comes to “namaste,” I decline. I do bow to the divine in my fellow dogs. But saying so — in another language, in another tradition — feels fraught.
That's why I like Steve's yoga class. It's sneaky. He works his way through the workout so calmly that it takes me 90 minutes to realize I'm in agony.
Then he instructs his students to close their eyes and wish for “peace, peace, perfect peace.”
Peace I can get with. I also wish for cold water, hot shower and distraction. Like the witty, fast-paced, cross-dressing rom-com “Twelfth Night,” which I recently took in, post yoga.
After the bows, I scanned the program and was surprised to find Steve's name, along with his job title: Violence Coordinator.
Who knows. Maybe all these years he's been yearning for peas, peas, perfect peas.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 25 minutesServes: 41 tablespoon olive oil1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined1 cup fresh, shelled peas1 clove garlic, choppedKosher saltFreshly ground black pepper½ pound fettuccine, cooked½cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)2 tablespoons (mixed) chopped chives, mint and basilSizzle: Heat the oil in a medium skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, peas and garlic.Cook, stirring, until the shrimp are curled and pink, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.Toss: Reduce the heat to low. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add the crème fraîche and toss.Serve: Scoop the pasta onto plates. Shower with the herbs. Enjoy.
Serves: 82 pounds Alaska sole fillets½ cup soy sauceSalt and pepper, as needed5 Tablespoons oil (3 Tablespoons for fish, 2 Tablespoons for noodles)1 large bok choy, julienned1 medium red bell pepper, julienned1 medium carrot, julienned1 jalapeño, finely diced3 cloves garlic, minced32 snow peas, julienned12 ounces Chinese chow mein noodles or linguine, cooked, drained and cooled½ cup soy sauce2 Tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil1 cup cilantro, minced6 green onions, minced2 Tablespoons rice vinegar¼ cup sesame seeds, toastedSole: Brush the sole fillets with soy sauce. Season them with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and sear the fillets in a sauté pan, about 2 minutes per side.Spicy noodles: Heat the oil in a sauté pan and add the bok choy, bell pepper, carrot, jalapeño and garlic. Cook these just until soft. Add the snow peas and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Toss the vegetable mixture with the chow mein noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil, cilantro, onions and rice vinegar.Assembly: Place the spicy noodles on dinner plates, top with the sole fillets and sprinkle each serving with sesame seeds.Source: Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
Check our local farmer’s markets right now for the season’s first tender peas.Once upon a time, green or garden peas essentially meant English pod peas.Now we have a wider variety of pea types, including English peas, snow peas and sugar snap peas.A recent trend also puts a new spin on peas. Now consumers are putting pea shoots, or pea tendrils, in their salads and stir-fried dishes.English peas should be removed from the pod before cooking. Other types, such as snow peas and sugar peas, are eaten pod and all.Peas can be eaten raw. Try them in salads or enjoy sugar snap peas out of hand for a snack.Snow peas should be flat with a fairly shiny appearance.Sugar snap peas are a little smaller than snow peas and should have a plump, snug pod with the peas inside. Sugar peas have strings that can be removed if desired.Avoid peas with soft, limp pods or blemished pods.Also avoid peas that are so big, they almost burst from the pod.Snap and sugar peas have a somewhat longer shelf life than green peas, up to three days when kept refrigerated unwashed, in plastic bags.Snow peas like less humidity than sugar snap peas so take that into account in deciding where in the refrigerator to store them. It is also wise to perforate the plastic bag in which you intend to store them.Peas have a lot going for them nutritionally. One-half cup of peas provides 60 calories, 4 grams of dietary fiber and 4 grams of protein. Peas are a good source of vitamin A and an excellent source of vitamin C.Source: Adapted from Penn State Extension
