Christopher Hirsheimer
Christopher Hirsheimer

It is peak pea season and we can’t think of a better, easier, more delightful way to eat them than this simple recipe from Canal House Cooking Vol. 3

“The idea is to pull the peas out of the pods with your teeth, just as you would eat an artichoke leaf. The charred bits of the pod and the salt sticks to your lips, flavoring the tender peas.”

Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton got the recipe from Niloufer Ichaporia King, who wrote My Bombay Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Parsi Home Cooking. We’re thinking Niloufer’s down-and-dirty approach would work just great with fresh green chickpeas as well.

Serves 2 to 4

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound English peas in their pod (preferably organic)
Maldon or other coarse, flaky salt

Pour a little extra-virgin olive oil in a large cast iron pan. Wipe the pan out with a paper towel, leaving the thinnest film of oil. Heat the pan over high heat. When it’s very hot, add the peas in their pods in a single layer, turning them with a spatula until they turn from bright green to a blistery blackened olive color. Work in batches. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with salt and serve right away.

Related post: Canal House Cooking: Home Cooks as Indie Publisher

With thanks to our friends at Canal House Cooking!

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

Support Improvised Life ♥

4 replies on “canal house cooking: fast, in-the-pod peas, artichoke-style

  1. I can’t believe that you wrote up this recipe. This is the way my Kansas mother cooked English peas and it’s the very best. The sweetness from the pods comes up this way.

    It’s almost impossible to find English Peas in the pod in South Texas but thanks for reminding me to look.

  2. you’re right. This approach does work with fresh chick peas. soy beans, infant favas.

  3. Niloufer, thank you for the heads-up. I was wondering about soy beans which will be coming along soon. Wonderful recipe!

  4. found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *