Freshly harvested peas plucked from the pod are worth every effort. Preparing them for a family meal only requires a few minutes. Having kids help out makes them much more likely to appreciate these delicate sweet spheres. Snap peas (whole pods are edible) are wonderful as well, but not the same.
Don’t scratch your head about what to do with garlic scapes (the flowering stalks of hardneck garlic plants). When they’re in season, many dishes in our house start with sautéed chopped scapes. They star as the allium in a veggie frittata, the start of a tomato sauce or any Asian-inspired stir fry.
Mushrooms vary in moisture content—an important consideration when choosing substitutes or cooking methods. Domestic white button or baby bella mushrooms contain far more water than shiitakes, which are therefore easier to perfect. The goal of sautéing them is to create a thin crispy layer on the outside and to not turn them to a watery mush. First, brush them clean rather than rinsing them under water. Then, be sure to introduce them into the pan while it’s already very hot and sauté with a high-heat cooking oil.
Find locally grown shiitakes and other mushrooms from Green Heron Growers in Panama, or Flat #12 Mushrooms in Buffalo.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds peas in pod (should yield about 2.5 cups shucked peas)
- ½ pound shiitakes, chopped
- 1⁄8 pound garlic scapes, chopped (about two stalks)
- ¼ cup sunflower seed oil
- 2 sprigs cleaned thyme (save a few for garnish)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- ½ cup Pecorino Romano grated cheese (save two tablespoons to garnish final dish)
- ½ cup water
Preparation
1. Preheat the oil in the pan on high, then add scapes and sauté for one minute. Add mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes.
2. Add peas, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté for two minutes on medium-high heat. Add vinegar, water and cheese, then cover and remove from heat. Stir, garnish and serve over rice.
