# Peas, Fresh, How to cook?



## giggler

I have access to fresh, "shelled' peas. English, Black eyed and "field peas" soon. 

I tried to cook these last year and failed..

I tried like sort of stir frying with onion and a little oil for a few min. then adding water and simmered for 10 min.

They were OK but kind of tough..

I love frozen peas, may be I'm just used to that texture..

Any help Please?

Thanks, Eric, Austin Tx.


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## babetoo

giggler said:


> I have access to fresh, "shelled' peas. English, Black eyed and "field peas" soon.
> 
> I tried to cook these last year and failed..
> 
> I tried like sort of stir frying with onion and a little oil for a few min. then adding water and simmered for 10 min.
> 
> They were OK but kind of tough..
> 
> I love frozen peas, may be I'm just used to that texture..
> 
> Any help Please?
> 
> Thanks, Eric, Austin Tx.


 
with black eyed peas, one usually cooks long and slow where i come from, with a ham hock. 

green peas don't take so long, just steam them . 

have no idea what field peas are, please enlighten me. 

i think stir fry is too quick for peas to get done, when i add them it is at the end and they are precooked

hope this helps

babe


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## miniman

Field peas appear to be ones intend to dry like split peas - these probably also need the long slow cooking like the black eyed peas.

I love shelled peas and IMO the crunchier the better. They also need to be eaten also immediately after picking to keep the sweetness. I would blanch them for about 2 mins before adding to a stir fry. You could also add them to risottos and eat them plain. If you add s sprig of mint to the cooking/blanching water, taht adds an extra dimension to the flavour. Mind you I often just serve green shelled peas as a side.


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## Uncle Bob

Field peas (to me) is a generic term for many varities of Southern Cow peas...(another generic term)..You being in Texas the variety could be One of the several purple hulls, knuckle hulls, or crowders...The cooking method is generally the same...The peas are covered well with water and boiled/simmered until tender...which can take from 1 to 1 1/2 + or - hours depending on the variety...Seasoned with salt and pork seasoning products, Salt pork, bacon, ham, ham hocks, etc. Serve with slices of cold onion, hot cornbread, and pepper sauce for those that want it.


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## giggler

Yes, here they are often called Purple Hull. The "Pod" is definately purple and served some what like , "Sweet Peas" , where they are cooked "young" with the green pod...they look like small Black Eyes and are tender and sweet...

The older Fresh "shelled peas" though I don't understand...

I mean if you cook them for 1.5 Hours with Ham, what is the difference then of regular Dried Peas that you soaked over Night?

Where I can get Fresh Peas, "The Farmers Market", they act like these are Much Better and should only be cooked Briefly..

Something New... and I Love the Farmer's Market. I can even get Fresh Eggs now!

Thanks All, Eric.


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## Uncle Bob

giggler said:


> Yes, here they are often called Purple Hull. The "Pod" is definately purple and served some what like , "Sweet Peas" , where they are cooked "young" with the green pod...they look like small Black Eyes and are tender and sweet...
> 
> The older Fresh "shelled peas" though I don't understand...
> 
> I mean if you cook them for 1.5 Hours with Ham, what is the difference then of regular Dried Peas that you soaked over Night?
> 
> Where I can get Fresh Peas, "The Farmers Market", they act like these are Much Better and should only be cooked Briefly..
> 
> Something New... and I Love the Farmer's Market. I can even get Fresh Eggs now!
> 
> Thanks All, Eric.


 
Eric...The purple hull pea, more especially the "pink eye" purple hull is probably the most popular of all of the Southern field/cow peas...They are shelled prior to eating...the shell is not normally consumed...unless the pea is pulled very imature so that it looks like a very small green bean..then it can be "snapped' and cooked in with the peas themselves. The pink-eye is usually done within an hour....Some of the crowder varieties take a little longer.

As the peas mature on the vine the hull becomes very dark purple..almost black..the peas inside turn from green to a pale white and take longer to cook, do not tatse as good etc. The vast majority of these type of peas are consumed fresh or picked and processed for the freezer by home gardeners.

Dry peas...like the ubiquitous "black-eye" is one of the most popular dry peas...It too at one time was a "fresh" pea that was allowed to dry. Dry peas take on a different taste...some call it an earthy taste..especially the black-eye..

Obviously "fresh" peas...like anything else,, are better (most times) than it's frozen/canned/ dried counterpart....The pink-eyes out of my freezer, picked at the peak of freshness, and quickly processed are almost indistinguishable from the fresh ones...

HTH


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## Constance

For your English peas, sweat a little onion and chopped bacon or salt pork, add peas and small new potatoes or cubed red potatoes, cover with water and cook until potatoes and peas are tender (Like you would green beans). Salt to taste. 

Cook your field peas (black-eye, pink-eye purple hull, crowder, cream) like you would beans...with onion, garlic and bacon, ham hock, ham bone or smoked sausage until beans are tender. Field peas will stay firmer than beans.


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## giggler

*fresh peas*

I guess I'm just a bit surprised that a "Fresh" pea would take about as long to cook as a "Dry" pea...

I grow "sugar snap peas" in my garden and while I pick them, I often just eat some, pod and pea. they are sort of sweet and of course have a "raw" starchy texture...

At the "farmer's Market" they sell Fresh peas in little bags for like 10x the price of dried peas... they all act like "you haven't really had good peas untill you have had them Fresh"...

But the Fresh "Yard Eggs" are Really good!

So maybe I'll have to ask how they cook them, there are no instructions on the little bags..

Eric, Austin Tx.


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## Uncle Bob

Eric....

As I stated earlier, fresh Southern Field/Cow peas do not take long to cook...Usually within an hour or a little longer. The most popular recipe in my part of the world is very simple...Peas in the pot, cover well with water, add a seasoning meat...bacon or salt pork is a huge favorite, ham sometimes, salt to taste, and boil/simmer until done. It's really that simple.

Dry beans (Kidney, Pinto, Red, Navy, Great Northern, dried Black-eyes, dried butter beans) to name a few take longer to cook, and the recipes for these beans can remain simple or they can, and often do become more complex with the addtion of, various spices, dryied herbs, onions, garlilc, bell pepers, etc, etc,...Pork ham hocks, Ham bones, Chunks of ham, various sausages, salt pork, etc are added to these beans...Sometimes they are served over/with rice as in "red beans & rice" sometimes not. Cooking times in general are longer than "fresh" peas.......often times taking two hours or more depending on the desired consistency one wants them to be.

In a lot of ways the people at the farmers market are being truthful...you really haven't had good peas until you have had them fresh...buy a bag and.....

Enjoy!!!


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## archiduc

giggler said:


> I have access to fresh, "shelled' peas. English, Black eyed and "field peas" soon.
> 
> I tried to cook these last year and failed..
> 
> I tried like sort of stir frying with onion and a little oil for a few min. then adding water and simmered for 10 min.
> 
> They were OK but kind of tough..
> 
> I love frozen peas, may be I'm just used to that texture..
> 
> Any help Please?
> 
> Thanks, Eric, Austin Tx.


 
Hi Giggler,
Fresh peas can be used in a wide variety of ways.

* The make a fantastic risotto or 
* A pea and mint soup.
* Try sauteeing a small sliced onion in butter, add peas and shredded lettuce and a little stock. Cover and cook until peas are cooked.
* The same as above but substitute sliced leeks or baby leeks and add a little heavy cream at the end and boil to reduce and thicken the liquid if necessary;
* Make a pea puree and top with lightly sauteed scallops or pan fried salmon steaks/fillets.

Hope these ideas help,
Archiduc


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