This is a really beautiful and surprisingly delicious side dish. I mean, I knew it would be good but it is far more than the sum of its parts. It comes together quite quickly once the peas are trimmed, so if you wanted to make it snappy, you could always trim and blanch the peas in advance.
This recipe calls for three kinds of peas, but if you only have two, or even one it will work out just fine.
Peas with Leeks, Mint, & Cream
12 oz peas (sugar snap and or snow)
1 cup shelled fresh peas
1 leek (white and pale green parts only) halved lengthwise
2 Tbsp butter
½ cup cream (18% or 35%)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup slivered mint, divided
Trim sugar snap and snow peas by removing the top stem piece and then also pulling out the string that runs along the inside curve. Blanch all the peas for 15-20 seconds in boiling water, until they turn bright green and then immediately run under cold water to cool down.
Rinse the leek well, flipping the layers under running water to remove grit. Thinly slice into half moons.
Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it’s foamy add the leek and stir until soft, 3-5 minutes. Pour in cream, increase heat to medium- high, and stir often until liquid is reduced by about half, 3-4 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add all the peas and half the mint and stir until just heated through, about 1 minute. Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining mint.
