Sugar Snap Peas Delicious For Dinner Or Snacks

I rarely have an opportunity to develop a recipe for sugar snap peas, one of my favorite foods. Somehow, between the store and my kitchen, I nibble my way through most of the purchase and there’s never enough left to cook.

That doesn’t bother me, since sugar snap peas are a virtuous snack with a sweet taste and crunchy texture that is very satisfying. However, the other half of the household can’t understand why dinner ingredients don’t make it to the table.

If it’s a vegetable, the reasoning goes, it should be served as such and not devoured like popcorn.

Now that sugar snap peas are so abundant at farmers’ markets, I splurged and bought enough for both a snack and a meal.

The key is to cook the vegetable simply so it retains its sweet taste and something of the snap. A quick saute in olive oil and a generous grinding of pepper is the easiest preparation.

Add a little meat to this basic dish and you’ve got a great picnic entree in 10 minutes.

Sugar Snap Peas and Prosciutto is delicious and indestructible. For dinner on the go, pair this dish with a salad of rice, mint, sorrel, green onions and peas.

Sugar Snap Peas and Proscuitto

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 scant cup thinly sliced red onions

2 1/2 to 3 cups trimmed sugar snap peas

Freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 ounces sliced prosciutto

Salt, optional

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onions and saute over medium heat 5 minutes. Add peas and saute until glossy and lightly browned, 3 minutes. Season generously with pepper.

Arrange prosciutto on serving plate. Top with onions and peas. Pass salt separately (it may not be needed.)

Yield: 2 servings.

Rice and Mint Salad

1/2 cup converted rice

Salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas, thawed

1 tablespoon chopped green onion (green parts)

1 cup chopped fresh mint

1 cup sliced sorrel (if unavailable, substitute cup sliced arugula)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook rice in medium pan in 1 cup salted water according to package directions until tender. Stir in peas and set rice aside with lid on 5 minutes. Spoon rice and peas into salad bowl. Add green onion, mint and sorrel.

Stir together oil, vinegar and pepper in cup. Pour over rice mixture and stir gently but well. Season with salt to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 2 servings.

Note: Peas must be young and tender. If not, cook separately, then add to rice.

MEMO: Bev Bennett is food editor of the Chicago Sun-Times and author of four cookbooks.