They are a staple in everyone’s freezer, featuring in children’s fishfingers and chips teatime meals to the good old Sunday roast dinner. But most people simply boil them and they are not the most exciting of vegetables.
But Aussie cook Nagi from Sydney, whose website RecipeTin offers tips and tricks to liven up your meals, reckons she knows the answer to making frozen peas fabulous. She says her recipe for garlic buttered peas is “a quick side dish that goes with everything. The peas are sauté-steamed in garlic butter, rather than boiling separately. Easier, tastier, never mushy and so tasty you’ll become known for them” she promises. Nagi confesses: “I am a bit of a frozen vegetable snob. You’ll never find store-bought frozen broccoli or onion in my freezer. But you will always find peas. Because they are good!”
For the reciple you will need frozen peas – cook from frozen, not thawed.
Nagi continues: “Butter – for lovely buttery flavour. Substitute with other oil of choice – extra virgin olive oil is my next pick, coconut oil for a tropical/Indian vibe.
“Garlic: It just makes everything that much more delicious. Fresh please! Give the jarred stuff a miss – it’s sour and wet so you can’t sauté it properly and the flavour barely resembles the real deal.
“Salt and pepper seasoning.
“Method: To cook from frozen, just add the tiniest splash of water which helps steam-sauté them faster. The water evaporates by the time the peas are cooked. Then melt the butter then sauté the garlic until very light golden in medium heat, around 30 seconds.
“Tip the frozen peas in with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of water which creates a steamy environment to cook the peas a little faster. The water evaporates in a few minutes, leaving behind just tasty butter!
“Cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, or until the peas are heated through. Frozen peas are cooked before freezing so they don’t need to be cooked! Done and ready to serve! Pour into a bowl or put straight onto dinner plates.”
Nagi says if you want to step it up another notch then you can add finely chopped mint or lemon zest or even freshly grated parmesan to turn your peas into “a show-stopping side”.
She advises that clarified/brown butter instead of ordinary butter gives a more intense buttery flavour.
Or if you want to add an Asian twist, Nagi says add some curry powder, cumin, coriander, or other spice of choice into the butter, for a touch of extra flavour. A big handful of store-bought crispy Asian shallots are great for texture.