Sunday, May 24, 2009

Three types of peas with bacon and leeks

My produce market stocks all their varieties of peas in one spot. Looking over the selection, I thought it would be fun to do a vegetable dish with three types of peas. I picked up some snow peas, english peas and snap peas. I shelled the english peas, then blanched each variety separately. You could skip the blanching if you’re in a hurry, I just like the way it preserves the color and ensures a perfectly cooked end product.

snow peas, peas, english peas, snap peasI decided to cook the peas with some leeks and bacon. I mean really, who doesn’t like bacon in their vegetables? Even with the small amount of bacon, this is a fairly healthy dish, and it was fun to taste the differences in the pea varieties.

peas and bacon, leeksThree types of peas with bacon and leeks
Serves 4

½ pound snap peas, trimmed
½ pound snow peas, trimmed
1 cup fresh or frozen English peas
1 medium leek, halved then thinly sliced
2 strips of bacon, sliced into ½ inch pieces
Salt and pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the snap peas for about 1-2 minutes, or until just tender. Transfer to an ice bath. Repeat the process with the snow peas and english peas. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Heat a large pan over medium, then add the bacon. Cook until the bacon is crisp and browned. Remove the bacon from the pan, drain on a paper towel. Discard most of the bacon fat from the pan until you’re left with a few teaspoons. Place the leek in the pan, season with salt and pepper and saute until the leek is tender and slightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add all the peas to the pan, toss to coat with the leek mixture. Cook until the peas are warmed through, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the reserved bacon over the top and serve.

63 comments:

lubnakarim06 said...

Oh wow awesome combo......Healthy and yum.....

Irene said...

My favorite are snow peas! I also love blanching and the way it keeps the color so perfectly green.

Manggy said...

I'm not a huge fan of English peas, but I like snap peas and snow peas. Plus, I absolutely *adore* bacon, ha ha :) So, it balances out the English peas, lol :) I love a healthy dish! (bacon + desserts notwithstanding :)

pigpigscorner said...

I love bacon with vegetables, it adds so much flavour. yumyum!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Delightful! A gorgeous combo!

Cheers,

Rosa

Angela Mears said...

yummy! <3 bacon fat. what a great, simple veggie side.

nath said...

so simple and easy but the result healthy and yummy ^^...

Barbara Bakes said...

Thanks for sharing another great veggie recipe!

Donna-FFW said...

Absolutely love this dish. Peas and bacon are one of my favorite combinations!

Lickedspoon said...

This looks wonderful and so simple! Gorgeous pictures.

Selba said...

Guess what? yesterday, my mom also cooked peas but she just put onion and garlic. Ah.. should tell her that next time to add bacon, it would be so yummy :)

FOODalogue said...

They look beautiful...with and without the bacon!

Cathy said...

Looks delicious - I love peas and the addition of bacon just makes it that much better.

Laurie said...

Wow that looks awesome! It's too early where I am to get fresh peas at the Farmers Market, but I will remember this recipe when they come in season.

vanillasugarblog said...

I wish we had a farmers market. This is one gorgeous photo.

lisaiscooking said...

Those are bright and beautiful peas! Sounds fantastic.

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I'm not fond of "peas" but that has me rethinking my position on them.
~ingrid

Suzy said...

That looks absolutely awesome. I am keeping this handy for when the farmer's market gears up. I do have peas and beans of my own in the garden too...but it will be a longggg while! Bacon makes everything better!

The Food Hunter said...

I love peas...all kinds. This is a great recipe. thanks for sharing.

Christina Kim said...

Beautiful vibrant green color, and who doesn't love a little bacon?

Heather S-G said...

So simple, yet beautiful. This sounds like such an amazing dish...I could eat it alone for a meal. I continue to be inspired by your posts...

teresa said...

I love all kinds of peas, so I know I would love this! Great idea with the bacon, you can't go wrong!

Claudia said...

I want your Farmer's Market! I love the combo - love all sort of peas. And the addition of bacon and leeks makes it all so tasty. I am beefing up my vegetable eating while all is fresh. Thanks for the recipe.

Creative Classroom Core said...

What a tasty way to use peas!

Angie's Recipes said...

Today I had some peas too, but not the fresh one like you have here....:-(
I love that sugar peas...(i thought the other one is called Garden Beans), they are best when stir-fried with sausages, or chicken fillets or prawns...

Diana said...

Funny, I actually worked with these same ingredients in a risotto dish I made this weekend! Except I only used one variety of peas.

Looks really fresh and delicious!

Christo Gonzales said...

what a pretty dish....I could eat a pound of this!

Kerstin said...

What a beautiful dish - I love it! And leeks and bacon really do make everything better :)

Jenna said...

I love how simple this recipe is. I bet the flavors are really outstanding together.

La Bella Cooks said...

I love your use of simple and fresh ingredients to make a delicious dish. The colors are just amazing as well. I love this.

Brilynn said...

Peas are pretty good, but bacon makes it better!

Maris said...

Looks like a nice way to eat your greens!

Reeni said...

Sweet peas! What a great idea. And the bacon is an added bonus-how delicious!

Lyndas recipe box said...

This is another beautiful, healthy looking veggie dish and I love that you put bacon in it! Yum!

Anonymous said...

Wow, three kinds of peas! So yummy with bacon!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

What a nice combination of the peas with lardons. Beautiful.
Sam

Debbie said...

Oh what a great idea. Those peas with bacon and leeks look wonderful.

Netts Nook said...

What a grand idea Sara looks perfect.

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

This is so fresh looking and sounding! I am so drooling right now.

Cassie said...

Looks so delicious! And you're right: everything is better with bacon!

Pam said...

This looks fantastic. I just happen to have snow peas and regular peas to use up. Thanks for the recipe.

stephchows said...

A little bacon can go so far flavor wise, love it :)

Unknown said...

ooh those looks so amazing, i love spring green :)

Cathy said...

Peas are just coming into our farmer's market and I especially the touch of bacon to accent the flavors and textures of the peas. Lovely dish.

Anonymous said...

I bet the bacon adds a lot of flavor...and salty goodness! YUM!

Robin said...

Sara this dish screams Spring time to me. Looks so green and lovely!

The Blonde Duck said...

I never knew there was more than one pea!

Gloria P. said...

That looks like it taste fabulous..thanks for sharing.

Mrs. L said...

This sounds really yummy, and with all the heavy things I ate this past weekend, it sounds very light and healthy.

Carolyn Jung said...

This looks like it would be fabulous over some pasta. OK, maybe that would negate some of the healthfulness of this dish. But the minute I saw the photo, I was thinking pasta. That's how my mind works. ;)

Stacey said...

That looks so amazing! And your photography too!

Amanda said...

Simple and perfect. Love it.

Leslie said...

I like bacon in ANYTHING!!!!
Love all 3 types of peas!

Deb in Hawaii said...

Yum--I love peas. Such a pretty dish too!

dave said...

Peas are ~almost~ here in the NYC Greenmarkets. Can't wait! The old-fashioned have-to-shell-them English peas are my favorite. This year I'm going to try and freeze some.

Everybody in this thread is talking about the bacon as if it's a naughty indulgence. Well, fear not, Bon Appetit has gone on record to say that bacon is, yes, healthy! (http://bit.ly/hlw6m). We've truly gone through the looking glass. And really how can something that delicious not be at least a little bit good for you, right?

Laurie said...

I want this.. Now!!

Unknown said...

The green color of those peas is amazing! I'm not a huge fan of peas but maybe with bacon I'd be a convert :)

Joanne Choi said...

beautiful picture, beautiful idea. I will have to try it out with my farmer's market goods next week. Thank you for posting.

La Table De Nana said...

I just cut out a recipe from our Montreal Gazette yesterday w/ these 3 peas:) Yours look delicious!!
The snap and sugar peas are on my list..so fresh and crunchy looking!

Olga said...

bacon makes everything better :)
Great photos!

Zoe said...

so fresh and springy! I love that jadite fire plate in the second picture...pretty!

test it comm said...

What a nice simple and tasty dish. That sweet and salty combo is a good one.

nora@ffr said...

vat a healthy yummy dish.. love peas very much and i love the idea you have used.