Sugar snap peas: these crisp, green pods aren't just for stir-fries anymore

What's not to love about a veggie that requires no shelling, seeding, peeling or chopping, takes two minutes to cook and is chock-full of vitamins, iron and protein? Sugar snap peas are just that. No wonder these flavor-packed pods are showing up in more and more fancy restaurant fare and on family dinner tables.

The darling of spring farmers' markets, sugar snap peas are readily available, even at wholesale shopping warehouses. Best of all, the common variety is "stringless," meaning there's no thin thread to pull off the pods before cooking.

There's only one cooking rule you need to know about sugar snap peas: Keep it short to keep 'em sweet. Two to four minutes of sauteing or steaming is all it takes to bring out their subtle flavor. While cooking them whole is the obvious choice, sugar snap peas can also be shelled and pureed for soup, julienned to go in a pasta dish, or split and stuffed for a tasty hors d'oeuvre. We've even chopped them in a food processor to make a savory springtime tart.

Nutritional Profile

1 cup equals 75 calories Total fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 143 mg, Carbohydrates 15 g, Fiber 4.5 g, Sugars 7.5 g and Protein 4.5 g Peas are also a good source of folic acid, potassium, calcium and Vitamin A.

Health facts from www.CalorieKing.com

1

SUGAR SNAP PEA SUMMER ROLLS

Serves 8

Vegan

The rice paper wrappers for these
Vietnamese-style summer rolls can be
found in any Asian grocery store, as can
the Indonesian sambal oelek hot sauce.
Once you've mastered making the rolls--which
is as simple as rolling a burrito--you
can fill them with anything from
shredded vegetables to seasoned tofu.
The sesame seeds add a nice crunch.

Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup law-sodium say sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sambal oelek

Summer Rolls

 32 sugar snap peas (about 12 oz)
  1 carrot
  8 scallions
  8 oz. rice vermicelli
  1 tsp. lime juice
  2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
  8 rice paper wrappers
 32 fresh mint leaves plus extras

1. To make Dipping Sauce: Whisk
all ingredients together in small bowl.

2. To make Summer Rolls: Bring pot
of salted water to a boil. Cook snap
peas 2 minutes. Drain, and immediately
plunge into cold water. Peel carrot into
about 40 long, thin strips. Wash and
trim scallions to 3 inches long.

3. Place rice vermicelli in large bowl,
and pour boiling water over to cover;
let stand 3 minutes. Drain, and rinse
with cold water. Return noodles to
bowl, and stir in lime juice, sesame
seeds, salt and pepper.

4. Place one rice paper wrapper on
clean work surface. Dip clean dish
towel in cold water, and moisten
wrapper on both sides to soften,
making sure to wet edges well. When
soft, place 4 mint leaves in line down
center. Top with 1/4 cup noodle mixture,
placing it in log shape and leaving about
1 inch of space on each side. Set
4 cooked sugar snap peas on top of
noodles. Place scallion on top, and
scatter with 4 or 5 carrot strips.

5. To close roll, gently lift top edge
of rice paper wrapper from work
surface, and roll it tightly once over
filling. Carefully fold in both sides over
filling, and roll wrapper toward you
tightly to seal. Repeat with remaining
wrappers and filling ingredients. If not
eating immediately, chill well. Serve
with dipping sauce and extra mint leaves.

PER SERVING: 190 CAL; 6G PROT; 25G TOTAL FAT
(0G SAT FAT); 35G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 370MG SOD;
2G FIBER: 3G SUGARS


2
SUGAR SNAP PEAS ALMONDINE

Serves 6

30 minutes or fewer

Using sugar snap peas makes a
traditional almondine side dish go
together super-fast since the peas cook
in half the time of green beans
and there are no ends to snap off.

  2 tsp. butter or olive oil
  1 clove garlic, minced
  2 shallots, chopped
  1 lb. sugar snap peas
  2 Tbs. fresh lemon zest
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
  2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Heat butter in large skillet over medium
heat. Cook garlic and shallots 2 to 3
minutes, or until soft. Stir in sugar snap
peas, lemon zest, salt and pepper,
and cook 3 minutes more, or until peas
are tender and bright green. Add almonds
and lemon juice, and cook until just
heated through. Adjust seasonings if
necessary, and serve immediately.

PER SERVING: 80 CAL 3G PROT; 45G TOTAL FAT (1G
SAT. FAT); 8G CARB 5MG CHOL; 300MG SOD; 3G
FIBER; 4G SUGARS

3

CHILLED SUGAR SNAP PEA SOUP

Serves 6

30 minutes or fewer

In this recipe, the pods are used to
make the soup base while the peas
are sprinkled on top just before serving.
Look for sugar snap peas that feel full
so that they have more peas inside
them. People who like a thicker soup
can whisk in 1/4 cup sour cream.
Chervil is a delicately flavored herb
related to parsley that is essential in
classic French cooking.

  1 Tbs. unsalted butter or vegetable oil
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  1 bunch scallions, chopped
  1 cup baby spinach leaves
  4 cups sugar snap peas, shelled,
    pods and peas reserved
1/2 cup fresh chervil leaves
  1 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat butter in large pot over medium
heat. Add garlic and scallions, and
cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
Stir in spinach leaves, and cook, stirring
constantly, until wilted, about 1 minute.
Add pea pods, chervil, 6 cups water,
salt and pepper, and bring soup to
a boil. Cook 15 minutes, or until pods
are tender.

2. Transfer soup to food processor, and
puree until smooth, or blend in pot with
an immersion blender. Strain through
sieve or food mill. Adjust seasonings if
necessary, and allow to cool.

3. Cook peas in boiling salted water
3 minutes, or until bright green and
tender. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle
each bowl with 2 Tbs. peas, and serve.

PER SERVING: 50 CAL: 2G PROT; 2G TOTAL FAT (1G
SAT FAT); 6G CARB; 5MG CHOL; 400MG SOD; 2G
FIBER; 2G SUGARS

4

SMOKED MOZZARELLA-SNAP PEA
SANDWICHES

Serves 8

30 minutes or fewer

Halving the sugar snap peas lengthwise
into little "boats" makes them easier to
eat in a sandwich. Try this recipe with
pasta instead of pita bread: Make the
snap pea mixture, toss it with hot pasta,
cover it with mozzarella slices and place
under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.

  1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
  2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms,
    stemmed and sliced
1 lb. sugar snap peas,
    halved lengthwise
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
  3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
  4 oz. smoked mozzarella cheese,
    cut into 8 slices
4 whole wheat pita breads, halved

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium
heat, and saute onions about 3 minutes,
or until translucent and tender. Add
garlic and shiitake mushrooms, and cook
about 5 minutes, stirring often, until soft.
Add snap peas, salt and pepper, and cook
3 minutes more. Stir in balsamic vinegar,
and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

3. Halve mozzarella slices. Place two
halves inside each pita. Spoon 1 cup snap
pea mixture into each pita. Put in oven
or toaster oven just long enough to melt
cheese, and serve.

PER SERVING: 140 CAL; 7G PROT, 5G TOTAL FAT (2G
SAT FAT); 17G CARB; 10MG CHOL; 380MG SOD;
3G FIBER; 5G SUGARS

5

RICOTTA-SNAP PEA TART

Serves 8

This tart goes together in no time and
is delicious both hot and cold, especially
served with a wedge of cornbread
and a hearty salad of nuts and roasted
vegetables. The ricotta really highlights
the fresh flavor of the snap peas. If you
don't have shallots on hand, chopped
onions or scallions will work.

    2 cups sugar snap peas, plus extra
      for garnish, if desired
    1 clove garlic
1 1/4 cups reduced-fat ricotta cheese
  1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
      cheese
    2 shallots, chapped
  1/2 tsp. salt
  1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  1/8 tsp. nutmeg
    2 large eggs
    1 prepared 9-inch unbaked pie crust,
      or 1 recipe tart dough (see right)

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Put snap peas and garlic in food
processor or blender, and process until
finely chopped. Add ricotta, Parmesan
cheese, shallots, salt, pepper and nutmeg,
and process until just combined.
Add eggs, and process until smooth.

3. Pour mixture into crust. Bake
10 minutes; reduce heat to 350F, and
bake 25 to 30 minutes more, or until
filling has puffed up and set and
crust is golden brown. Garnish with
steamed sugar snap peas, if desired.

PER SERVING: 160 CAL; 7G PROT; 9G TOTAL FAT
(35G SAT FAT); 12G CARB; 65MG CHOL; 340MG
SOD; <1G FIBER; 4G SUGARS

Basic Tart Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  1/4 tsp. salt
    6 Tbs. unsalted butter, cubed

1. Stir flour and salt together in a bowl
Using pastry cutter or your fingertips,
rub butter cubes into flour mixture until
it resembles coarse meal. Add 1/2 cup cold
water, and stir with a wooden spoon
or rubber spatula until dough just comes
together. Gently knead dough into ball;
wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour
or overnight.

2. Flour work surface, and roll dough
into 14-inch circle. Press dough disk into
9x2-inch pie or tart pan, trim edges, if
necessary, and prick bottom all over with
a fork. Chill 15 minutes before filling.

PER SERVING: 160 CAL; 3G PROT; 9G TOTAL FAT (5G
SAT. FAT); 18G CARB; 25MG CHOL; 75MG SOD;
<1G FIBER; 0G SUGARS

STILL LIFE BY MARK WEISS

FOOD PHOTOS BY RENEE COMET

FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY

Frequent VT contributor Mary Margaret Chappell still snacks on raw sugar snap peas--straight out of the bag--while testing recipes and writing articles.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Vegetarian Times, Inc. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group