All through the holiday season, I seemed to be serving potatoes or rich vegetable gratins. As part of lightening up our diet, I thought this minted pea purée would offer substance and flavor but still qualify as a healthy side dish. I served this with grilled lamb chops last night, a nice pairing.
When I first planted mint in our raised box, I chose to ignore advice from seasoned gardeners who urged me to confine mint to containers. As a result, the mint spreads like wildfire among the other plants and herbs. Even in winter, we can pull it out by the handful. In any event, there was plenty for my purée…
You can easily double or triple this recipe. I discovered that my new powerhouse of a blender produced a smoother purée than did my antique food processor. (Santa, where were you?) Make this earlier in the day, if you choose, and reheat it over low heat or gently warm in the microwave just before serving.
- 1 16-ounce package of organic peas, thawed
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into bits
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch of ground white pepper
- sprigs of fresh mint (optional garnish)
- Using a medium-sized saucepan, add the peas, ½ cup water and the mint. Cook, covered, until peas come to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow the mint to flavor the peas.
- Drain the peas and empty into a processor or blender. Add the cream, butter, salt and pepper. Blend until puréed.
- Turn into a serving dish, garnish with fresh mint and serve.
Yum! And I will have that beautiful, vibrant green on my mind all day! Happy New Year! 🙂
Thanks so much and a very Happy New Year to you –
The color is fantastic! And i love the fact it does have a bit of cream and butter 🙂 Yay for mint!
Shhh – yes, a little butter and cream.
Lovely – I’ve made something similar and it never fails to brighten up a dish. Happy New Year to you and Larry, Liz.
It’s like a beautiful bowl of spring, that photo is gorgeous. Simple is always the best IMHO!
What does “IMHO” mean – curious…
It’s so beautiful Liz! What a great pairing with lamb or maybe with a firm flesh white fish. Love it!
Yes, it would be great with halibut or even salmon. Good idea.
Mint and peas are the perfect combination – and I love them in a purée! What a wonderful, bright photo too, Liz!
What a lovely away to serve peas! Great picture too.
Thanks, Jayne – I’m going to try this with carrots next time.