Mushy Peas with mint sauce

 

mushy peas

Charles Haynes from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

 Ingredients

  • 225g dried marrowfat peas
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 500 ml boiling water
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, optional
  • 2 to 4 tbsp heavy cream or milk, optional
  • 35g butter, optional

  Method

  1. Place the peas in a large bowl because they need plenty of room to expand. Add the bicarbonate of soda and cover with 500 ml of boiling water. Stir until the baking soda dissolves.

  2. Let the peas soak for a minimum of 12 hours.

  3. Drain and rinse the peas well in a colander, then transfer them to a large pot.

  4. Cover the peas with cold water (about 500ml) and bring them to a boil.

  5. Lower the heat and simmer the peas uncovered for approximately 30 minutes or until they soften and turn mushy.

  6. Season the peas with salt and pepper to taste. Add the optional sugar if you prefer them slightly sweeter, heavy cream or milk to give them a fluffier texture, or butter for flavour. You can also smash them with a fork for a smoother texture, or run them through the food processor if you prefer a puree.

  7. Serve the mushy peas hot with mint sauce and with fish and chips or a tasty meat pie.

    If you cannot find marrowfat peas then you need to take a trip to the UK or he Republic of Ireland.  You can't buy them in Frnace except through one of import shops and they cost a fortune.

    Cooked  mushy peas keep well covered for a few days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them in an airtight container or plastic freezer bags. Make a large batch and portion them into individual servings for freezing.

    An alternative method is to use a pressure cooker.  Carry out 1 to 3 above then place the pesa in a pressure cooker with the water and bring to pressure.  Reduce the pressure under cold water and enjoy.