Snap Peas: We Can Pickle That! (2 ways)

No matter how much you love snap peas, sometimes you have to think of what to do with an entire pound of them.  Luckily, they make great snacks raw, and you can basically throw them into any salad or sandwich no problem... and we have covered at least a couple recipes this season with snap peas too, and just when you thought you had all you could manage for snap pea techniques down, you realized that I, and Portlandia, might have another idea:

WE CAN PICKLE THAT!

In this post, I will go over two different methods of pickling, one the lacto-fermented kind (despite the name, its definitely vegan, it is merely referring to the lactobacillus bacteria that is involved in all open air fermentation) and the other using vinegar.  The vinegar method is faster, but not as beneficial for your gut flora as the fermented kind, however the combination is ideal because the apple cider vinegar serves as a prebiotic while the fermented produces probiotics, and in both cases your radishes, turnips, sweet peas, and another other veggies laying around can live long past their peak time.  However, if you jealousy guard your snap pea population with your life, feel free to choose one method, or perhaps just pickle your radishes and turnips :)

What you'll use from your bag:

Snap Peas- I took the entire yield and split them between the two jars, it was the perfect amount.

Radishes- the entire yield split between the two

Turnips- 4-6, split between the two

Spring garlic, 1 bulb split between the two

What else you'll use:

Vinegar method:

Apple cider vinegar, 1 cup and 1 more to fill

Water, 1 cup

1Tbs sugar

1 Tbs salt

1 tsp black peppercorns, whole

1 tsp coriander seeds, whole

1 tsp mustard seeds, whole

1 tsp fennel seeds, whole

Fermented Method:

Water, 3 cups

1.5 Tbs Salt

1 tsp black peppercorns, whole

1 tsp coriander seeds, whole

1 tsp mustard seeds, whole

1 tsp caraway seeds, whole

( and in ~2 weeks, fresh dill, oregano, basil, rosemary, or any other fresh herb)

First, start with The Vinegar method:

Combine 1 cup vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat, add the water and let cool.

Next, prepare your veggies:

Yes, you'll want to take the strings out of the snap peas, and if doing both methods, you may as well sit down with a bowl and do them all at the same time.

Fill each jar about 1/2 way with peas, and the rest of the way with garlic, radishes, and turnips.  For the vinegar method, turnips are best sliced into discs, and for the fermented nice chunks work best.  Radishes for both, I just split into halves, the long way, when possible.  The garlic is great in thick discs, but a chunky chop is also good.

Then, cover your veggies in your brine:

Now that your jars are about 3/4 full with veg, separate your jars with labels and a date.  Pour the vinegar mixture over the veggies and pour in more uncooked vinegar until covered-- not to the top (usually about a cup if using quart sized mason jars) and then add the salt and spice, and shake well to combine.  

For the fermented, mix the salt, spices and water together in a bowl to combine and then pour over the veggies, adding additional water if necessary to cover, no where near the top).

Now, set them to store:

The vinegar pickles can go right in your fridge, and are ready to eat in 3-6 days.  Or, if you want them faster, leave them covered at room temperature for the first day, and then place them in the fridge to be ready immediately.

The fermented jar needs a bit more tending.  take a smaller jar, or a weight, and keep the veggies below the surface of the brine, in an uncovered jar.  You want the liquid to have air exposure, but not the veggies, in other words. Its hard to see, but the jar inside the jar is forcing the liquid in the larger jar to come all the way up to the very top of the large jar.  For this reason, I store mine in a bowl, and cover the entire thing with a dish cloth.

Now, set it aside, away from heat or light, for about two weeks, you can check on the acidity level for taste as you go, and when it's just about ready, plop your fresh herbs in, screw on the lid and put them in your fridge to be eaten at your own pace!

Enjoy!

Asian Salad with Choi and Snap Peas

Use this flavor -packed Asian salad as your lunchtime Rx to get over a case of the Mondays.  Now that summer is in full swing, and staying inside during the day is even harder an inspired lunch idea will bring some of that sunshine indoors.

Snap peas and Choi can both be enjoyed raw, but in this salad we will sauté them to bring in a ton of flavor and a variety of textures.  Some of the ingredients will be raw,  like the carrots and radishes, and you can serve this dish fresh from the wok or chilled from your fridge.

Serves 2-3, but can easily be doubled

What you'll use from your bag:

Choi (as much as you can fit in your pan, usually about 4-6)

Snap Peas (one fully packet cup, with peas vertical)

2 turnips 

2 radish

2 spring onions

2 Scapes (and any spring garlic you have leftover from last week)

What else you'll need:

1-2 baby carrots, or 1 small carrot

1 inch Fresh ginger root

1/4 cup Red raspberries (because they are in season and on major sale!, but if you have traditional tastes, small oranges like Mandarins or Clementines are for you)

4-5 fresh Basil leaves

1 Tbs Rice Vinegar

2 Tbs cooking oil (I use safflower oil here)

3 Tbs of Tamari or Soy Sauce, and 1 Tbs of Tamari

Optional: I had some zucchini laying around and it made an excellent addition, any vegetables like eggplant, cucumber,  or mushrooms, make welcome additions here.

Bamboo shoots are also used, and optional. I found some at Giant in the ethnic foods section

You may elect to serve over rice, but otherwise alone, or served on this week's greens are a hearty and low-carb approach to a very light vegetable lunch.

First, you'll wash and prep your veggies

If you don't have rice in your fridge, now is a great time to start your rice, if desired, too (here's a basic chinese-style rice recipe )

Snap peas need a little extra attention. Unlike in the pate, where we blended them up whole, these

need to have their ends removed along with their string. The Choi can either be quartered if they are dense enough, or separated into just leaves. the turnips should be cut into discs and halved. The ginger and basil should be coarsely chopped, separately. The zucchini or other veggies you decide to add should be thick matchsticks or cubed to give easy salad bites.

Chop up the spring onions and the scapes, or leftover spring garlic, and the turnips, and set aside.

Next, you'll put your cooking veggies into a big bowl for a quick marinade

Put the choi, the peas, the bamboo shoots, ginger, and any optional veggies into a large bowl, and pour in 3 Tbs Tamari, 1 Tbs of Rice Vinegar and lightly massage the liquid into the veggies, and let sit.

Then, heat the sauté pan or wok

let the pan heat up until a droplet of water turns into a perfect sphere upon contact, then add 2 Tbs of oil and 1 Tbs of soy sauce, and stand back so the splatter doesn't catch you.

Add the onions and scapes/garlic to the hot pan and let sautee for 1 min.  Add your marinading veggies with their marinade liquid, again standing back to dodge any overly excited liquids, reduce the heat to med-low and cover.

Now, prepare your raw veggies

Get out your raspberries, sliver/matchstick your carrots, and make thin discs of your radishes and set aside.

Now add your turnips and basil to the sauté, mix and keep uncovered for 1 minute.

Then, plate your rice, and spoon some sautee juice onto it 

Once it is nice and juicy, add your cooked vegetables on top of the rice, and decorate with the carrot sticks, radish discs, and raspberries.  

If you'll be cooking for the next day's lunch, only combine the veg and rice when it's time to serve.

Enjoy!

Oh and I promise it's just as delicious when it's messy :)

Sugar Snap Pea Pate

Nothing brings the fresh feeling of summer quite like a fresh and crisp Sugar Snap Pea, and an early summer yield doesn't leave much to feed a full family, so luckily by combining these bursting pea pods to some of the other veggies in this week's bag we can make an early-summer pate!

Pate makes a great fridge snack, as you can combine it with nearly anything else in your fridge or pantry like crackers or celery sticks.  Best of all the bright bright green of the peas makes an excellent contrast, making it an excellent smile-inducing finger food for an outdoor garden party.



What you'll use from your bag:
All the sugar snaps (appx 1 cup)
2 small, or 1 medium turnip
1 Shunkyo radish (oblong), and 2 pink beauty radishes to serve
2 stalks of fresh oregano
1/2 small bulb of spring garlic, reserve green to serve
1 leaf Winter Density Lettuce, to serve

What else you'll need:
1 tsp dried tarragon, or 2 pieces fresh, and a pinch to garnish
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable broth
pinch of sea salt

Optional:
Almonds, Walnuts, Red Bell Pepper, Smoked Paprika


First, you'll wash and pre-chop,
Chopping the radish, garlic, and turnip into smaller pieces helps the mixture blend up better.  If you prefer, now is when you may remove the roots or stalks to any vegetables.

Next, you'll add the pate ingredients to your food processor or blender:
All the snap peas, the turnips, the oblong radish, the oregano, the spring garlic, the tarragon, the ginger, the vinegar, the broth, and the salt, into the processor or blender on high for 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides and mix to ensure thorough blending, and blend for 30 seconds more.  Taste.  If too bitter, try adding a splash more vinegar, or a pinch of your sweetener of choice.  If too light, add a pinch of paprika now and more to garnish.




Now, Serve it your way!
Best if chilled 15-20 minutes before serving.  Here are some ideas:

On a round slice of a Pink Lady Radish from your bag, add a dollop of pea pate, and dress with slivers of the green spring garlic, 1 sliced almond, and dust with smoked paprika.  The finish is complex and the texture keeps you till the last bite.






Or, my personal favorite: Take 1/4 of a Red Bell Pepper and fill with the pate.  This is also dressed with spring garlic and pink lady radishes, and also a flower from this week's Chinese Broccoli :)  The pepper makes a nice boat for the pate, and also tones down the strength of the garlic and turnip.