Dilly Peas and Carrots

While we hold the strong belief that fresh vegetables are better than frozen vegetables, peas are the rare exception. They are picked and frozen at the height of ripeness, unlike the fresh peas in supermarkets, which can be days old. Once peas are harvested, their sugars turn to starch, meaning that the older they get, the blander their flavor and the starchier their texture. Most cooks simply boil the peas until tender in salted water, but this method doesn’t add much flavor to the peas. We wanted to find a method for cooking and flavoring the peas at the same time. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• Simmer the frozen peas in a flavorful sauce until just tender. They quickly absorb the sauce’s flavor.
• Make sure to add a sweet ingredient like red onions or just plain sugar to intensify the flavor of the peas.