Turn Canned Peas Into A Creamy Southern Side Dish With A Few Fridge And Pantry Staples
Vegetables can present something of a barrier to entry when tossing together a (mostly) pantry meal. You want a side of something fresh-adjacent, but there are only so many ways that one can reimagine a so-so can of this or that. Aside from the fact that you just might not know what to do with them other than pour 'em onto a plate, things like peas, once canned, seldom even taste like what nature intended. But one classic Southern recipe solves those two problems in one surprisingly comforting, even decadent preparation: creamed peas.
Regional household favorites will certainly vary, but creamed peas are ensconced in a lot of corners of the American Southern culinary tradition, should you need some menu-planning inspiration. They'd be great draped over three-ingredient biscuits like you might otherwise do with gravy, for example. Creamed peas also put the aforementioned "mostly" in a pantry meal, as they require butter and the titular cream in addition to a bit of shelf-stable flour, your usual salt and pepper, and the obvious peas to complete. Given how ubiquitous that dairy duo is, however, the odds are high that you're likely to be able to toss together this Southern satisfier. It's also so nice that you might even want to shop for it on purpose next time.
Making creamed peas in your own kitchen, wherever it may be
Creamed peas will be familiar to anyone who's made a roux, which dissolves together equal parts of flour and fat. Creamed peas, of course, call for their own eponymous dairy. This also gets stirred in until it all thickens, which shouldn't take much more than a minute. Some instructions might advise that you essentially cook the peas sometime before or throughout this process. But let's be honest: the canned variety is already plenty soft or even mushy, not to mention room temperature, so you can drain, rinse, and fold them in right before seasoning and serving, instead.
Salt and pepper are always welcome additions, but plenty of other flavor enhancers can further conjure your peas' earthier beginnings. The garlic and thyme that you might find in a botanically related split pea soup would be welcome here, too. A squeeze of lemon has also seldom met a dish it couldn't brighten up. And the Cajun seasoning that you might find in a number of other Southern dishes would make for a particularly thematic, not to mention lively, bowl of creamed peas, too.
@mindyscookingblog These Creamed Peas are not the peas you refused to eat as a kid. No, these yummy creamed peas are sweet and delicious! Even picky eaters will love them. Ingredients 2 cans peas (about 3 cups) 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour ⅛ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon pepper 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste, we like em' sweet!) Instructions 1. In a medium saucepan warm peas in juice until hot. 2. Melt butter over medium-heat in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper, cook for 1 minute. Whisk in milk, making sure to get all of the lumps out, and cook until bubbly and thick, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 3. Drain peas and return them to the pan, pour in milk mixture and stir in sugar. Makes 6 servings. Check out the full blog post at https://www.mindyscookingobsession.com/creamed-peas-2/ #sidedish #comfortfood #easypeasy #thanksgivingdinner #peas