Peas with Fresh Herbs; Chicken with Fresh Herbs

They had English peas in the market the other day and Dave LOVES fresh peas, so I try to buy them whenever I see them, usually in the spring. Not sure where these came from, but living in California sometimes the seasons seem to have no bearing on what you might find in the produce section of your local market. I happen to have a really great recipe for peas, simple yet interesting, so enjoy.  I'm making the chicken with fresh herbs (see September 9th posting) along with a green salad.

Peas with Fresh Herbs, serves 2; Total time: 15 minutes

2 tsp butter
1.5 tbsp chopped shallots
1 cup shelled English peas
1/2 cup sugar snap peas in the pod
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the shallots and cook about 1 minute. Stir in the peas and water. Bring to a simmer. Cook the peas until the pods are tender yet crisp, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the dill, mint, lemon juice, sugar and salt.

Bottom Line:  Easy dinner to prepare, nice fresh flavors. I didn't have any tarragon for the chicken so I used sage, thyme and parsley. I didn't use all the marinade on the chicken, and not wanting to waste anything used it as my salad dressing.....nice!