Almost too simple to be a RCP: Julienned snow peas

[Robin Garr]

Julienne snow peas. Quick-sauté them with slivered onions. Serve, maybe with just a drop of sesame oil, and watch people try to figure out what this delicious new veggie is.

snowpeas.jpg

Yum!

I use those, along with julienned shiitake mushrooms and onions, in lo mein.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Great idea. Like Paul, I've also been known to sliver snow peas and add them as an accent. Rarely get them inexpensively enough to make a whole side dish out of them, though, and the last time I did was in Canada with a package marked "China peas" which sent the clueless Customs agent who might recognize a potato but not much else into a fit and got me on the Group W bench with the ag inspectors who themselves did not realize that the name is just a colloquialism and these were NOT imported from China. I barely got away....

Like Paul, I've also been known to sliver snow peas and add them as an accent. Rarely get them inexpensively enough to make a whole side dish out of them, though, and the last time I did was in Canada with a package marked "China peas" which sent the clueless Customs agent who might recognize a potato but not much else into a fit and got me on the Group W bench with the ag inspectors who themselves did not realize that the name is just a colloquialism and these were NOT imported from China. I barely got away....

"I barely got away" struck me so funny, Jenise. A few years ago, we were coming back into the US from Canada, and customs asked us to pull the RV over to the side. We waited forever, wondering why we got pulled over. The guy came in and wanted to see inside our refer. He found a few things there, but I had store receipts, so they were OK. He spotted what was left of my own garden tomatoes in a basket by the sink and said "what's that?" I told him they were my garden tomatoes and that they came with me from No. CA. He told me he was going to have to take them. I went and stood in front of my sink and said, "you will not take my tomatoes, from my garden". He threw his hands up and walked out of the door. Gene was startled at first, then he found humor in the situation. I was dead serious!

Jenise,

Fortunately for me, snow peas are a commonplace vegetable in New England supermarkets.

I never try to bring agricultural products across international boundaries. As you found out, customs officials tend to have little humor about that sort of thing.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Like Paul, I've also been known to sliver snow peas and add them as an accent. Rarely get them inexpensively enough to make a whole side dish out of them, though, and the last time I did was in Canada with a package marked "China peas" which sent the clueless Customs agent who might recognize a potato but not much else into a fit and got me on the Group W bench with the ag inspectors who themselves did not realize that the name is just a colloquialism and these were NOT imported from China. I barely got away....

"I barely got away" struck me so funny, Jenise. A few years ago, we were coming back into the US from Canada, and customs asked us to pull the RV over to the side. We waited forever, wondering why we got pulled over. The guy came in and wanted to see inside our refer. He found a few things there, but I had store receipts, so they were OK. He spotted what was left of my own garden tomatoes in a basket by the sink and said "what's that?" I told him they were my garden tomatoes and that they came with me from No. CA. He told me he was going to have to take them. I went and stood in front of my sink and said, "you will not take my tomatoes, from my garden". He threw his hands up and walked out of the door. Gene was startled at first, then he found humor in the situation. I was dead serious!

Funny story! Being that confrontational normally does not work out well for people--especially those of us with Nexus passes (meaning we have been approved by both governments to crisscross the border in a special express line) which one does and should protect with one's life, it's THAT valuable and you can lose one REAL easily. Certainly one way to do that would be to tell Mr. Badge that he doesn't know shit about vegetables--NEVER argue. The only thing I've ever lost were about $20 worth of organic chicken wings during the Bird Flu scare, but I don't think I had a Nexus pass when that hapened and I had no idea there was a temp ban on raw poultry. But now that I have a Nexus pass I'm charged with knowing and complying with the regs every time I cross including whatever momentary changes may exist--ignorance is no excuse. You get caught in the Nexus line with something off the list, and you will be presumed to have knowingly attempted to violate the rules and lose your rights accordingingly.

Two things I'd kill to be able to buy and bring home: lamb and potatoes, which are both apparently permanently banned for entry into the US. In fact, the funniest story I've heard about a border incident involved lamb where friends of mine bought a lamp--with a P--and declared it. The US guy thought they said 'lamb' and wanted to know where it was. Not sure exactly what they said but not understanding the confusion they apparently rather ineptly explained it was in a box in the trunk which somehow made the guy think they had a whole dead animal--that they shot--and almost before they could blink their car was surrounded by armed agents and they had to get out of their car with their hands in the air and all that.

Robin, I'd just like to say this is actually a fantastic idea, and will move into our general repertoire.

[Robin Garr]

Robin, I'd just like to say this is actually a fantastic idea, and will move into our general repertoire.

Thanks, Dale. I really like the way a small change in preparation and presentation can give a familiar veggie an entirely new personality.

I've generally liked snow peas more than Betsy, but she quite liked this (we went pretty heavy on sauteed onions) and I absolutely loved it. I agree that if served this it would take me a minute to figure out what they were!
Simple enough to make a great side when main course is something time consuming.

[Robin Garr]

I've generally liked snow peas more than Betsy, but she quite liked this (we went pretty heavy on sauteed onions) and I absolutely loved it. I agree that if served this it would take me a minute to figure out what they were!
Simple enough to make a great side when main course is something time consuming.

Yeah, the only time-consuming bit is the julienne process, but if you're reasonably experienced with a chef's knife, it doesn't take long. I stack them about six deep and make four or five quick longitudinal slices through the stack; you can get through a good-size mound pretty quickly that way.

I don't know if it shows in the photo, Dale, but yes! to the onions. There are a lot of them in there, although I think some may have sunk to the bottom under the peas.

A Chinese cleaver makes the julienne process quite easy. It's a simple, but elegant and delicious, preparation.

-Paul W.

You should serve this with your snow peas!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robi ... index.html

[Jenise]

You should serve this with your snow peas!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robi ... index.html

Frank, couldn't you find something simpler?

Makes me want to plant snow peas this year ! Ordinarily only do snap peas but if I can convince someone to expand the raised beds I might have enough room....