Green Pea Dishes
Green peas are best in late spring and early summer, when they are fresh, in season
Ștefan Baciu, 03.06.2018, 12:30
The Cooking Show —
03/06/2018
Green peas are originally from Asia, and they were adopted by Greeks and Romans in Europe, which is how they spread all over the continent. It seems that it reached the Romanian areas in the 17th century. Nowadays, with canning and freezing, it can be used all year long for soups, stews, in dishes with meat or without.
Green peas are best in late spring and early summer, when they are fresh, in season. Because they can be easily preserved, canned or frozen, green peas are used throughout the year. A famous Romanian gastronomy expert, Radu Anton Roman said: “Being rather an accompanying rather than a solo instrument, green pea dishes are a regular of Romanian cuisine.”
Green peas are used together with shredded vegetables in Russian salad, what is referred in Romanian by the French version of beef salad. In spite of these names, this salad is of German origin, using plenty of mayonnaise, and was invented in the kitchens of Wallachian noblemen. It uses as ingredients boiled beef, potatoes, pickles and pickled bell peppers, carrots, mayonnaise, and, of course, green peas.
Another dish specific to the summer and autumn is vegetable stew, with green peas, potatoes, onion, cabbage, carrot, green beans, garlic, courgettes (aka zucchini), celeriac, and possibly parsnip.
Another very popular dish at this time of the year is green pea stew with poultry, pork or beef. The usual quantity is 2 kg of peas, in the pod, if very fresh, or not, for half a kilo of pork or beef, or a kilo of poultry. You also need tomato juice, tomato paste or two large very ripe tomatoes, two large onions, and a bunch of green dill. Shell the peas if they are not very fresh. Start by boiling the meat, skimming if necessary. Cube the pork or beef ahead of time. You have the option of sautéing the meat in oil with the chopped onion, but the dish will be fattier. If the meat is on the bone, remove the bones after boiling or sautéing. Put in tomato juice, then add the green peas and the finely sliced onions. Boil for about 30 minutes. Towards the end, add the tomato paste or the chopped tomatoes, and salt to taste, but before removing from the heat, add the finely chopped dill. Cover and allow to cool a bit before serving. The aroma is out of this world.
Enjoy!
