Peas with marjoram… Simple, seasonal and delicious. First in a series of dishes Baking Fairy and I cooked together.
I must have mentioned her here before. She is one of my closest friends. And the one living the farthest. A few years back, she fell in love with Costa Rica, left her job in California in the blink of an eye, bought a rundown cafe in Montezuma and moved there. She worked hard and built a new cafe from the ground up: Organico. She serves delicious vegetarian dishes like beet burgers, lasagna with plantains, scrambled tofu with curry and grilled pineapples. Plus, almost everything in her menu is topped with avocados, which are falling off her tree in her back yard as I write this.
She’s back in Istanbul for a couple of months. We spent a full day with her cooking, eating and reminiscing old times.
She saw a photo of this dish in my Flickr stream a while ago and loved it. Blanched peas tossed with chopped marjoram heated briefly in extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.
Peas are in season, so they are super sweet nowadays. Steaming or boiling them briefly and serving them with salt is all they need, but a fragrant herb like marjoram adds a whole new dimension of flavor.
They are just as delicious when served cold or at room temperature, so if you’re looking for an easy-to-prepare side dish for a summer BBQ, this is it. Actually, this looks great, too. And this.
Another tasty vegan treat is on its way, so stay tuned.
PEAS WITH MARJORAM
2-4 servings
Ingredients
- 1lb fresh peas, pods removed
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh marjoram, chopped finely
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
Method
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the podded peas.
- Cook for 10 minutes, then drain and transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool.
- When the peas are cool, drain and let dry completely.
- In a small pot, heat olive oil, add the chopped marjoram, take off from heat and let infuse for 5 minutes.
- Add the peas and heat through. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
Hi Cenk,
The picture of Ozlem is just so alive and amazing. She must be such a fun person! I love the shot of the marjoram. And those peas, I want to go and buy peas and marjoram so I can make that dish!
A Simply Delicious Dish. Your Friend is absolutely gorgeous – a picture of free spirit.
I love your shots as usual Cenk– marjoram has never looked more beautiful 🙂 Is it wrong I always want a pat of butter on my peas? Ha ha ha!
Manggy – I love butter, too! I also tried this dish with butter, but I think a fruity olive oil works much better.
Cenk this sounds lovely! I usually drop a couple of peeled garlic cloves in a glass bottle filled with extra virgin olive oil. After one week this thing is heavenly, yet mild. I am thinking of using part of the peas as you describe and part with my aromatic oil. Will let you know of the outcome
Yum! I think that’ll be on my dinner table tomorrow evening…and I look forward to more vegan recipes!
I love your praise and recognition for Ozlem. I admire her courage, and her profound conviction on natural, oganic food. She is truly a great human being.
Love her raw ice creams !!!
Great job,sweetie
maria
That looks so fresh and green. I’ll have to get some marjoram from my sister’s garden and try this one.
I can’t wait to try this. Normally I like mint with my peas but marjoram sounds great.
This looks real apt for summer too!
Cenk – I’ve just harvested my peas and enjoyed them, I totally agree that preparing them simple is the best way. I picked some oregano and mint to go with it as I didn’t have any marjoram 🙂 Isn’t summer lovely enough just to enjoy those fresh fruit and veg…
Beautiful picture of Ozlem – glad you had a lovely time. It reminds me of the wonderful time I had with you both, please send her my best wishes.
Hope all is well, take care. kxx
Hi Keiko – So good to hear from you. I will pass along your wishes. I’ll check out your blog now to see what you’ve been cooking. Cheers.
Is the humble pea finally receiving the recognition that it deserves?
Can I come out of the closet as a pea lover?
This looks fantastic for it’s simplicity. It also helps that the photo composition is quite striking.
Thanks for the great info! I read in a book, Health On Your Plate, that you should eat peas with rice for complete protein! keep up the great posts!