The Sugar Snap Special
4 new recipes to make the most of them
Sugar snap / snap peas are coming into season right about now. They are the MVP of summer crudités — crisp, sweet and delicious. But they also work brilliantly lightly cooked into recipes — their unmistakable similarity in flavour to regular peas means they work well in the same sort of flavour pairings. Both love lemon, soft herbs and cream, but hold up well to warm spices too.
Now I’ve focused on sugar snap peas here over their cousin mangetout / snow peas. But the nomenclature can get a little blurry — in some countries mangetout (French for “eat all”) is an umbrella term for any thin-skinned pea pods which are harvested young to yield tender pods that can be eaten whole. Either way the following recipes work with either / any of these varieties. But I generally opt for the puffier, crunchier variety which adds more body to recipes. Here are some very good ways to make the most of them.
How to prep sugar snaps
Trim off the tips and remove the string that connects both ends. This improves the eating of the snap pea and any stringy chewiness. But do I always enact this step? Er, no - there’s definitely a time to reward decision analysis that needs to be made here.
Sugar snap, lemon & mascarpone pasta
The simple, summery supper of my dreams.
Recipe
Makes 2 portions
200g sugar snap peas, trimmed and finely sliced on a bias
200g dried pasta (A short variety is best - I’ve used gemelli)
1 heaped tbsp mascarpone
1 large shallot, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
A good handful basil leaves, roughly torn (around 20g)
pinch chilli flakes
1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Parmesan to taste (optional)
Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, cook until tender and drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water
Meanwhile place a large pan over a medium heat with a little oil. Add the shallot and garlic. Stir from time to time until softened
Stir in the sugar snaps, chilli flakes and a little lemon zest. Stir until the sugar snaps have just softened
Stir the drained pasta, basil and mascarpone into the pan with the sugar snaps. Add pasta water as needed to form a light sauce that clings to the pasta. Add salt and lemon juice to taste
Spoon into serving bowls and grate over a little Parmesan, if you like
Sugar snap, chickpea & bulgur wheat salad
Recipe
Makes 4 portions
