How to Cook Peas: The Best Techniques to Keep Them Crispy and Preserve Their Properties

Peas are among the most complete and versatile legumes that exist in nature: belonging to the Leguminosae family, they contain nutritional properties such as vitamins, fiber and mineral salts. Precisely for this reason they should never be missing from your diet, also because they are an excellent versatile ingredient, useful both as a side dish and for various types of dishes, for example sauces to dress pasta, stews or in combination with shellfish such as cuttlefish, or even to prepare full-bodied one-dish meals such as Spanish paella.

When spring arrives you can buy fresh peas, while in other periods you can easily find them frozen (but also canned pre-cooked and dried): whatever type of legume you buy, it is essential that you learn to cook it well, both to enhance all its flavor and to keep its rich nutritional profile as intact as possible. What are the most suitable techniques for preparing peas in a workmanlike manner? Let's find out together.

1. In a Pan

Cooking in a pan is one of the best ways to cook peas, especially if you have them fresh: cooked in this way they are a tasty side dish that you can pair with any type of second course, but also add to white rice. To cook them delicately you must use a fairly large, non-stick pan, and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic. When the oil has heated up, add the well-dried peas and mix everything together with a wooden spoon, then add some vegetable broth or water (in both cases the liquid must be hot) and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, until the peas are tender.

2. Boiled Peas

Preparing boiled peas is one of the easiest and quickest ways to cook them: just a few minutes of cooking after you have passed them in boiling water and they will be ready to be seasoned as you prefer or used in other recipes. A useful trick, especially if you have guests, is to pass them under a jet of cold water after draining them: in this way they will maintain their beautiful bright green color, without darkening. This is a quick and simple cooking method, as already mentioned, but also the one that puts the organoleptic properties of peas at greatest risk.

3. Steamed

Steaming is the method that, of all, retains the nutrients of the food you are cooking best and this also applies to peas. In this case, all you have to do is bring a pot full of water to the boil, then pour the peas into a metal basket and place it over the pot (be careful not to touch the water inside). Cover the peas with a lid and after a few minutes of cooking they will be ready: the average is about 7 minutes on a high heat but it depends on the size of the type of peas, although it is better not to exceed 10 minutes to avoid them falling apart.

4. Cooked in the Microwave

Peas can also be cooked in the microwave very easily and in very little time: you have to put them in a suitable container, add half a glass of water, close with the appropriate container and let everything cook at high power for about 4-5 minutes. You can cook them plain and season them later, or add chopped garlic, salt, pepper and even a knob of butter before cooking to make them even creamier and tastier.