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Ah, the mushy peas. I was served mushy peas with my order of fish and chips while vacationing in Ireland. I had heard of them, but never really thought about what they consisted of. I must say I wasn’t really impressed with my first taste. They were pale greenish gray with a bland muted pea flavor.

Of course, I had to do an internet search to find out more information about this traditional staple. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the type of pea used was called a marrowfat pea. What is a marrowfat pea? To all my vegetarian friends, not to worry, there is neither marrow or fat in these peas. They are a mature pea left on the plant to dry out prior to harvesting. They are larger than a traditional pea and contain a high amount of starch. See the following articles explaining the origin and the preparation of these starchy nuggets: https://www.pulsesuk.co.uk/the-story-of-marrowfat-peas-hellip/ and this one https://h2g2.com/entry/A87795904.

If you haven’t yet tried the mushy pea and really want to, you can order them through Amazon. Or if you’re in the Newburyport area, there’s a great little shop called Best of British located at 22 State Street where they sell them in a can too. But, if you decide you’re not that adventurous, just try my interpretation of the mushy pea. I think you’ll like it!

1 Bag Frozen Petite Peas (16 oz. = 4 Cups)
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Large Shallot, Minced
1/4 Cup Light Cream
1/4 Cup Mint Leaves
1-1/2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt

Empty the frozen peas into a medium sized bowl and cover with cold water. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter and add the minced shallot. Cook on medium/low heat to sweat the shallots about 5-6 minutes, do not brown them. Turn off the heat, add the cream, mint leaves and salt to the saucepan and let sit for 5-10 minutes, allowing for the mint to steep. Drain the water from the peas and add 2-1/2 cups to the saucepan.

Using an immersion blender, blend the liquid and the peas until it’s a creamy consistency. Then add the remaining peas and mash with a potato masher. The texture should be creamy with chunks of peas. At this point you can transfer them to a container and refrigerate for later use.

If you plan on using a portion or all of it now, just turn the heat on low and constantly stir the peas, making sure not to scorch and certainly not to overcook the peas. You want to keep the vibrant green color. I found these peas are so tender that there is no need to precook prior to reheating.

Feel free to cut the recipe in half. Serve with fish and chips or a traditional meat pie. However, they go well with just about anything. Serves 8.

Visit Dorothy’s website at http://ddimarzo2002.wix.