Sugar Snap Peas with a Single Herb

Serves 4-6 / Sugar snaps—those chubby, edible pea pods—are so good raw or lightly cooked, there’s no need to gussy them up too much. Also from Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven (Hyperion, 1997), this recipe is a great choice for cooks who hate to chop; just snip the chosen herb with scissors. Dried herbs work, too, if you can’t find fresh ones.

1 pound fresh, tight sugar snap peas
2 teaspoons butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 tablespoons minced fresh herb (marjoram, mint, savory, tarragon, or thyme.)

1. Remove tops from peas and pull off strings. Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add pea pods, keeping heat fairly high. Cook quickly for about 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the herb of your choice. Cook about 1 minute longer.
2. Transfer to a bowl and eat as soon as possible, while pods are still bright green, puffy, and hot.

Calories 66,Fat 2,Perfat 29,Cholesterol 5,Carbo 9,Protein 3,Fiber 3,Sodium 154