Peas from Muffet
Le Sueur Peas
Tonight I got a reminder of how good they are. Thanks Chef Jasper.
What are Le Sueur Peas?
Good question. Le Sueur Peas are canned peas (gasp!) apparently canned in Le Sueur, Minnesota, but they are the sweetest, most delicate little peas in the world. They are smaller than normal peas (like those pictured above), nor do they have the same vibrant green color. What they do have is an amazingly sweet, yet still earthy flavor. If you didn’t know any better, if you had them blindfolded you’d probably think you were eating some sort of canned fruit instead of simple peas.
Even better, the broth (okay, canning liquid) they come in is also wonderfully sweet and only a little bit salty. In fact, I used to drink it straight from the can when I was in high school. Seriously.
Peas! HUH! What it is it good for?
Absolutely something. (Sorry, not sure where that came from exactly.)
No, but seriously, La Sueur peas are great in anything you’d put peas in and a lot of things you might not think of. For instance:
- Salads
- Soup
- Puree
- Ice Cream (if you’re on Iron Chef and you need to do something crazy)
- Pasta
- Pot Pie
- Stir Fry
- Deep fried in fritters
- In Macaroni and Cheese
- As a side by themselves
- On a plane
- On a train
- With Green Eggs and Ham
Yes, they are that versatile!
Even better, they are in most grocery stores right next to the regular old boring peas. Though if you can’t find them, check Shop Zeus.
One of Two Canned Vegetables I’ll Buy
I am not a big fan of canned veggies on the whole because they are full of salt and they have less nutritional value than either fresh or frozen. However, the Le Sueur peas are so delicate I think they only way they can survive is in a can, which makes them one of two canned vegetables I’ll buy, the other being the occassional sliced mushroom when we are making pizza at home and I am feeling lazy. (I know what you’re thinking, tomatoes are a fruit!)
So give them a try. I bet you’ll enjoy!
Thanks to Muffet for the picture.