I feel like its a BIG day! We ate my Capucijner peas tonight. Our first taste. Absolutely delicious!!!
I tasted them every step of the way. I'm not sure why the bacon is needed. Really like gilding a lily. The peas taste like ... peas. Almost like fresh summer peas in the middle winter. Aaahhh....
I found a simple recipe (below) for cooking Capucijner peas with bacon. The photo of the cooked peas at this site shows a nice pile of peas on the plate and sounds a lot like my aunt described eating often as she grew up in Holland.
Yesterday, I boiled the peas for about 30 minutes in just enough water to cover them. I had to keep adding more, since they really plumped up nicely and absorbed a lot of water. Then I let them soak overnight in the refrigerator.
As the recipe says, I cooked bacon, then sauteed onion slices in the bacon fat. I added the cooked bacon to the Capucijners as they warmed in their juices. (I tried not to snack on too many tasty little peas as they cooked....)
I served the cooked peas with a small piece of pork chop and a big salad with crumbled goat cheese and fresh picked Florida avocado. Not too bad at all with a nice glass of California chardonnay.
We ate my entire harvest tonight. It made two nice servings. I figure from the peas I saved for seed for next year, I will be able to grow about 10 times as much next year.
Here's a comment from Patrick at Bifurcated Carrots with lots of information about cooking Capucijners. When I get a bigger harvest, I'll try his soup.
Recipe from Klary Koopmans: "It's really easy. I usually fry up some smoked bacon lardons. The amount is really up to you - depending on how much you like bacon (smile.gif) When they are nice and crisp, I remove them from the pan (leaving the fat behind). In the bacon fat I fry a couple of onions, sliced into rings. When the onions are almost ready (nicely browned and crisp), heat up the capucijner peas. (heat them up in their liquid, don't let it come to the boil). Drain them, add the bacon, and warm through over low heat. Add a little pepper, you probably don't need salt because of the bacon. You could mix in the onions, but I like to serve them separately together with all the trimmings (mustards, pickles, etc.)
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7 comments:
They sound awesome, and that dinner you made looks fantastic. So they're like dried beans, where you can save them to use throughout the winter? I've got to try some.
I had to laugh a little when I saw the recipe you used, because even though it doesn't say it calls for a can (or a glass jar) of capucijners from the supermarket. This is how most people buy them here. But it looks like you figured out what you are supposed to do! It looks great, and I'm glad you liked them.
Meg:
Once they are completely dry (air dry for a few weeks), dried beans or peas from the garden can be stored in an airtight container. I use a glass jar with a rubber seal. It's a very good idea to 'pasteurize' them by putting them in the freezer for a few days, as this will kill any insect eggs that may remain.
If they are completely dry freezing them won't harm them, but if you are unsure freeze a small amount first as a test. If you are planning to regrow them in your garden, be sure to test germinate your test seeds by leaving them between a few layers of wet paper towel for a week or so.
Putting beans or peas in an airtight container or freezing them will mean they store longer and stay fresher, but always involves some risk. They will keep for a year or two in a paper bag in a closet too, with less risk of losing them.
Patrick, thanks for the tips! After I read about these peas last night I looked around online and found a local seed source for them, so I will definitely be giving them a try this year.
Patrick, the recipe I used was one that was posted in response to someone who said they had a can of Capucijners and wanted to know what to do with them.
Ah, I didn't read the discussion...
Funny, last night I made capucijners actually given to me by Klary, and today was Googling around trying to figure out the English name for these peas, and lo/behold I run into her again. We basically made her recipe last night, totally great. Thanks for the photos...
Wish I had Capucijners this year, but mine didn't do well. Maybe because I didn't use innoculant. My garden seems to need this. None of my peas did anything.
Maybe next year. They are delicious and very pretty in the garden.
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