As a culinary school student in Paris, I remember clearly one class where we were to make the classic French dish of "petit pois a la Francaise (peas in the French style)." It sounded posh, and turned out to be, but it triggered something in me; had I ever eaten these peas, and if I had, when?
Later, as I gathered the ingredients together, I remembered that this was a dish my lovely late mother used to make for us. It was also her sneaky way of getting us to eat our greens as she included shredded lettuce, scallions, and in the summer, fresh parsley, all from my father's vegetable plot.
So here are my mother's creamed peas, which are not a scrap different from any French recipe except you may find bacon and small onions are added to some versions, both excellent and also worth trying. Serve them alongside meat or fish—or if you feel like it, just eat them with a spoon. They are good all on their own. —Elaine Lemm
If not eating immediately, store the peas in the refrigerator for a maximum of 24 hours; they will become very thick but gently warm through on low heat. Do not freeze.
No fresh peas? Substitute with frozen but cook for a minute less. —The Editors
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