Creamy Spring Peas

This was a really yummy veggie recipe - and a nice change. It uses three kinds of peas in different shapes and sizes which gives it a nice appearance and texture. The original recipe calls for pancetta but that's a little pricey for me so I used bacon so that's how I'll write it up. You can use 4oz pancetta in place of the bacon if you'd like.

Creamy Spring Peas

Salt

2 C shelled fresh English peas or thawed frozen peas (about 10 oz)

1 lb sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces

1/4 lb snow peas, trimmed and thinly sliced

4-5 slices bacon

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 C chicken broth

1/2 C heavy cream

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice water; set aside. If using English peas, add to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 1 minute. (If using frozen peas just run them under water to make sure they are fully thawed and set them aside.) Add the snap peas and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes, then add the snow peas and cook 30 seconds. Drain the peas and plunge into the ice water to cool.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain on a paper towel. Discard all but about 1 Tbsp of the drippings; add the flour to reserved drippings, whisking until toasted, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and cream and cook until reduced by one-third, about 6 minutes.

Drain the peas (including the frozen peas), shaking off the excess water, then add to the skillet. Cook, stirring until the sauce is slightly thickened and the peas are heated through, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the bacon. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.

Altered slightly from a Food Network recipe.