What can I add to frozen peas for more flavor?

Question

I want to serve plain cooked frozen peas. However, whenever I try it, they taste kind of bland... What's a simple spice or ingredient that I can add to spice it up a bit, but still pretty much stick to the plain-peas idea?

Answer

Since pure peas don't have a strong aroma, they are a perfect "substrate" for strong, characteristic herbs. It is something of a personal taste, but in this case, I wouldn't use a bouquet of herbs (which mask each other somewhat, leaving only the strongest notes discernible), but would seize the occasion to showcase all the nuances of a single herb, and not one which I use everyday either. For such a dish, I would definitely try to get my hands on a fresh bunch of the herb, to get all the aroma. I would complement it with a fat which brings its own taste.

There are lots of different herbs with a strong aroma. As the peas' basic taste doesn't include sour, they appear somewhat bland, so they are well complemented by herbs which bring a fresh taste (people usually associate sour taste with freshness, and this is missing here). This narrows the circle of herbs available. Out of the stuff I have in my (very european) kitchen, I would opt for summer savory as a perfect match and spearmint or thyme following closely. Basil or lemon balm or marjory are still OK, but not the best. I cannot help you with Asian spices that well, but if you can think of something neither overpowering (like bay leaf) nor too subtle (like tarragon), it will probably work. Or douse it in pomelo juice instead of a herb, to get both aroma and a sour tang.

As for the fat, butter always works well with peas, but such a simple aromatic dish is the perfect way to bring the best out of an exotic oil which is too good for dumping in a pot where it would go under. I would make a choice based on the herb, but avocado oil and macadamia oil come to mind. (If you don't have such exotic oils at home, go with butter. It is not worth buying them if you don't use them for other recipes).

I would add a very small amount of salt and no "everyday" spices like pepper, onions, etc. Just peas, a herb and an oil.

What I describe here will have lots of aroma, but not a strong taste. If you don't like that kind of food, it is safer to go the onion/butter route others have mentioned. In such a case, I would throw in a dairy product. Practically any cheese* or yogurt (or sour cream, or zaziki, whatever you can think of) will create an interesting combination, and there is nothing for it to clash with.

*with the exception of processed "cheese"

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