Sugar Snap Peas with Turmeric & Crispy Shallots

Serves 4-6

Is it ter-meric or too-meric? We don’t know, but what we do know is that we LOVE it. Earthy, peppery and sort of mustardy, fresh turmeric is brighter and bolder than dried turmeric. Don’t let it (or the pronunciation) intimidate you. Treat fresh turmeric like you would ginger - peeled and then chopped, minced or grated. And because turmeric is less fibrous than ginger, it’s slightly easier to grate.

It also stains (Julie accidentally turned Jesse’s blender a beautiful shade of chartreuse once) so be sure to wear gloves or use a plastic bag when handling it and wash cutting boards… and blenders. immediately. Sugar snap peas - or any green bean for that matter - sometimes begs for loads of salt and butter. In order to satisfy our taste buds, we blanched sugar snap peas and tossed them with fragrant garlic and turmeric and then topped with crispy shallots.

For crispy shallots, make sure you’ve got enough oil in the saucepan to cover them. Otherwise, you’ll just end up caramelizing the shallots, which is also delicious but not crunchy.

INGREDIENTS

For the Shallots:
2 shallots, thinly sliced
Canola oil for frying

For the Peas:
1 pound sugar snap peas, stem and strings removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1-inch) piece turmeric, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Fry the Shallots

In a small saucepan or skillet, heat ½ inch oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they gradually become brown, 10-15 minutes. Turn down the heat if they begin browning too quickly. Place a fine-meshed sieve over a bowl. Transfer shallots to sieve and let drain, then scatter them on a paper towel-lined plate to cool and get crispy; set aside.

Cook the Peas

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Set up an ice bath (stainless steel bowl of ice water). Carefully lower the snap peas in boiling water and blanch until they are cooked but still crunchy and bright green, 2-3 minutes. Using a sieve or slotted spoon, immediately transfer the peas into the ice water and leave for a minute to stop the cooking process. Remove peas from the ice water, pat dry with a towel and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add turmeric and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas to the pan with the turmeric and garlic, toss to combine. Season the peas with a pinch of salt and sauté until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve warm with crispy shallots.