Seasonal Ontario Food

I only took a pictures of this as a matter of habit, since I thought it was an awfully basic thing that I likely wouldn't post. But we thought it was fabulous! And why shouldn't it be; it's full of fresh PEAS! This is turning out not to be the best summer for strawberries, given all the rain and lack of heat that we have had, but the good news is that those conditions should make it a bumper year for PEAS! Yes, I know I'm shouting, I can't help myself - I loves me some PEAS! Mint and peas are classic, and so are rice and peas, and they merge to make a very good trio.

3 to 4 servings
45 minutes - 30 minutes prep time


1 cup sushi-type rice
1 1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups shelled peas (1 quart or 1 litre in the pod)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
black pepper to taste

Shell most of the peas before you start cooking the rice - they do take a while.

Put the rice, water and salt in a rice cooker. It's a good idea to rinse the rise first, and let it drain for about 10 minutes, although I have to admit I often forget. Start it up.

When the rice has cooked for about 10 minutes, or more precisely, when the rice is looking well on the way to being cooked, with just a skim of water over the surface, and still boiling fairly steadily, add the peas and 2/3 of the butter and mint to the pot.

When the rice cooker has turned itself off, let it sit for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining butter and mint along with a good grind of black pepper, and stir it up. Serve hot.




Last year on this date I made Basic Basil Pesto. Which seems a bit early; but everything was a bit early last year whereas this year things seem to be a tad late.