Blackened Peas

[angelsmom]

I recently had these at a restaurant served with roast chicken. They were sweet peas slightly browned and firm. They will also do as a side order, so they are not cooked with the chicken. Any ideas please on how to make these?

[bushwickgirl]

I initially thought of the blackening process, but without the oil as it's not used in that technique, or maybe they were roasted in a very hot oven. Maybe they wok stir fried them, that probably would brown them slightly.

I'm thinking you might want to try the cast iron pan again; you certainly let it get hot enough, but don't use oil and no need for the broiler. Are these peas seasoned, spicy, or is there any sign of a spice coating? Just curious. Or try your stir frying in a wok, if you own.

If that doesn't do it, call the restaurant, praise them for their peas and get the recipe. Be sure to let us know.

[angelsmom]

No seasoning whatsoever....I will keep you posted. Many thanks.

[Sushiqueen36]

I agree that the hot pan with no oil is the trick- maybe "charred" is the term you're wanting instead of blackened?

[bushwickgirl]

Well, I've had blackened things that were charred, and they weren't good. There's a fine line between the two terms.

On the other hand, the term charred is trendy now, has been, and doesn't necessarily indicate burnt beyond recognition. ;-)

[wyogal]

You'll get more results if you use "charred peas" as a search term (google) rather than "blackened peas." But then, the results show charring whole pea pods.
I did find this restaurant where they serve chicken with "blackened peas."
http://www.nickscafe72.com/

[angelsmom]

That is the restaurant where I eat them, but they are very vague on the preparation. Each waitress tells you a different way. They serve them with roast chicken, but will also prepare as a side dish so I don't think they are roasted with the chicken. One waitress says they do in a skillet with olive oil, but that did not work previously. Thanks so much. I will ask the chef the next time I see him.

[bushwickgirl]

I was going with what the OP and the restaurant where she had them calls them. I googled both terms and really didn't get any definitive hits, just the restaurant's.

The blackening process does use a mix of spice, and for some reason the restaurant decided to call the peas that, although I think they're just browning them in a hot pan, from the OP's description.

[angelsmom]

Went to Nicks Cafe last night. The chef assured me they are just cooked in a hot skillet with some oil....still cannot figure how they get a dark brown.

[Sushiqueen36]

Charred is a bit of a trendy term but it's descriptive to me - I picture using no oil in a hot pan to get that result.

Blackened still brings up visions of the late '80s Cajun trend complete with spices and smoke.

[wyogal]

Deep fried?

[angelsmom]

They get crunchy before they get browned, but thanks.

[ChiliDude]

Experiment by putting some raw peas under the broiler and watch what is happening while exposed to direct heat.

[angelsmom]

I heated a cast iron skillet at 500 degrees for 30 minutes, added some sunflower oil to coat the pan and peas and then turned on convection broil and they just cooked, never turning a dark color.