The perplexing paradox of peas

When I was growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, I spent many spring weekends with my friend Gigi down at Half Moon Bay. There, about an hour south of San Francisco, her grandparents owned a small farm nestled between the craggy coastline and purple hills. The farm was kinder-heaven, replete with endless hiding places, ponies, pie-laden kitchen windowsills and an expansive jungle of a vegetable garden.\nPeas were an important local crop and her grandparents let us pick all that we wanted from the garden. And because they were as sweet as candy, we did.\nIt took a fair spell to shell enough peas for our dinner, especially since Gigi and I snacked shamelessly as we worked. Gigi's grandmother managed to wrestle a few bowlfuls of the peas from our clutches, which she then transformed into delectable dishes that made my schoolgirl knees buckle. Peas sauteed in sweet butter with fresh herbs and shallots, silky pea soup laced with cream and a sprinkling of bacon and a sumptuous goat cheese tart topped with blanched peas and toasted hazelnuts were but a few of her artful creations.\nThe memory of those spring dishes makes me thankful for the pea paradox. Although the ideal pea is picked at the peak of spring, such perfection eludes supermarket shoppers. The reason is simple: peas are past their prime within hours of harvest, quickly losing their sweetness and gaining a flavorless starchiness. Unless you live near an excellent farmer's market or grow your own peas, it is rare that fresh peas will live up to their potential.\nThat said, I feel my endorsement for frozen tiny peas has merit. They are uniformly small and flavorful, shelled with a speed Gigi and I were never able to match, then blanched, chilled and frozen in a whirl that I once witnessed in a vegetable-freezing plant. Hence the vegetable you might associate with spring's now-vanished gardens is actually a first-rate dinner option for these evenings now cloaked in the coolness of autumn.\nRemember these two maxims as you head to the freezer section of the supermarket: First, it is worth paying an extra 50 cents for "petite" peas. The regular frozen peas are larger, starchier and devoid of taste; a few extra coins purchase a world of difference. Second, do not follow the cooking directions on the back of the package, which instruct you to boil the life out of the poor peas. Frozen peas are lightly blanched before packaging, so you only need to defrost and warm. I recommend placing the thawed peas in a skillet along with a smidgen of butter, olive oil or broth; warm over medium heat for a few minutes, adding a pinch of fresh or dried herbs such as dill, mint or thyme.\nMore ambitious cooks can try my orzo risotto. Orzo is a small, rice-shaped pasta. The pasta is not drained; instead it absorbs a flavorful combination of broth and wine. You must keep stirring with high heat and a delicate balance between orzo and liquid, the danger of scorching is high unless the elbow grease is constant. The cooking time (less than 10 minutes) is over before you know it. The result is velvety and rich, made even more so with the addition of Parmesan cheese, a sprinkling of toasted almonds and the delicate flavor of the peas. The dish can be made heartier with the addition of cooked chicken, seafood or bacon, but I am partial to serving it plain. Adding to the pea paradox, the dish is inexpensive but tastes anything but that. Enjoy!\nParmesan & petite pea orzo risotto with thyme and toasted almonds\n

2 15.5-ounce cans low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth\n

2/3 cup cooking sherry (or use more broth)\n

1 pound uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)\n

1 16-ounce package frozen petite peas, thawed\n

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese\n

1 1/2 teaspoons dried crumbled thyme leaves\n

2/3 cups lightly toasted sliced almonds (or chopped, toasted hazelnuts)\nCombine broth and sherry in heavy large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix in orzo. Cook and stir until just tender but still firm to bite and some liquid remains, about 8-9 minutes. Remove from heat and (gently) stir in peas, Parmesan cheese, thyme and half of the almonds (and optional stir-in, if desired). Return to heat and cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer to warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving dish or spoon into individual dishes and sprinkle with remaining almonds. Makes 6-8 servings.\nOptional stir-ins:\n

1 and 1/2 cups cooked chicken\n

1 cup diced ham\n

1/2 cup crisp-cooked bacon\n

1 cup canned bay shrimp\n

1 cup canned, flaked crab meat\n

1 cup finely chopped sweet onion or shallot, sauteed in a teaspoon of butter