Cheesy Peas & Prosciutto
Bite sized portions of chèvre wrapped in crispy strips of prosciutto can really jazz up some frozen peas.
For two generous portions, or four smaller portions, you will need:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 100 grams fresh chèvre
- 2 thin slices prosciutto
- 2 cups frozen peas
This is so easy to prepare, just wrap the chèvre in thin slices of prosciutto, sautée quickly until ham is crispy and cheese is softened. Then toss your peas into the pan with the prosciutto bundles, add a little extra crumbled chèvre and stir to combine.
We can enjoy bright green peas year round in the great white north thanks mostly to the creative genius of one guy, Clarence Birdseye. The flash freezing process pioneered by Birdseye almost one hundred years ago revolutionized the frozen food industry. Before flash freezing, food was frozen at a much slower rate, resulting in a soggy, watery product when thawed. Birdseye got the idea for his invention from the Inuit while living in the Canadian arctic. He observed that the frigid temperatures in the arctic caused fresh fish to freeze very quickly. When quick-frozen in this way, the fish maintained its fresh taste and texture when thawed. With flash freezing, smaller water crystals form in the fish, better preserving the natural texture. After a lot experimentation, Birdseye invented and patented a system to flash freeze food. Not only fish, but fruit, vegetables, and other proteins. And he didn't stop there. Birdseye also developed the wax and cardboard packaging that would preserve the flash frozen products before the plastics we use today were available. Ol' Clarence was also involved in organizing effective means of distribution for his frozen food products as well early marketing efforts.
Today, for better of worse, frozen food is big business, and a quick survey of the freezers at my grocery store suggests that it has become less about food preservation and more about convenience. Frozen pizza, waffles, and TV dinners easily out number packages of unadulterated frozen produce. So, I am happy to report that my frozen peas listed only one ingredient. These peas are a healthy and convenient option for green vegetables while there is still snow on the ground, thanks to Mr Birdseye. None of this would have possible without the wisdom he gained working with the native people of Labrador.
Interested in learning more about the father of frozen food, you may want to check out Mark Kurlansky's biography Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man.
Or maybe just a a couple of informative reviews:
