Celebrating with a Recipe for Fresh Pea Salad

by Tam Linsey

Last week, my son graduated high school. He moved from childhood to adult with the acceptance of a slip of paper. An acknowledgement that he'd accomplished a milestone. A Rite of Passage.

Rites of Passage are important because they allow us to redefine ourselves. To accept new responsibilities along with new freedoms. To go from caterpillar to butterfly in a complete change, or maybe make a quieter change in which we are the same, but with the possibility to be larger and stronger, like a crab shedding its shell.

I'm excited to see what kind of man my son becomes as he ventures into his adult life.

To celebrate this Rite of Passage, and assure he has the best chance at making it on his own, we held a celebration. Family and friends gathered to offer advice and well wishes. A few offered gifts to help him start his adult life. And we ate.

So many celebrations include food.

This month marks the one year anniversary of Romancing the Genres, so to celebrate, I thought I'd offer the gift of food - one of my favorite recipes. Many of you may have access to fresh peas this time of year, so here is my recipe for New Pea Salad. Its easy to make ahead for celebrations.

New Pea Salad

3 cups of fresh peas, blanched (or a 10 oz bag of frozen new peas)

2/3 cup sour cream

10 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled

1 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted

1/2 cup chopped fresh celery

1/2 cup sliced green onions or sweet onion

salt and pepper to taste

If you are using fresh peas, blanch them in a pan of boiling water for two minutes. Drain and immediately plunge them into ice water for two minutes. Drain completely. If using frozen peas, thaw and drain before using.

To toast the almonds, place them in a heavy skillet over medium heat and stir constantly for about ten minutes or until they begin to smell good. If you chop them before toasting, be careful, because the crumbs burn long before the larger pieces toast.

Mix all the ingredients together and eat!