Spring is here! And along with it comes crops of amazing seasonal vegetables, my favorite being sugar snap peas.
I first discovered this crisp, sweet vegetable when my oldest son was an infant. Since I was an overly obsessive new mother, I made his baby food myself. I only sourced locally, organically grown produce. I introduced him to green vegetables first, because I’d read somewhere that you should give babies vegetables before feeding them fruits.
After a while, he refused to eat his green beans, and broccoli was not his favorite. On a visit to the farmers market, I asked one of the farmers for help. She was more than happy to tell me what her grandbaby liked and pointed me in the direction of her first crop of sugar snap peas. I tried one and instantly loved it. I couldn’t wait to get home and give my baby his very first spoonful of pureed sugar snap peas. He loved it just as much as I did.
Now at thirteen, my oldest still loves his sugar snap peas, only now he prefers them sautéed crisp-tender with butter and a splash of chicken stock instead of pureed.
Let me know when you make this recipe. Take a picture, post it on Instagram, and hashtag it #QUEENCITYKITCHEN. I can’t wait to see what you post!
Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas 
Makes 4 servings
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 pound fresh sugar snap peas
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chick broth
Remove and discard the stem end and string from each sugar snap pod.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sugar snap peas and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the broth has reduced and the peas are crisp tender, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.