Trim snow pea pods, remove strings, and measure out 3 cups snow peas. See the recipe notes below for full instructions on removing strings.
Dice ½ cup carrots, ½ cup celery, ½ cup yellow onion, and ¼ cup red pepper in ¼-inch pieces.
Heat 1 TB olive oil in a wide, shallow skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and celery and fry until softening. Add onion and sweet red pepper and continue cooking to caramelize the mixture for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in trimmed pea pods. Keep the heat high and stir while cooking for 1-3 minutes.
Remove pan from heat, sprinkle ¼ cup sliced mint leaves and ⅛ tsp. red pepper flakes on top. Stir and season with salt to taste.
Serving
Serve immediately in a warmed dish.
Storing
Leftovers will wilt slightly, but you can keep them in the refrigerator for 5 days. Reheat gently or enjoy chilled.
Notes
Selecting produce - Buy the freshest whole pea pods you can. Ideally, they with have tiny, flat peas inside, a bright color, and will snap when you bend them.How to trim
Take a small paring knife and notch it into the curved end of a pod and slice down towards the straighter edge lined with peas. Stop before slicing all the way through and cutting the string.
Pull the string away from the pod by holding it between your thumb and the knife blade.
Repeat on the opposite side of the pea pod.
If there aren't any strings, all you need to do is nip off the very ends of the pods.
Slice larger pods diagonally in half crosswise so they will cook as fast as the smaller ones.
Recipe tipsThe secret to a snow peas recipe with crisp, vibrant green, sweet pea pods is not over-cooking them. You'll be glad you took extra care when cooking them.Cook carrots and celery until tender-crisp before adding onion and sweet pepper.Add snow peas last, and don't be afraid to use a timer to prevent over-cooking. It may sound excessive, but I am always glad I did!