This is a good recipe, and using it will be a tribute to the dear lady who contributed it to the cookbook published several years ago by Lexington Baptist Church in Lexington.
Lexington Baptist is a large church averaging around 1,700 for the Sunday services. The church is a member of Lexington Baptist Association and is pastored by Rev. Mike Turner, who has been there about a year now. The church was constituted in 1893 and, as it has grown, offers most of the programs that Baptist churches offer – including a preschool program.
The late Edith Jones was a member of this church for many years, according to Stuart Thompson, who for the past year has served as associate pastor and minister of music at Kilbourne Park Baptist Church in Columbia.
Mr. Thompson was the senior adult pastor for nine years while Mrs. Jones was at Lexington Baptist. She had lived in New Orleans for a while before moving to Lexington to be near her son. At one time, Mrs. Jones ran a catering business, at another she was a Walmart greeter. At church, she was involved in the senior adult ministry and the choir.
Mrs. Jones, a widow, alway looked at life with humor, Rev. Thompson said, and loved entertaining with meals. She always set a beautiful Southern table with china and silver, he said, and did things properly and with both grace and dignity. In her later years, before her death in her late 80s, Mrs. Jones always enjoyed seeing people who “dropped by.” Her humor made her the life of any group, he said, remembering his visits to her.
This is an excellent recipe for early spring and summer when the fresh peas and young potatoes are showing up in home gardens, farmers’ markets and supermarket displays. You can use frozen peas if the fresh ones aren’t available. Don’t use the canned peas; the dish won’t be as good. Make the dish according to the recipe once, and if you think the pea:potato ratio isn’t right, you can decrease the amount of potatoes.
Mrs. Jones’ recipe doesn’t ask for it, but you may want to add salt to the cream mixture or add it to the potatoes and green peas when cooking. Use cream; don’t substitute milk. Also, either white or red potatoes can be used (but the red ones make a prettier dish).
Other things I like about this recipe are 1) it has only a few ingredients; 2) all these are fresh, no package with a dozen ingredients no one can pronounce; 3) it tastes good; and 4) it is pretty in the serving dish.
Prepare Creamed Peas and New Potatoes this weekend and give a toast to Mrs. Jones when you are enjoying these for … Sunday Dinner.
Creamed Peas and New Potatoes
12-15 new potatoes
3 tablespoons green onion, sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups fresh green peas
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup heavy cream
Scrub new potatoes and leave whole, if small, or cut into halves. Cover with water in saucepan, bring to boil, reduce heat and cook until tender. Drain. In another pot, cook the peas until tender – about 4 minutes if using frozen ones, slightly longer for the fresh ones. When tender, drain and add to potatoes.
In saucepan, melt butter or margarine. Add onions and cook a few minutes only. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Add the cream and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens. Cook a few minutes, then combine with the peas and potatoes, mixing gently. Serves 8-10.