Sugar Snap Peas With Horseradish

Some friends from Chicago were kind enough to gift me with this for my birthday – proof that I have acquired some of the cookbooks in my collection by honest means. At the time, I was trying to establish a balance of sorts on the home front: in addition to entertaining a five year old, running a business and keeping my husband from building more tipis in our backyard, I was caring for a new baby, which as many of you know is both wonderful and time-consuming.

So when I first glanced at David Chang’s “Peas with Horseradish” dish, I was intrigued but initially put off because it called for ramen broth. Not your microwave-noodles-in-a-styrofoam-cup ramen broth – no, no – Chang’s recipe for ramen broth: a day-long process requiring five pounds of pork bones, four pounds of chicken, one pound of bacon and approximately three pounds of vegetables, among other ingredients. Just typing that makes me hungry, and I am certain the broth is well worth the effort, especially because the recipe yields five quarts and is not difficult, just labor-intensive.

I am glad I decided to make the peas anyway, substituting chicken stock for the ramen broth, because this quick and flavorful dish has already become a summer staple. The stock reduces to a rich, soy-sauce-infused glaze that coats the snap peas, which are garnished with freshly-grated horseradish and paper-thin radishes. For a vegetarian option, vegetable stock stands in equally well.

Yield: four servings

Sugar Snap Peas With Horseradish

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly grated horseradish, or to taste  (Note: Do not use jarred horseradish or as Chang warns, “it will turn into a wet mess.”)
Optional: 3 small radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced

Directions:

Bring the stock to boil in a deep skillet and cook over high heat until it has reduced by half, approximately 5 minutes. Add peas and stir frequently until they are bright green and tender. Add the soy sauce and turn down the heat to medium. Add the butter and cook, stirring until the butter has melted and spooning the sauce over the peas until they are glazed. Add the radishes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Scatter the horseradish over the dish and serve immediately.

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Adapted from Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan