Jeweled Peas (Grandma’s Emeralds Rubies and Pearls) dress up an ordinary side dish with cranberries and pearl onions.
Jeweled Peas
(Grandma’s Emeralds Rubies and Pearls)
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Jeweled Peas is my recipe of the day. It is the perfect easy pea side dish.
I love the concept of this. Peas with pearl onions are very old-fashioned and retro. However, taste and flavor never goes out of style.
The peas (or emeralds) are dressed up with rubies (cranberries) and pearls (onions) like the guarded treasure from your grandmother’s jewelry box. The wine and butter sauce further extends the cranberry flavor, so they aren’t simply dump and cook peas. Perfect for your holiday table.
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I had intended this recipe to go out as part of Cranberry Week, but missed my initial deadline when something came up. As a result, I had to withdraw the entire week.
So I will have a couple of other cranberry recipes to squeeze in as well. When I have time. The other two will be Cranberry Cordial, a homemade infused liqueur made with fresh cranberries. And Cranberry Cream Torte, an old fashioned German dessert.
But today we are working with veggies. The peas are frozen peas, but I used fresh pearl onions. Those require a trim and blanch to get them peeled and par-cooked easily. It’s not hard to do, but very difficult if you try to prep those without. And the cranberry part uses dried cranberries as well as some juice for the sauce.
All very tasty. Even your pea haters might go for a bite or two of this.
Jeweled Peas
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Jeweled Peas

Jeweled Peas
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh white pearl onions
- 1 pound frozen peas (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 cup cranberry juice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- To prep the onions, trim off the stem end.
- Blanch in boiling water for two minutes, then drain.
- When cool enough to handle, squeeze to pop them out of the outer skins, then trim off the root end.
- In a saucepan, bring the cranberry juice, wine, ginger, garlic, salt and black pepper to a boil.
- Add the onions, dried cranberries and peas.
- Reduce heat, stir and simmer for three minutes or until peas are done.
- Stir in the butter and serve.
Nutrition
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