Famous Last Meals / Modern companion recipe
Buttered Green Peas
4 small warm pea side portions, about 100 g peas each · Active 5 min · Total 15 min
Print recipe · PDFPlain peas get a little butter and white pepper after their full cooking stage. There is no cream sauce or decorative herb layer. Four small side portions are enough to put a green vegetable beside roast meat or fish without pretending this simple component is a complete meal.
A green vegetable, with preparation unspecified
Green peas appear among the vegetables on the dated second-class dinner menu. That wording does not identify whether they were fresh, preserved, buttered or seasoned in this way. Plain frozen peas are a practical modern starting choice here, and no individual diner’s plate is inferred.
Frozen does not mean already ready to serve
Choose a bag of plain peas rather than a mixed vegetable medley or a seasoned sauce pouch. Keep it frozen until the saucepan is ready. Read the label’s full cooking direction before deciding how much water to use. A pea can lose its icy center before its required cooking stage is complete, so a color change or a quick thaw is not the instruction. The small covered pan needs only enough water for the stated method, with an occasional careful stir and attention to prevent it boiling dry.
Butter follows the drain
If loose water remains after cooking, drain it before adding butter. The intended result is a light coating on warm peas, not a small bowl of diluted vegetable broth. White pepper is a newly chosen subtle seasoning; its tiny measure should not hide the vegetable’s flavor. Move to a serving dish only when the other components are ready. For a long table, make the quantity that will be eaten promptly and keep any reserve safely hot or cold rather than leaving one large bowl in an uncertain lukewarm state. A clean serving spoon and a small side portion keep this uncomplicated dish useful.
Ingredients
- 14 oz plain frozen green peas (400 g)
- 2 tablespoons drinking water (30 ml), or the packet-directed amount
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter (20 g)
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt (0.75 g)
- A small pinch of white pepper
Set out
Saucepan with lid, at least 1.5 qt/1.4 L, Colander if draining needed, Spoon, Small serving bowl, Food thermometer for hot holding or reheating
Allergens
Milk; check pea and butter labels. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Put frozen peas and water in the saucepan. Cover, bring to a simmer and cook 4–6 minutes or for the full packet-directed time, stirring carefully once or twice and preventing the pan from boiling dry.
- Drain any excessive loose water with care around steam. Take off the heat and stir in butter, salt and white pepper until peas are lightly coated.
- Serve four small side portions promptly. If hot holding is necessary, use suitable equipment and verify the food remains at least 140°F (60°C); do not leave a bowl lukewarm while another course finishes.
Keep the small serving honest
Each portion begins with 100 g peas. These are companion vegetables for the table, not four large bowls or a claim to a historically recorded portion size.
Primary menu source
Royal Museums Greenwich, item LMQ/1/12/2: https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/archive/rmgc-object-484157 . The original printed dinner menu was inspected; it does not establish what any named diner ate.
A useful detail
The 15-minute total includes reading the packet, heating a small pan, the full pea cooking stage and serving. A longer packet instruction extends it. Butter and white pepper are our additions, not details supplied by the historical menu.
Another way
- Use 400 g fresh shelled peas instead of frozen, simmering in enough water until tender, usually 3–6 minutes depending on maturity. Fresh peas still have their own cooking time and do not need the same packet method.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days or an earlier butter deadline. Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C). Refrigeration is preferred for this finished side’s texture.