Creamed Peas on Toast

It's been raining & cold for three days straight here in Minneapolis, Matt is in California on a business trip & I've been down with a nasty cold since Sunday. Basically, I'd been living on chicken noodle soup & pasta from the deli but, last night I finally felt up to cooking myself something. It needed to be something really warm & comforting plus not too much work to make. Then I read about creamed peas on toast in a review of the new restaurant HauteDish on Heavy Table. I've never had creamed peas on toast before (though as a kid I was a big fan of creamed chipped beef on toast) but, it sounded like the exact thing I was looking for.

Originally, I was just going to go really basic & just make a cream sauce with peas in it. Then, I started thinking ham would make a perfect addition but, since I didn't have any around, I used bacon instead. You can't really go wrong with bacon can you? While looking through the freezer for the frozen peas, I noticed half a bag of pearl onions & thought they would add some good flavor as well. Finally, I decided to add a little fresh thyme from the garden as a seasoning. Oh, did it ever come out fantastic! Creamy, crunchy, sweet, salty; a perfect comfort food.

I used frozen onions & peas for this because that's what I had on hand but you could easily substitute either with fresh. I prefer frozen peas over canned because they aren't as mushy. I made the cream sauce with half chicken broth & half milk just to give it even more flavor, you could use all milk if you wanted.

Creamed Peas on Toast

1 slice good bacon, chopped
butter
8 pearl onions, sliced in half (if you are using frozen, let them thaw a little)
1/2 c peas
leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 T all-purpose flour
1/4 c chicken stock
1/4 c milk + more if needed (I used 2%)
salt & pepper
1 or 2 slices of bread

Cook the bacon in a small saucepan over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper towel, leaving as as much fat as possible in the pan, & set aside.

Add enough butter to the pan to make about 1/2 tablespoon of fat. Once the butter has melted add the onions. When the onions start to soften, add the peas. Cook for a minute or so until the onions start to get a little brown. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the thyme & flour. Cook while stirring for one minute. Stir in the chicken stock, the sauce should thicken almost right away. Add the milk a little at a time allowing to thicken between each addition. If you feel the sauce is too thick add a tablespoon or more milk. Stir in the bacon. Season generously with salt & pepper. Keep warm over low heat while you toast the bread. Serve the sauce over the toast (I like to butter my toast but that's your choice).

1 serving (can easily be increased to serve more)

So, when the weather is bad & you're not feeling your best what favorite comfort food do you cook up?

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