Creamed Sweet Peas

November 2024. Fall in Memphis, and I am 66, walking the neighborhood in my light jacket, watching the leaves turn on the oaks and maples that line Deadrick Avenue. The smoker is happy in fall — the cooler air holds the smoke lower, keeps it closer to the meat, and the results are always a shade better in October than in July, as if the season itself is a seasoning.

Charlie in Nashville, thriving in the way Charlie thrives — quietly, competently, with the determination of a Johnson woman and the grace of something uniquely hers.

Smoked turkey wings this week — big, meaty, brined and rubbed and smoked at 275 for three hours until the skin crackled and the meat pulled clean. Turkey wings are the working class of BBQ: cheap, underrated, and transformed by smoke into something extraordinary. Uncle Clyde served them on Fridays at his stand, and I serve them on Saturdays in my backyard, and the tradition bridges the gap between then and now.

Sunday at Mt. Zion, the choir sang and I sat in my pew and let the music hold me. The bass notes I used to add are quieter now — my voice is aging, the way everything ages — but the listening is its own participation, and the church holds me the way the church has held this community for a hundred years: faithfully, unconditionally, with room for everyone who shows up. I show up. That is enough.

After a Saturday at the smoker and a Sunday at Mt. Zion, what I want on the table isn’t complicated — it’s soft, sweet, and made with care, the kind of thing that sits quietly beside the big flavors and holds everything together. Creamed sweet peas have been on Johnson tables as long as I can remember, the perfect gentle counterpoint to smoke and salt. Uncle Clyde would’ve ladled them out without a word, and that silence would’ve said everything.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 cups fresh or frozen sweet peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Cook the peas. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the sweet peas and cook for 3–4 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside. If using frozen peas, follow package directions or simply thaw and warm through.
Make the roux. In the same saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute until the mixture is lightly golden and smells nutty.
Build the cream sauce. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 4–5 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Season. Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed — the sugar should brighten the peas, not sweeten the sauce.
Combine and serve. Fold the drained peas into the cream sauce and heat through for 1–2 minutes. Serve warm, straight from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Creamed Sweet Peas — The Quiet Side Dish That Holds the Table Together