By New Year's 2029. Twelve years sober. Forty-nine years old. My father is gone and my sobriety marker this year comes with a particular weight: he was there when I got sober, in the sense that my sobriety was partly about becoming the son he deserved, the man Ruben believed I could be. He saw twelve years of the better version of me. He said I am proud of who you are, and he meant the version I built after 2017. He saw all of it. That's the grace. He saw all of it.
Made black-eyed peas with green chile. Gloria on FaceTime. The twins eating before noon. This is the year and the year is hard and the year goes on. The tradition holds because he would have wanted it to hold. Everything I do with this food is for him now in a way it was always for him even when I didn't know I was doing it for him. The chain of care runs from him through me to this table and to whoever sits at the tables after. This is what it means to be loved by a parent: you carry them in every meal you make for the people you love.
The black-eyed peas with green chile were already on the stove when I thought about what else I wanted on that table — something herb-forward and bright, something that felt like it was reaching toward life even while carrying loss. Dill & Chive Peas felt exactly right: simple, honest, the kind of thing my father would have eaten without ceremony and called good. If the tradition is going to hold, it has to hold all the way through — right down to the sides, right down to the herbs.
Dill & Chive Peas
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen or fresh green peas
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the peas. Bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add peas and cook for 2–3 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside.
- Build the herb base. In the same saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
- Combine. Add the drained peas back to the pan and toss to coat in the butter and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 1–2 minutes just to warm through.
- Finish with herbs. Remove from heat. Stir in the chives, dill, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately while the herbs are bright and fresh.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 110 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 125mg