The Old-School Thanksgiving Side You Probably Won't See On The Table This Year

Thanksgiving may go by the sobriquet of Turkey Day, but it's no one-dish dinner. Along with the main course, every family has their own traditional side dishes. I was lucky enough to grow up in an Italian-American family, so ours included antipasto and lasagna, although we also had a few perennial, all-American favorites like stuffing and mashed potatoes. A few side dishes aren't quite so popular, however. America's most-hated Thanksgiving side may be candied yams, but I'd vote for green bean casserole. Who knows, someday it may fall out of favor like another vintage vegetable dish: creamed peas.

Recipes for peas in a creamy white sauce have been around since the early 20th century, if not longer. At some point in history, some people probably considered the dish worthy of their Thanksgiving spread. These days, though, you're unlikely to find creamed peas on any list of sides. (Although, to be fair, you won't find lasagna, either.) There doesn't seem to be any particular reason everyone stopped eating the dish — no Great Pea Cancellation of 1957, or anything — but it's noteworthy that peas today don't even crack the top 20 of our nation's most favored vegetables. They actually rank 21st most popular, putting them just below green peppers, which are themselves the least popular of the bell pepper family. This means that peas, in general, aren't on too many people's radar screens these days, whether or not it's holiday time.

If you're a pea partisan who's passionate enough to revive this old-school recipe, there are a number of ways to prepare it. If you want to go the really antique route, you can start by shelling your own fresh peas. (Preferably ones that you picked out of your garden, since farmers' markets didn't become trendy until the 1990s.) For more of a mid-century vibe, canned peas are the way to go, but your best option in late November may be to start with frozen peas. These are not only available year-round, but frozen peas are often much better than the fresh ones.

Once you've picked out your peas, cook them (or just heat them up, if canned), then mix them with butter, milk (or cream), and some flour for thickening. You can, of course, season them with salt and pepper. Some recipes add a little sugar or spices like cayenne, garlic powder, or paprika. It's also possible to make a cheesy version by adding cream cheese, Boursin, or parmesan. As a finishing touch, you can give creamed peas the green bean casserole treatment with a crunchy layer of fried onions. (If you think it will be too confusing to have two lookalike dishes on your Thanksgiving spread, my personal opinion is to ditch the beans and keep the peas.)