While the tendrils and leaves are tender, the main stem can sometimes get tough depending on how mature the plant is at harvest.  This week’s pea vine is at an in between stage.  Most of the upper stem is still tender while the mid to lower portion may be a little more coarse.  In past years we’ve had members comment that the pea vine is “stringy.”  There are several ways to deal with this issue and still extract full flavor and benefit from the pea vine.  The first option is to pick the tender leaves, tendrils and thin stems off the main stem.  You can use those in salads or lightly cook them.  Do not throw the stem away as it still has flavor that can be extracted!  You can simmer the stems in hot broth, sauces or soups to extract the flavor, then discard the stems.

I must admit, I don’t like to spend a lot of time sorting through a bunch of pea vine, so I typically utilize option #2 when the pea vine is more mature.  Option 2 is to blend/chop leaves, tendrils and much of the stem in a blender, food processor, or simply with a knife.  I will still discard the lower few inches of the bunch if that portion of the stem is more tough, but I typically utilize the remainder of the plant.  If you chop it very finely and use a good blender or food processor, you can add it to pesto, smoothies, soups, cream cheese, etc.  If you are using pea vine in sauces, soups or broth, I recommend rough chopping the pea vine into smaller pieces and adding it to hot broth or a sauce base.  Let the pea vine simmer briefly to extract the flavor, but don’t overcook it or you’ll lose the bright pea flavor.  Once you’ve infused the flavor of the pea vine into the sauce or broth, you can strain it out to remove it.  If you’d like to extract just a little more flavor, blend the mixture before straining it.

Pea vine goes well with cream, butter, cheese, pancetta, prosciutto, bacon and ham, lemon, lime, mint, parsley, chives, spring onions, green garlic, radishes, asparagus, and mushrooms.