A delicacy!  I wouldn’t put it quite like that.  Cream Peas on Toast is more a poor man’s dinner or something that is nice and quick.  For my Dad and I it’s a nice treat.  It’s not for everybody.  Not many like it and I’ve only run into a few people who know what it is.  I even met someone who added a little excitement to it by adding one ingredient, which I love.

If you have kids that won’t eat vegetables, try this recipe at least once.  Maybe they will eat their peas!

The white sauce used for this recipe is taken from a cook book by The Ladies Auxiliary of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch No. 32 of Hillsborough, New Brunswick in 1967.  My Nanny Jackman was a contributor to the cook book.  She made this recipe for my Dad’s family often.  Now it has been passed onto my family.  Although, my Mom doesn’t make it at all, so once in a while when I go home I will make it for Dad and I when Mom is out.   My Dad also told me that Nanny Jackman would also make the white sauce with lobster and put it on toast for supper.  Mmmm, that sounds wonderful.  He did say that it might have been from a can that was probably smaller than a can of tuna.  Although, years ago lobster was today’s peanut butter and peanut butter was today’s lobster.  Interesting how things have changed over the years.

Traditional Version of Cream Peas on Toast

Ingredients
2 cans of peas
toast
1 C milk
3 tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt

Instructions
1. Make the white sauce first by melting the butter in a pot and then add the flour.  Once the flour is stirred into the butter add the milk and stir well.  Let the sauce come to a boil and reduce heat.  It should begin to thicken.
2. Once the sauce begins to thicken well you can add the peas.  Sometimes you can get away with using 1 can of peas, but if you like more peas and less sauce use 2 cans (photo above is with 2 cans).
3. Make toast and butter.  Pour Cream Peas over the toast and serve.  Add pepper and salt to taste.

Notes:  You can half the recipe for 1 person.  I’ve done this many times.  It is not so great as a leftover.  Be careful with the sauce because it is possible to let it get too thick.  You do not want this to happen.

Exciting Version of Cream Peas on Toast

Do all the same as for the traditional version but also add a can of Tuna along with the peas.

A few Ideas from readers:

– add salmon instead of tuna

– put over pasta instead of toast

– add a little curry powder 

– use a can of cream of mushroom soup instead of the white sauce

If you have made this before and have ideas of how to make it more exciting, please let me know.  If you have never had it you have to try it at least once.  Let me know what you think!  Maybe you will get creative and put your own excitement into it.

Update (Nov 4, 2016)

Wow! Thank you for all your comments and proving that this is a loved dish that brings back many memories of families sitting around the table together. I’ve enjoyed reading all your comments and memories around creamed peas on toast. I’m sorry I can’t respond to all your comments, but I love reading your stories, your variations to the recipe, and even trying out some of the different ways to serve this dish. Thank you!

I think it is about time that I put up the recipe for hodge podge.  (Side note: the spell checker does not recognize the word “podge” and wants to auto correct it to “podgy”)

You can Google it.  On Wikipedia it says that it is a mutton soup.  But then it goes on to give the following definition, which is in my opinion the correct one!

In Nova Scotia, it is a particular stew prepared in August consisting of new baby vegetables (potatoes, carrots, and beans notably). The vegetables are boiled in enough water to cover them and when the baby potatoes are soft; heavy cream, butter and salt/pepper are added. Locally, the addition of meat or older vegetables would be considered blasphemy to the tradition.


After reading this you could add that it is not only Nova Scotia but a Maritime tradition. I did laugh at the last line saying that it would be blasphemy to add old vegetables and meat. It is pretty true. Only new veggies should be used or else it doesn’t taste the same and it obviously isn’t as fresh.

Now to the meat situation. You wouldn’t put meat in it, but can serve it as a side dish. Usually one would serve hamburg or steak or pork chops. Let me tell you a story that just happened today. My parents were going to cook hodge podge for supper, which is great for me. When they started to talk about what else to have with it my Dad mentioned one of the chickens (that my brother raised). Then there was conflict because you don’t have a whole chicken with hodge podge, you have it with potatoes and dressing and gravy and the like. In the end we did end up having hodge podge with the chicken along with my Dad’s awesome gravy and dressing, and beets and beet greens. My Mom wanted me to be sure to tell you that everything that was on our plate was grown in NB (veggies – parents garden, chicken – my brother’s place, and in the dressing was summer savoury from NB).

For dessert there is apple crisp. The apples and the oats used to make it are both from NB too.

If you haven’t made hodge podge before, now is the time to make it. If you don’t have a garden with the ingredients head to your local market and get them while they are still fresh and in season.

Ingredients:

Fresh New potatoes
Fresh carrots (smaller ones are best to put in the whole carrot – shouldn’t need to chop them up)
Fresh Green and Yellow Beans
Fresh Peas (shell peas)
Milk
Butter
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Wash all veggies and put them together in a pot (yes, all of them in the same pot!). Boil until potatoes are tender or to your liking.
2. Drain water from veggies. In the pot (or large bowl) pour milk in to cover the veggies about 1/2 way.
3. Put in a few spoonfuls of butter (you can be generous, it’s ok). Add salt to taste.
4. Mix gently until butter is melted in.
5. Dish onto plate and enjoy.

Some people like to dish it with a spoon with holes in it so they don’t get so much milk on their plate, but we prefer to use a spoon without holes and get the milk with it. It is really tasty. I hope that your mouth is watering and that before the month is over you will visit the market and make a wonderful supper of hodge podge.

Sunday Chicken Dinner with Hodge Podge

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