Jose Garces lists this as one of his favorite recipes. This is what he has to say:

When my mom makes this dish in the springtime, she uses fresh garbanzo and fava beans as well as the English peas. If you spy either or both of these at your local farm[er’s] market or Latin grocery, snap them up and add them to the mix: shucking, blanching, and peeling them is a bit of a hassle, but they are fine things (cosas finas), for sure. English peas are often available in supermarkets year-rough; note that when peas are in season, the pea pods tend to produce more per pod and the peas themselves are often larger, so you may not need to buy the full two pounds called for to end up with cups of shelled peas. Also, the size of the peas themselves will be larger when they’re in season. Canned hominy is stocked in [some] supermarkets.

Warm Hominy Salad with Peas, Carrots, and Cilantro (from The Latin Road Home: Savoring the Foods from Ecuador, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and Spain)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. French English peas, sucked (2 c.)
• Kosher salt
• 2 c. canned hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced (1 c.)
• 1/2 red onion, finely onion (1 c.)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 times)
• Ecuadorian hot sauce (recipe follows below)

Directions:

To prepare the peas, put a pot of generously salted water on to boil and set up an ice bath in a large bowl. Blanch the peas in the boiling water just until tender, 2 to 3 minutes, then immediately transfer them to the ice bath to cool. Drain and set aside. Combine the peas, hominy, carrots, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl and mix well. Stir in the garlic, olive oil, and lime juice and season to taste with salt. Cover and chill thoroughly before serving.

Ecuadorian Hot Sauce

Here is a recipe for a spicy red aji in the light style of those typically made on the coast (la costena). To turn up the heat, use the whole red Fresno chili. Note that it’s important to chop the vegetables finely even though they’re going into a food processor, otherwise your sauce will be too watery. Store it in a sealed contained in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

Makes: 1 c.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 ref Fresno chile, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced (1.4 c.)
• 1/2 plum tomato, finely diced
• 1/4 Spanish onion, finely diced
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
• Kosher salt

Combine the chile, tomato, onion, scallion, parsley, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, and the agave nectar and mix well. Remove half of the vegetables and reserve in a separate bowl. Pulse the remaining half of the mixture in a food processor until all of the vegetables are finely chopped: it should not be a smooth sauce. Fold in the reserved chopped vegetables. Season the sauce to taste with salt and chili before using.