Russian Peas - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried whole peas
4 cups cold water
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon dried parsley (optional)
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, or as needed (optional)

Preparation

Place peas with cold water in a pot; leave to soak for 24 to 48 hours.
Bring peas to a boil in the soaking water. Reduce heat to low and simmer until peas are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours, adding water if needed.
Stir butter, salt, sugar, and parsley into peas. For thicker peas, add flour and cook and stir until thick, about 5 minutes.