Five Ways with Green Peas
Sweet, tender and bursting with Spring freshness, green peas have more potential that you give that bag in your freezer credit for.
They’re my go-to when I want a speedy meal with plenty of green for *health*, and their clean, fresh-cut grassiness makes them an excellent match for punchy flavours like lemon, chilli, tender green herbs and crumbly, salty cheeses.
This week, we’ve had a few food and lifestyle shoots booked in our kitchen studio, so to keep everything simple and tidy, dinners have been light on time and washing up, starting off with this 20 minute pasta, which was excellent and faff-free.
A 10 minute soup. I inhaled the Home Cooking podcast a couple of years ago, and a big hook (as well as Samin Nosrat’s brilliance) was her description of this surprisingly complex pea soup.
Frighten freshly podded peas with a splash of just boiled water while they jostle in a sieve, then dress with a finely chopped shallot, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Finish with some finely grated cheese.
Boil frozen peas in salted water with a garlic clove, then blitz everything together with a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, lemon and fresh herbs, then spread the puree on toast and tear over creamy mozzarella, or stir through risotto or cooked orzo pasta with fresh mint. Where I live in Bristol, there’s still plenty of wild garlic around, so I might finish this with a few of the white allium flowers. Fancy and fragrant.
Try stirring a couple of handfuls of frozen peas into a pan with softened onion. Add a healthy pinch of cumin and mustard seeds, then finish with coriander and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve alongside an earthy spiced dal or curry.
Fresh peas are a joy in a salad with a mild creamy dressing and shaved parmesan. Separate the leaves of a butterhead lettuce, toss with blanched fresh peas, halved green grapes and shaved parmesan, then drizzle over a buttermilk dressing and finish with chopped chives.
