Braised, steamed or boiled, freshly shelled peas are one of the great treats of summer
Nothing beats freshly shelled peas. The smaller the better, as they are then tender and sweet. You can buy them ready-shelled in wrapped trays at the supermarket but the taste just doesn't compare with the flavour you get by shelling them shortly be
fore use, in whichever recipe you choose. Try steaming them for a couple of minutes with a generous handful of mint – that really is all the cooking time that fresh, small, new peas need.
Peas and mint are justifiably the classic combination. When it is in season, my mint of choice is applemint, with its broad, slightly hairy leaves. Don't be wary of the texture, as the hairiness vanishes as soon as the mint is chopped, or the moment it encounters heat.
Steaming is far and away the best way to cook peas – never be tempted to boil them in water. If you don't possess a steamer, a metal sieve which fits inside a lidded saucepan will do perfectly well.
And never throw away the pea pods, once shelling is finished – that would be such a waste. They can be simmered for ten-15 minutes with a couple of skinned and halved onions to make a delicious stock – as used in today's pea soup recipe.
PEA, PANCETTA AND AVOCADO SALADThis is excellent for a first course and equally good with grilled chicken, meat or fish in a main course.
SERVES 6
6oz/170g pancetta
assorted salad leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
15 grinds of black pepper
1lb/450g shelled peas, steamed for just 1 minute then tipped onto a plastic tray to cool quickly (if the peas are left heaped up, they
continue to cook)
4 avocados, skinned and chopped
1 tablespoon finely snipped chives
Fry the pancetta until it is crispy and most of the fat has run from it, then scoop it onto a plate covered with plenty of kitchen paper, to absorb the excess fat. Leave to cool.
Arrange a clump of salad leaves at the side of each of six plates.
In a mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, caster sugar, salt and pepper, mixing well. Then add the cooled, steamed peas, the chopped avocados, cooled pancetta and the snipped chives. Mix thoroughly but gently, so as not to squash the chunks of avocado.
Divide the mixture evenly, putting a small mound beside each clump of salad leaves on the plates.
BRAISED PEAS WITH LITTLE GEM LETTUCE AND SPRING ONIONSThis makes a good vegetable dish with anything – meat, fish or chicken.
SERVES 6
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
12 spring onions, trimmed at either end, then sliced finely
3 Little Gems, quartered lengthways and the stalk ends removed
11/2 lb/675g shelled peas
1/2 pint/285ml stock – if you have no fresh stock, I suggest Marigold powder made up with boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt
15 grinds of black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped mint, preferably applemint
Heat the olive oil in a wide sauté pan and fry the sliced spring onions over a gentle heat for several minutes, until they have softened. Then add the quartered Little Gem lettuces, the shelled peas and the stock. Cover the pan with its lid and simmer very gently for three to five minutes. Take the lid off the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir through the contents of the pan, while it is still on the heat. Taste, and if it is needed add more salt and pepper. Tip the contents of the pan into a warmed serving dish, scatter the chopped mint over the top, and serve.
FRESH PEA AND MINT SOUPThis makes a very refreshing start to a meal in hot weather. Serve cold, but not chilled, straight from the fridge. The avocado contributes to the texture as well as giving the dish a subtle and complementary taste.
SERVES 6
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, skinned and chopped
11/2 pints/855ml stock – much better than chicken stock for this recipe is a simple vegetable stock made by simmering the pea pods with a couple of skinned onions
1 teaspoon salt
about 15 grinds of the peppermill
a grating of nutmeg
1lb/450g shelled peas
1 avocado, preferably the knobbly-skinned variety
a small handful of mint – preferably applemint – the leaves stripped from the stalks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 teaspoons crème fraîche – to garnish each serving
Heat the olive oil and fry the chopped onions, stirring, for five to seven minutes, until they are soft and transparent. Add the stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg, and bring to the boil. Then add the shelled peas and leave for barely two minutes – the stock may not have returned to the boil, but don't overcook the peas. (If the peas are large, you will need to simmer the stock for fully two minutes, to soften them.)
Take the pan off the heat and cool the contents. Cut the avocado in half, flick out the stone and, with a spoon, scoop the flesh from the skin into a blender. Add the cooled peas, the stock and the mint and whizz until smooth. Taste, add more salt if it is needed, and then add the lemon juice. Whizz again, then pour the soup into a wide jug, cover and store in the fridge until required.
This soup actually benefits from being made a day in advance. Take the jug into room temperature half an hour before serving, ladled into soup plates, with a swirl of crème fraîche on the top.
The full article contains 958 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
