Pea soup with almond and chorizo crumbs
Vibrant and healthy in equal measure, this simple soup can easily be made vegetarian. Use veg stock and replace the chorizo and flaked almonds with roughly chopped toasted almonds tossed in salt and smoked paprika.
Cut the Carbs by Tori Haschka (Quadrille)
Serves 2
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sweet red apple, peeled, cored and diced
200g tenderstem broccoli, diced, including stems, or ½ head of broccoli
1 courgette, diced
220g frozen peas
3 handfuls of kale, finely chopped
500ml hot vegetable or chicken stock
Salt
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
For the crumble (optional)
50g chorizo, crumbled into small pieces
1–2 tbsp olive oil, if needed
1 tsp smoked paprika, if needed
2 tbsp flaked almonds
1 Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan or casserole dish over medium heat. Add the apple and saute for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and saute for 2–4 minutes until it begins to soften.
2 Add the courgette, peas and kale, then saute for about 4 minutes, stirring so the peas defrost and the kale wilts. Pour the hot stock into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Cover the pan with the lid and simmer until the apple and broccoli are soft.
3 Using a stick blender, food processor or blender, blitz the contents of the pan until smooth. If you are using a food processor or blender, be careful – don't fill it all the way to the top and be sure to place a tea towel over the top of the blender while you blitz, as hot liquids can expand and spill out. Taste and season with salt, if needed.
4 To make the crumble, fry the chorizo in a frying pan over medium heat until it is cooked through and has leached crimson oil into the pan. If there is none, then add the olive oil and smoked paprika. Add the flaked almonds and cook until the almonds have been toasted in the oil. Serve the soup with the chorizo crumble and parsley scattered over the top.
Risi e bisi
An Italian classic, traditionally eaten on the Feast of St Mark. Use fresh peas and the best-quality parmesan you can find.
Russell Norman, Polpo, polpo.co.uk
Serves 6
2kg fresh peas in their pods, shelled, pods reserved
2 onions, 1 cut in half, the other finely diced
2 litres boiling water
50ml olive oil
60g butter
150g pancetta lardons
Salt and black pepper
400g carnaroli rice
1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 handful of fresh mint, chopped
A large handful of parmesan
1 Place the pods (but not the peas) in the pan of boiling water with the onion halves, and simmer to make a stock for the risotto.(Move the freshly podded peas to one side, out of temptation's way.) Boil for only a minute, then take off the heat.
2 Sweat the diced onion in the oil and half the butter over a low heat. When clear, shiny and translucent, add the pancetta and fry for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Add the rice and stir slowly for 2 minutes. Coat every grain in the grease, so it looks glossy and nothing sticks. Add just enough stock to the pan to cover everything, but not drown it. The contents will let off a satisfying hiss and a cloud of steam. This first ladleful will absorb and evaporate very quickly. Add another. If the pan continues to bubble, the heat is too high. Turn it down and stir slowly.
4 Stir slowly for the next 15 minutes or so, and add a ladle of stock every time the rice looks less than wet. You are continually letting the rice absorb the liquid and allowing the grains to release their starch. Near the end, add the peas, half the mint and half the parsley. Taste and add more salt if needed, but not too much. The parmesan will add a little salt to the balance.
5 Don't be a slave to the clock: taste your grains to know when they are done. They should still have a little bite to them. When ready, make sure the mixture is runny. Unlike a regular risotto, risi e bisi should be more like a thick soup. Take off the heat. Stir in the parmesan, the remaining butter, mint and parsley. Cover the pan and let it rest for a few minutes, then serve.
Pea kachori
You can make these delicious spiced pea parcels in advance: freeze, then cook as and when. A snack on standby!
Made in India, Cooked in Britain by Meera Sodha (Fig Tree)
Makes around 25
For the filling
4cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 fresh green chillies, roughly chopped (deseeded if you prefer less heat)
600g frozen petit pois or garden peas, defrosted
Rapeseed oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1¼ tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
½ tsp chilli powder
For the pastry
300g plain white flour
½ tsp salt
1½ tbsp rapeseed oil
175ml hot water
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and lightly grease a tray with some oil.
2 Blitz the ginger and green chilli into a paste, or bash it up in a pestle and mortar. Set aside. Briefly blitz the peas and also set aside, or bash them up using a potato masher.
3 Fry the mustard seeds in oil over a medium heat. When they start to crackle, add the ginger and chilli paste, stir-fry for a few mins, add the peas and cook for a further 5 mins.
4 Now add the cinnamon, garam masala, turmeric, salt and chilli powder. Cook for a further 2 minutes, or until there is little to no moisture left, but the peas are still bright green. Transfer to a bowl and put to one side.
5 To make the dough, put the flour in a bowl, make a well in the middle and add the salt and oil. Rub through with your fingers until the flour resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pour in 120ml of the water and add the rest little by little, kneading it into the dough until it feels nice and firm. Pour 1 tsp oil into your hands and pat the dough with it to keep it moist.
6 Before rolling out the pastry, get your station ready. You will need a clean floured surface, a bowl of flour and a rolling pin. Now pinch off a blob of dough roughly the size of a marshmallow. Dip your dough ball into the bowl of flour and roll out to a circle roughly 10cm in diameter. To speed things up, you can divide the dough into the small balls before rolling and stuffing them.
7 To make the kachori, pop a 1 tsp pea mixture in the middle and bring the sides of the pastry up tightly around the peas. Seal the pastry at the top by pinching it closed, then pinch off any excess pastry, roll the kachori into a ball and set aside. Then make the rest. The first one you make might look a bit odd, so mark it out for tasting when it comes out of the oven.
8 Roll the kachori around on the baking tray to coat them in the oil and bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Peas, mint and ricotta
Who doesn't love a pea and mint combo in summer? The ricotta and breadcrumbs make a perfectly sinful addition.
Lee Urch, Three Crowns, the3crowns.co.uk
Serves 4
A handful of flat-leaf parsley
50g toasted breadcrumbs
250g runner beans (topped and tailed)
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
100g fresh peas
A handful of picked mint leaves
A handful of pea shoots
200g ricotta
Salt and black pepper
1 Firstly make your parsley crumbs. Chop the parsley finely and bash together with the toasted breadcrumbs in a pestle and mortar.
2 Blanch the runner beans in boiling salted water. Remove while they still have bite, drain well, but reserve the water, then place on a hot griddle or frying pan. Char until marked and blistered. Place on a plate and squeeze over the lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. In the same pan of boiling water, cook your peas anddrain.
3 In a large bowl, combine the mint and pea shoots. Roughly chop the runner beans (save the dressing) then add to the salad with the cooked peas. Blob the ricotta over a large serving plate and assemble your salad over the top, dress with the reserved lemon juice and olive oil. Finish off the salad with an attractive scattering of the parsley crumbs.
Green pea and coriander spread
Try using tahini if you can't find any almond butter. The spread can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge in an airtight container; it will keep for 2 to 3 days.
Clotilde Dusoulier, chocolateandzucchini.net
Serves 4
300g shelled green peas, fresh or frozen
A small bunch of coriander, leaves picked
2 tbsp whole almond butter
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
1 dash tabasco sauce
Salt and black pepper
1 Steam the peas until tender, then let cool to just above room temperature.
2 Blitz the peas, almond butter, coriander, garlic if using, tabasco sauce, a little salt and some pepper until smooth. If the mixture is a bit too thick for the blade of the food processor to mix properly, add just a little bit of water, a teaspoon at a time, until soft enough to mix.
3 Taste and adjust the seasoning. Spread on slices of multigrain crispbread and serve.
Buttery gingery peas
You'll be craving this rich, spicy pea dish once you've tried it. Good alongside lamb chops, or with paneer and parathas.
Kulsum Kunwa, journeykitchen.com
Serves 2
25g butter, plus extra to serve
130g frozen peas
1 tbsp ginger, shredded
1 green chilli (optional)
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt, to taste
1 tsp garam masala
½ tbsp lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
1 In a wok, melt 1 tbsp butter and add the peas. Turn the heat to high and let the peas absorb the butter for about a minute. Remove the peas before they start popping.
2 Return the wok to the stove and add the remaining butter, then add the shredded ginger and green chilli. After a couple of minutes, add the chilli powder and salt. Mix in the peas and garam masala, turn off the heat then add the lemon juice. Serve with lemon and a little more butter if you want to.
Pea pancakes
This is not what you expect from a pancake, and it is easily adaptable. For breakfast, try serving with a poached egg and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Mange Tout, Bruno Loubet (Ebury)
Serves 6
500g frozen petit pois
125g butter
3 tbsp cornflour
2 eggs, separated
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Cook the peas in boiling salted water for a few minutes until tender, then drain in a colander.
2 Put 50g of the butter in a small nonstick frying pan over a medium heat and cook until light brown, then remove from the heat.
3 Place the peas in a food processor with the cornflour, egg yolks, brown butter and seasoning and process to make a fairly smooth puree, then transfer to a bowl. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the pea mixture.
4 Heat a large nonstick frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and half of the remaining butter. When the butter starts to foam, ladle three pancakes into the pan, using about half the pea mixture. Cook them until golden on each side. Keep them warm in a low oven (120C/gas mark ½). Repeat with the remaining oil, butter and batter. Serve warm. You can cook them up to one hour before serving – sandwich them between two sheets of buttered greaseproof paper and reheat by spraying them with water and placing in an oven set at 200C/400F/gas mark 6 for 3 minutes before serving.
Halibut with creamed peas, bacon and spring onions
Meaty halibut is a superior product – the largest of the coldwater flatfish – and needs little by way of elaboration. These creamed peas are just the ticket.
J Sheekey Fish, by Tim Hughes and Allan Jenkins (Preface)
Serves 4
For the creamed peas
200g peas, shelled or frozen
60g unsalted butter
1 small shallot, finely chopped
50g smoked bacon, chopped into ½cm dice
50ml vegetable stock
120ml double cream
Salt and black pepper
½ bunch spring onions, finely sliced at an angle
A handful of pea shoots or little gem lettuce
For the fish
Extra virgin olive oil for frying
4 x 180g halibut fillets, skinned
Salt and black pepper
1 lemon
1 Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the peas and 20g butter and cook for 5 to 6minutes until tender (they may take more or less time, depending on size and freshness). Drain in a colander.
2 Meanwhile, in a larger saucepan, melt 20g butter and gently soften the shallot with the bacon, without allowing them to colour. Addthe vegetable stock and simmer until reduced by three quarters.
3 Add the cream, season with freshly groundblack pepper and simmer until reduced by half. Add the peas, spring onionsand pea shoots or lettuce and continueto simmer until the sauce is just thick enough to coat the peas. Add the remaining butter and season if necessary. Setaside and keep warm.
4 Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a nonstick frying pan. Season the halibut and gently cook for 5 minutes. Turn over and cook for a further 4 minutes.
5 To serve, arrange the halibut on a dish, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with lemonwedges. Place the creamed peas, bacon and spring onions into a separate dish and serve with the fish, or you can serve individually with the halibut resting on a bed of the peas.
Panelle e frittedda
These Sicilian chickpea fritters make a great gluten-free Italian main, and are beautifully complemented by sweet summer vegetables: peas, broad beans, artichokes.
Rachel Roddy, racheleats.wordpress.com
Serves 4
For the panelle
300g chickpea flour
500ml water
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley
Olive oil, for frying
For the frittedda
2-3 artichokes, dark outer leaves removed
1 lemon
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
200g spring onions or mild sweet white onions, finely sliced
100ml water or white wine
300g shelled broad beans
300g shelled peas
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
A handful of fennel fronds
1 Cut away the stringy outside of the artichoke stalks and trim away the green parts of the base. Trim the pointed tops of the remaining leaves and cut the artichoke in half. Scoop out the choke. Cut each half into 6 wedges and rub with lemon. Submerge them in cold water and lemon juice to stop them discolouring.
2 To make the panelle, whisk the chickpea flour in a saucepan with the water until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. Slowly bring the pan to a gentle boil, whisking all the time, and cook for 8-10 minutes until the mixture thickens, then stir in the parsley.
3 Pour the thick mixture on to an oiled baking sheet. Spread and flatten it to a 1cm thickness using the back of a spoon dipped in hot water. Leave it to cool and set for a few hours.
4 Next, prepare the frittedda. Fry the onions in oil over a medium flame until soft and translucent. Add the artichoke hearts and 50ml of the wine or water. Cover and cook over a low flame for 5 minutes. Then add the peas, the broad beans and the remaining wine or water. Cover the pan again and cook for 10 minutes until the veg is soft. Stir in the parsley and fennel. Season to taste. Let the frittedda settle for a few minutes so the flavours can emerge.
5 Cut the chickpea dough into rounds, squares or diamonds – if it is sticky, use a spatula to lift it from the tray – then shallow fry in olive oil until golden on each side. Serve the panelle with the frittedda and half a lemon.
Pea and bacon gnocchi
This classic British combination gets an Italian reinvention, with the extra bonus of sweet baby gem lettuce.
Sketch, sketch.uk.com
Serves 2
200g peas, cooked and mashed
200g potatoes
120g flour
½ egg, whisked
Salt
To serve
50g smoked bacon, sliced
30g fresh peas, cooked
1 baby gem, roughly chopped
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark4. Rub the potato skins with a little oil, then bake for around 45 minutes. Scoop out the flesh, then mash or put through a potato ricer.
2 Blitz the peas to a puree in a blender, then mix in the potatoes. Add the flour, egg and a pinch of salt.
3 Shape the mix into small oval shapes, then bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Drop the gnocchi in, and as soon as they float to the surface, remove from the water.
4 Put the bacon in a frying pan with the gnocchi, then cook until browned. Add the peas and shredded lettuce, cooking until just wilted, then serve.
