Is there any more family-friendly vegetable than the humble pea? The pea is there through the seasons – in its pod in the summer, frozen year round – and grows up with us, from fish fingers to fritters, scampi to schnitzels. They can seem predictable, but they are incredibly versatile, too. Freshly podded peas are fantastic if they are eaten as soon as possible after picking; the rest of the time, frozen will more than do.
Char-grilled greens with sorrel, chive and mint
I can’t think of anything more summery than a bag of peas all tucked up in their pods. If you can’t get pods, use 150g frozen peas instead, blanched for 30 seconds. Serves four generously as a light first course or side dish.
300g french beans, trimmed
200g runner beans, trimmed and fibrous threads removed, then cut into 5cm pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
500g pea pods
200g spring onions, trimmed
140g sorrel, chopped into 2cm pieces
20g chives, roughly chopped
15g mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon, plus 2 tbsp lemon juice
150g soft rindless goat’s cheese, broken into 2cm pieces
Fill a medium saucepan with plenty of salted water and bring to a boil. Add the french and runner beans, blanch for two minutes, until just cooked, then drain, refresh under cold water and set aside. Put the dry beans in a large bowl, add a teaspoon and a half of oil and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, mix and set aside.
Put a griddle pan on a high heat and ventilate your kitchen. Once the pan is hot, add the beans in batches – don’t overcrowd the pan – and char-grill for two minutes, turning throughout, so they get char marks all over and are cooked through. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with the remaining beans.
Put the pea pods on the griddle in batches and cook for six minutes, turning them once halfway, until charred and smoky. Transfer to a large plate to cool down slightly, while you repeat with the remaining peas. When all the pods have been griddled, remove the peas from inside and add to the bean bowl.
Put the spring onions on the griddle and cook for six minutes, turning regularly, until charred all over and smoky. Remove from the pan, chop into rough 2cm pieces and add to the bean bowl.
Put 60g of the sorrel in the small bowl of a food processor and add the chives, mint, garlic, lemon zest, the remaining oil, a tablespoon of water, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Blitz to a smooth paste, then add to the bean bowl and mix to combine. Just before serving, add the remaining sorrel and lemon juice, transfer to a serving platter, dot with the goat’s cheese and take to the table.
Pea, courgette and broad bean salad
Serves eight.
100g creme fraiche
100g Greek yoghurt
1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
1½ tbsp lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt
250g podded peas (or frozen and defrosted)
250g mange tout, thinly sliced on an angle
350g podded broad beans (fresh or frozen)
300g baby courgettes, trimmed and thinly shaved with a peeler (about 20)
15g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
40g parmesan, shaved
1½ tbsp poppy seeds
Mix the creme fraiche, yoghurt, mustard, lemon juice, garlic and half a teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl, cover and leave in the fridge until required.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the peas and mange tout, and blanch for just a minute. Remove with a slotted spoon, refresh under cold running water and drain in a colander until completely dry. Add the broad beans to the boiling water, blanch for two minutes, strain, refresh under cold water, then remove and peel off their outer skins.
Put the skinned broad beans in a large bowl with the peas and mange tout, mix in the courgette ribbons, tarragon and parmesan, then add the creme fraiche dressing. Stir gently to combine and serve with poppy seeds sprinkled on top.
Parmesan rice with peas and basil
Shop-bought stocks vary greatly in their salt levels, so if you’re using a ready-made one, taste and assess the dish before adding the amount of salt in the method. Serves four.
20g unsalted butter
250g basmati rice
Salt and white pepper
750ml boiling chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1½ tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra to serve
5 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
450g podded peas (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
60g grated parmesan
60g grated gruyère
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tsp lemon juice
30g pea shoots
20g basil, roughly torn or shredded just before serving
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. Add the rice, half a teaspoon of salt and a quarter-teaspoon of white pepper, and stir to coat the rice in the butter.
Once the rice is hot, pour over all but 100ml of the stock, cover the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer very gently for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, lift off the lid, quickly cover the pan with a clean tea towel, then put the lid back on top and set aside for 10 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a medium saute pan on a medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook for about six minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the garlic and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and cook for five to six minutes more, still stirring, until soft and sweet. Add the peas, sugar, nutmeg and remaining stock and leave to bubble for about three minutes, until just cooked.
When you’re ready to serve, mix 50g of both cheeses through the rice – it will be pretty soft and wet – and divide between four shallow bowls or plates. Stir the lemon zest into the peas, then spoon these on top of the rice. Squeeze half a teaspoon of lemon juice over each portion and sprinkle over the rest of the cheese. Top with the pea shoots and basil, and finish with a final drizzle of oil.
Pea, za’atar and feta fritters
If you want to save time, do without the sauce and use lemon wedges instead. Makes 30 fritters, to serve six.
500g fresh peas, blanched for a minute and refreshed (or frozen peas, defrosted)
120g ricotta
3 eggs, beaten
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp za’atar
100g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
200g feta, broken into 2cm pieces
800ml sunflower oil, for frying
For the mint and soured cream sauce
300g soured cream
10g mint leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp dried mint
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl with a quarter-teaspoon of salt, mix well and keep in the fridge until needed.
Put the peas in a food processor, blitz until smooth, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, eggs, lemon zest, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and mix well. Add the za’atar, flour and baking powder, mix until just combined, then gently fold in the feta, so it doesn’t break up.
Pour the oil into a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, use two dessert spoons to scoop up balls of the fritter mixture: they won’t be uniform in shape, but should each be about 4cm wide and 35g. You should be able to fry about six or seven at a time: carefully lower them into the oil and fry for three to four minutes, turning them once, until cooked through and golden-brown. (If the fritters are cooking too quickly, reduce the temperature, so they cook right through to the middle.) Once done, lift the cooked fritters from the hot oil with a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and keep in a low oven. Repeat with the remaining fritters, and serve warm with the sauce (or lemon wedges) alongside.
