World Peas

 The most versatile and tasty spring into summer fresh vegetable may be the garden pea, sometimes called the English pea. Twas the English who discovered peas because South Asians of the Raj loved their split peas, their green dal, every which way they could eat them. British botanists had the idea to bring those peas home and began experimenting with getting bigger peas in that pod. Thomas Jefferson was a great enthusiast who joined the experimenting by growing all sorts of "garden peas" at Monticello, bequeathing us those luscious fat green pearls in today's pods.

Like its South Asian dal cousin, the English pea is remarkably nutritious. It's also mighty tasty whether quickly steamed with mint leaves or, as some prefer, a lettuce leaf or two, or mashed into a vivid sauce for poached or steamed fresh salmon. Here are a few ways people love fresh garden peas right now.

Italian Peas with Tiny Pasta

This is a favorite from my Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking book, an antique southern Italian recipe made with tiny tubes of pasta meant to resemble rosary beads. The ideal pasta, happily available in supermarkets, is ditali, also called ditalini. In a pinch, use the shortest macaroni you can find. But remember, this is peas with pasta: there should be twice as many peas as rosary beads. The final dish, which has neither sauce nor cheese, is surprisingly fingerlicking, especially when the peas and parsley are fresh from a farmers’ market or your garden. And btw, I learned making this dish how flavorful pea pods can make water so save them and boil them up for really good veggie broth.

Serves 3 (double to serve 6)

1½ lbs fresh shelling peas in the pod

2 soft lettuce leaves (red lettuce works great)

¼ tsp coarse sea salt or other salt

1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley (you will need a dozen sprigs)

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ cup vegetable broth

¼ tsp freshly ground or cracked black pepper

¼ tsp sea salt

1cup rosary bead pasta

Wash peapods carefully in cold water. Shell them, saving the pods. Put the pods in a large saucepan or small stockpot with lettuce and cover with 1 gallon of water. Bring to a boil and add coarse salt. Cook over medium low heat for about 20 minutes.  You are trying to get highly flavored cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, rinse and dry the peas. Remove the leaves from the parsley sprigs and coarsely chop them. (A small food processor works as well as a cleaver.) Discard the stems.

Remove the pea pods and lettuce from the boiling water, saving the water. Bring it back to a boil and put in pasta in. Cook according to package instructions, which should be about 12 minutes.

In a medium size heavy gauge saucepan or casserole, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped parsley and garlic. Sauté 1 minute. Add peas, black pepper and salt. Cover the pot and cook 5 minutes.

 Add broth to the peas, cover the pot and cook over low heat about 15 minutes or until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the peas. Blend well. Cook 1 minute over low heat. Add more salt and/or pepper if you wish and serve immediately in shallow bowls.

Fresh Pea Hummus

I've posted this favorite before but it's especially appropriate here because the recipe uses green garden peas like chickpeas. This is a very refreshing bagel spread or nosh on a cracker. You can instead of goat cheese use plain Greek yogurt to get more of a thick sauce, which is yummy on freshly poached or steamed salmon. And what a colorful eyeful! In the photo left it's on baguette with pieces of smoked salmon topped with fresh pea shoots.

2 cups shelled peas (more or less 1 lb shelled peas)

2 bunches fresh green onions, roots off and stalks trimmed (do not remove all the stalk)

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tbsp olive oil 

1/3 c chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, another 2 tbsp for garnishing

Freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Sea Salt to your taste

4 oz creamy soft unflavored goat cheese

1/2 cup cooked cannellini beans, drained

pinch of nutmeg

Chop the scallions coarsely.

In a medium/large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium flame. Add scallions and garlic and sauté 1 minute or until scallions start to soften. Be careful not to burn garlic. Lower heat if necessary. Add the shelled peas and shake the pan. If it's too dry and they want to stick add another tbsp olive oil. Add 1/2 cup water and cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes until peas start to soften. Add the parsley and cook another minute.  The peas should be soft but not soggy or losing color. Drain off any excess water and pour the contents of the pan into a food processor. (if you have an immersion blender you can keep the peas in the pot, okay). Add the mint, salt, pepper, goat cheese and beans. Quickly puree into a thick paste. If it's too thick, add a tbsp or two of olive oil. Sprinkle on a pinch of nutmeg.

That's it.  You can serve this with or on sliced cucumbers--a very cooling dish. You can spread more creamy goat cheese on a slice of baguette and top it with a smear of the pea hummus and a sprinkling of chopped mint leaves. You can use this to fill radicchio leaves--the lower half or smear it on a lavash, top with mascarpone and salmon roe, then roll up the lavash into a large cigar. Now cut it into serving size pieces. In a pinch you can just stick a spoon in and enjoy all the freshness of spring.

Veal Stew with Spring vegetables

This is from my collection of old French housewife recipes. It's categorized as "not much time to make", simple to do and relatively cheap. How perfect is that!

serves 4-6

3 lbs veal flank or stew meat

1 lb baby carrots

1/2 lb baby turnips

1/2 lb baby white or cippolini onions

1 tomato, skinned or 2 tbsp boxed/ canned diced tomatoes

2 lbs fresh peas in the pod, shelled

1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley

1 c white wine

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1 lg bay leaf

 2 tbsp sugar

 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

If you have veal flank, cut it into thick slices.

In a heavy gauge casserole melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Salt the veal and add it to the hot pot. Sauté until the veal is browned on all sides. Stir in the sugar and flour with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and 1 c hot water. Add the bay leaf and a good helping of freshly ground black pepper. Stir everything well to be sure the flour gets into the liquid evenly. Lower heat to simmer/low, cover and cook 1 hour. Add the tomato. 

While the veal cooks, cut the carrots into thin disks and quarter the turnips. Blanch them along with the onions, peeled,  in boiling water. Drain well.

Melt the remaining butter in a saute pan. Add the carrots, turnips and onions and saute 15 minutes to soften them. Add to the veal pot. Add the shelled peas and cook the stew uncovered 10 minutes. 

If you've used slices of flank, lay them on a platter and top with the veggies and sauce.

If you've used stew meat, put it all into a large serving bowl.

 To serve, garnish with chopped parsley.

 Aloo Mutter or Matar

This is how the Indians who introduced the Brits to the split pea turned around and prepared the Brits' garden peas: with potatoes and curry spices! It's one of the most common Punjabi dishes now. Madhur Jaffrey has a unique recipe for making this with yogurt sauce in her initial cookbook: A Taste of India.

3 med boiling potatoes, in bite size cubes
1/2 lb shelled fresh garden peas
1/3 c chopped or strained tomatoes
2 onions, diced
2-3 tbsp mustard, sunflower or corn oil
1 green chili, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp (heaping) cumin seeds
2" fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, peeled, mashed and minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala 
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to your taste
handful freshly chopped cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a sauté pan or wok, using enough to coat the bottom. Put in the cumin seed and saute over medium heat until they crackle, 30-45 seconds. Add onion and green chili and continue cooking until onion is soft and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic. Sauté stirring 60 seconds. Add the tomato and stir. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, garam masala, turmeric and salt. Cook over med/low heat until the oil begins to separate from the rest of the sauce. Add the potatoes and peas and cook 2 minutes. Add just enough warm water to cover the potatoes. Cover the pan (foil if you have no lid) and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, adding water if necessary--8-10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Put into a serving bowl and garnish with the chopped cilantro leaves.
Serve with basmati rice and/or flatbread. Goes well with a plain omelet or roast chicken.

Cold Pea Soup with Tarragon and Mint
serves 8
6 c chicken or veg broth
1 sm onion, peeled and stuck with 2 cloves
1 garlic clove
1 tsp tarragon leaves
3 lbs freshly shelled peas (this means about 5 lbs in the pod)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 c heavy cream or Greek yogurt if you want less calories and a slightly tart taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

In a med soup pot or large saucepan, combine the broth, onion, garlic, tarragon and peas. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook just until the peas are tender, 8-10 minutes max. Remove onion. Season the soup with salt and pepper.  Pour the pot contents into a food processor or blender and purée. Stir in the cream or yogurt. Chill and then serve garnished with the mint leaves.

Risi e bisi

So this is how northern Italians, specifically Venetians, serve peas: with rice not pasta. It's a famous dish whose name translates: rice and peas. People also argue endless about whether it should be soupy or dry or how close to risotto it is. Also whether or not it should, like this recipe, contain bits of pancetta or be vegetarian. Do your own thing and love it.

 2 lbs peas in the pod
1 tbsp unbleached flour
1 tsp coarse salt
1 med celery stalk, cleaned
10 sprigs flat leaf parsley, leaves only
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pancetta or other unsmoked bacon, in tiny pieces
1/2 c dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
3 c beef stock
2 c Arborio or similar Italian rice
To serve: 3 tbsp unsalted butter
scant 1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Shell the peas. Fill a bowl with enough cold water to cover them and stir the flour into the water. Add the peas and let them soak 30 min. Meanwhile wash the pods, put them in a large pot with 4 c water and the  coarse grained salt. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook 50-60 minutes.

Drain and rinse the peas. Finely chop the celery and parsley together on a board. 
In a med saucepan/pot, heat the butter with the oil until the butter is melted. Add the pancetta and sauté over med/low heat 5 min. Add the celery/parsley mix and cook 5 more minutes. Stir in the peas and continue cooking 5 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to your taste, then the wine. Cover the pan and simmer 20 minutes. The peas should be cooked but firm. Remove from heat but let pot stand covered.

Remove the pea pods from the cooking water. Add the beef broth and heat toward boiling.
Into a large heavy covered casserole, carefully pour the juices from the pea pan. Over med/high heat bring them to a boil and quickly stir in the rice. Sauté 3 min. Now start ladling one ladle at a time the hot peapod broth into the casserole, stirring so the rice absorbs it. Keep ladling once the rice absorbs the last and continue until almost all the liquid in gone except 1/4 c. Add the peas and pancetta to the rice with the last broth mixture. Taste and adjust salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Blend and serve immediately.