Best In Season - July- written by Chef Consultant, Celia Brooks
Yes, peas
Spring through to summer is fresh pea season, but let’s face it - who has the time to pod peas? To get a decent quantity of fresh peas, you need a ridiculously large volume of pods, and the patience of a saint to get them removed from the stringy pods (pods are good for flavouring veg stock, but not much else).
Like certain other veg (e.g. asparagus, sweetcorn), as soon as the peas are harvested, they start to lose flavour, so getting peas that are fresh enough is not easy. I grow just a couple of plants on my allotment, only for the rare seasonal pleasure of plucking and shucking the odd pod in passing, popping the candy-sweet peas in my mouth raw in between gardening chores.
Commercial frozen peas are flash frozen shortly after harvesting and all their flavour and goodness is captured and preserved, so this is the one veg I actually prefer and recommend to use frozen, not fresh. In addition to being an incredibly nutritious, delicious, and versatile veg, no doubt they are also the most convenient of all – because all you need to do is grab them out of a bag in the freezer and no other prepping effort is necessary at all, not even shopping, if you keep them in stock!
Frozen peas are available in two types: garden peas, or petit pois. The latter are slightly younger versions of the former and may be sweeter, but not always. Supermarkets may have numerous brands with confusingly varying prices. If you pay more, you are likely to get better peas, but try for yourself by comparing cheap ones against dear ones. In my experience, cheap ones are less flavourful. Frozen peas will not keep forever, so mind the use-by date, and while it’s okay to go past it by a couple of months, they will deteriorate eventually. Be sure to seal the bag well after opening with a tight clasp and don’t allow peas to thaw and then re-freeze.
Fresh pea shoots deserve a mention here – grab them whenever you can as a salad leaf and decoration for the plate. They taste wonderfully herbal and sweet like peas, and look precious with their curly tendrils and delicate petal-like leaves.
Here are some easy, peas-y recipe ideas for you:
Green pea soup: Super green and super quick! Sweat chopped spring onions in a little butter or olive oil. Add frozen peas and enough stock just to cover the peas. Bring to the boil and simmer until the peas are tender, then puree. Adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper or white pepper. You can add a touch of fresh lemon juice and / or zest or some chopped fresh dill, mint or parsley for a lift if you wish. Finish each bowl with a blob of crème fraiche or creamy yoghurt.
Pea risotto: Make a basic risotto with the best ingredients including carnaroli or arborio rice, vermouth or white wine, and a hearty stock. Just before it’s finished cooking, cook a generous amount of peas in a little boiling salted water. Strain and reserve the cooking water. Make a smooth puree with some of the cooking water and half the peas and stir into the risotto, then stir in the reserved cooked peas. Finish with lashings of Parmesan on top of each serving, of course!
Crunchy 3-pea salad: Cook frozen peas, refresh in cold water and drain well. Combine with thickly sliced raw sugar snap peas and mangetout, making the quantities approximately equal parts of all three. Arrange on a platter and drizzle with a tangy lemon dressing, made from fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, a good dose of salt and the best olive oil. Top with a tangle of young pea shoots.
Creamed Pea Omelette
From “SuperVeg” by Celia Brooks
All hail the mighty frozen pea – the most convenient of all SuperVeg! When there are no other greens in the house, peas come to the rescue. Here’s one of the quickest dishes ever for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and one you might be likely to have all the ingredients for without planning. Omelettes, as with all ways with eggs, are subject to personal preference; this one is made American-style – quite thick and capable of transporting a heavy cargo of cream-cheesy peas that gush out onto the plate. If a thin, wispy omelette a la Francaise is more your style, make it your way, but wait to add the peas until it’s on the plate or it might rip in transit.
Serves 2
Ingredients
150g frozen peas
sea salt
60g cream cheese
freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
40ml milk
large pinch dried oregano
1 teaspoon butter or coconut oil
Method
1) Place the peas in a small saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil, then simmer for 3 minutes, until tender. Quickly drain and return the peas to the pan. Place it over a low heat and stir in the cream cheese until completely melted and saucy. Add a few twists of black pepper and taste for seasoning. Cover and set aside.
2) Heat the non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the milk, salt, pepper and oregano. Mix with a fork until just combined. Add the butter or coconut oil to the hot pan and spread it around. Pour in the egg mixture and swirl it. Cook, loosening the edges from time to time and filling them again by swirling uncooked egg into them. Lift the omelette to inspect the underside, and when it is just golden, remove from the heat.
3) To set the egg completely, heat the oven grill on high and flash the pan under it for a minute or two to set. Don’t forget to use an oven glove to grab out the hot pan!
4) Mound the peas onto one half of the omelette and fold the other side over them. Cleave into two wedges with your cooking spatula and serve right away on warm plates.
