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16 hours ago
7
My earliest memory of kitchen duties is sitting on a stool in our courtyard in Kenya with a sack of peas that was bigger than me. I spent hours coaxing them from their pods, munching as I went; the result was a red plastic bucket brimming with peas like gleaming green marbles. As with asparagus, they have a short season, so grab them while you can: throw them whole into salads, broths and curries, or grind them down and use their starchy goodness to make pestos, pancakes and fritters.
Peas, broth and bread dumplings (pictured above)
These herbal dumplings are made from the sturdiness of stale bread, cheese and sweet peas. I’ve used pecorino, but you could use parmesan or a hard goat’s cheese instead.
Prep 20 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4
For the dumplings
30g butter
1 leek, white part only, washed and very finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
250g stale sourdough, torn into small pieces
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
50g pecorino
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
125g podded fresh peas, or defrosted frozen peas, coarsely ground
2 tbsp chopped tarragon
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, plus extra to serve
Sea salt and black pepper
1-2 tbsp milk
For the broth
1 litre chicken stock, or vegetable stock
200g peas, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
100g guanciale or pancetta, cubed (optional)
Juice of ½ lemon
Melt the butter in a frying pan, then gently saute the leek until soft but not coloured, then take off the heat and leave to cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine all the remaining dumpling ingredients apart from the milk, then add the cooled leek and season. Add enough of the milk to make a soft dough, then, with wet hands, form the mix into ping-pong ball-sized dumplings and refrigerate.
Pour the stock into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the dumplings, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, adding the peas for the last minute of cooking. If you’re using the guanciale, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan, fry the cubed meat for five to six minutes, until crisp, then drain on kitchen paper.
Season the broth to taste and squeeze in the lemon juice. Divide the dumplings and peas between four soup bowls, ladle the broth over the top, add the guanciale, if using, and serve with extra parsley.
Pea and mung bean cheelas with fried eggs and coriander chutney
I regularly make these for breakfast or lunch; you could use spinach or any other greens instead, or cooked beetroot for vibrant purple pancakes.
Prep 15 min
Soak 6 hr+
Cook 35 min
Makes 8
100g whole mung beans
200g podded fresh peas, or frozen and defrosted peas
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 handful coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
Sea salt, to taste
Coconut oil, or avocado oil
Fried eggs, to serve
For the coriander coconut chutney
100g coriander, stalks and all, roughly chopped
100g grated coconut (you can buy this frozen)
1 green chilli, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 juicy lime
½ tsp caster sugar
2½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
Rinse the mung beans well, cover with double the amount of water and leave to soak for at least six hours, or overnight.
To make the chutney, put the coriander, coconut, green chilli, lime juice, sugar, salt to taste, ginger and 100ml ice-cold water in a blender, and blitz smooth.
To make the cheelas, put the peas, ginger, chilli, coriander and a splash of water in a food processor and blitz smooth.
Drain the mung beans, add them to the pea mix with the cumin seeds and sea salt to taste, and blend again. Add roughly 100ml water and blend until the mix has the pouring consistency of crepe batter.
To cook, lightly oil a cast-iron or nonstick frying pan and put it on a low-medium heat. Pour a ladleful of batter into the centre of the pan and, using the back of the ladle, circle and spread the batter to make a thin pancake. Drizzle a little oil around the sides and in the centre of the cheela, then cook on both sides for two to three minutes, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate, and repeat with the remaining batter, cooling the pan with a splash of cold water before making the next cheela. Serve with fried eggs and the chutney.
Trofie with pea and lemon pesto
This makes a wonderfully bright pesto that is also excellent with grilled fish such as trout.
Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4
Sea salt and black pepper
100g basil
25g mint, picked
250g podded fresh peas, or frozen and defrosted
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
30g pine nuts, toasted
30g pecorino or parmesan, grated, plus extra for sprinkling
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
60ml extra-virgin olive oil
250g trofie, or other pasta shape of your choice
1 handful pea shoots (optional)
Bring a large pan of heavily salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, put the basil, mint, half the peas, the garlic, pine nuts, cheese, lemon juice and zest into a blender, season and whizz to a puree. With the motor still running, slowly drizzle in the oil until it’s all incorporated and you have a vibrant pea paste.
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, adding the remaining peas for the last minute of cooking. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.
Stir the pesto and a little pasta cooking water through the hot pasta and peas, then add the pea shoots, if using. Divide between four bowls and serve sprinkled with more grated pecorino or parmesan.
