English Peas

[daniellewiley]

I have about a pound of unshelled English Peas that I'd like to incorporate into our dinner tonight. I haven't done any of my other shopping, so I'm very open to ideas. I also have some asparagus. I'm thinking perhaps a springtime risotto, but was wondering if any of you had any favorite English Pea recipes. We are cooking for four - myself, my husband, our three year old who eats half a serving, and my father-in-law, who eats for two or three. I'm thinking something that makes a very healthy four servings would probably work out, as my father-in-law really doesn't need to eat as much as he does.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I have made this recipe with much success and the fresh peas are perfect:

English Peas and Linguini

or, if you like the simplicity of a recipe for the peas themselves:

there is this from Recipezaar

or a lovely risotto from Napa

Whichever you choose, enjoy the first signs of spring!

[Busboy]

I suspect you're going to end up with a not much more than a cup of peas once you shell them, so the risotto idea sounds pretty good to me.

My personal favorite pea recipe is Thomas Kellers pea soup: pureed peas, vegetable bouillon, truffle oil and a parmesan crisp. Making that taught me how many pea pods you need to feed four -- and the joys of shelling them on the fron porch in a rocking chair.

Blanching them and cooking them with butter, pearl onions and a little proscuitto isn't bad, either.

[Jaymes]

And here's my very favorite recipe for fresh spring peas:

Peas with Lettuce from Two Fat Ladies.

Edited March 12, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[fifi]

I have made the Two Fat Ladies' recipe man times. It is a real winner.

I used to do this all the time: Dice a shallot or two and soften in butter. Use as much butter as you like. Add the peas and a bit of chicken broth, not enough to cover really. Add some minced fresh oregano and s&p to taste. Sweat the peas on low heat with the lid on until tender. Smash a few peas to thicken the sauce.

[daniellewiley]

Well, as I had suspected I would do, I ended up making risotto. Because I'm not drinking (pregnant), and Michael is not a white wine fan, I didn't open a new bottle just for the recipe, and instead used some dry Vermouth. Other than that, it was a typical, chicken stock risotto. Everyone was pleased, though Dylan was annoyed to discover that I had added onions. She kept trying to find the little minced pieces and pull them out.

Here's a photo:

That's grated Romano on top, as well as a healthy dose of ground Tellicherry.

The strange sausage on the right is a Chipotle Chicken Sausage. Not your typical risotto accompaniment, but we were using up stuff we had left in the fridge, so...