The first night was Monday so I made soup and it was early December so we had peas in the garden. I made the obvious choice - pea soup. Soften a finely sliced onion and 2 stalks finely chopped celery in a little butter, with a bay leaf. Add 3 cups chicken stock & bring to boil then add 1 kg peas - freshly picked or frozen - and boil 3 mins. Remove from the heat & stir through 1 cup chopped parsley & 3/4 cup cream with a little ground white pepper to taste. Blend until smooth. Add 2 tsp red wine vinegar and salt to taste. Keep warm while you pan fry 3 scallops per diner. Cook them in a little butter with a little salt & some tarragon leaves. Pour the soup into serving bowls and top each bowl with scallops and tarragon leaves. A delicious seasonal soup.
We also had a good crop of broad beans and the asparagus season was drawing to a close so I returned to another seasonal favourite. A dish of seasonal greens. Soften a finely chopped onion, a bunch of finely sliced spring onions and a couple of cloves of finely chopped garlic. While your alliums are softening steam a couple of bunches of asparagus and chop each stalk into three, and blanch and skin 500g of broad beans. When the onions are done add 250g of peas to the pan and cook five minutes then add the broad beans and asparagus and cook a further five. Add finely chopped parsley, basil and chives and a large dollop of butter. I sometimes add chunks of feta. A delicious spring supper.I did notice after the second evening that I had served two plates of green food. I did not however twig that I had basically served two meals which primarily consisted of peas. That suits me fine, however my guest hates peas. She did not reveal this at the time but shared over a glass of wine a year later. The most interesting thing was that in these meals she actually liked them. So all you pea haters out there give peas another chance.
I have mentioned another great pea favourite of mine - peas with lettuce. Halve a small lettuce - a baby cos or little gem and lay in the bottom of a pan. Add six chopped spring onions, 1 tbsp parsley, a knob of butter, 4 tbsp water or chicken stock and lots of peas. Add a pinch of sugar. You can add 2 baby chopped carrots if you have them. Cover tightly and simmer about 15 minutes, less if you are using frozen peas. This is the French classic dish Julia Child refers to as the glory of pea cookery. She suggests it should be served as a separate course and eaten with a spoon. Julia also suggests serving the peas with a chilled white wine that's not too dry, or a chilled rose and I suspect that would work with any of these pea dishes.
I have however a new favourite pea recipe which I urge you to try. Peas with sorrel and mustard is pea cookery at its absolute finest. Blanch 300g peas, refresh under cold water and set aside. Toast a tbsp black mustard seeds and set aside. Make a paste with 2 tsp Dijon mustard and 1 1/2 tsp English mustard powder, 1/2 tsp caster sugar and a splash of water. Sauté two or three bunches of finely sliced spring onions with 2 finely sliced garlic cloves. When they are slightly coloured add the mustard paste, the peas, half the mustard seeds and a couple of tablespoons of Greek yoghurt. When everything is warmed through take off the heat and stir through 100g roughly shredded sorrel. It is the sorrel that makes this dish and you may struggle to find it. You can substitute rocket but if you do you will need to add lemon juice. I may have some sorrel to hand out when I separate my plants in the autumn so get in touch.
