Posts Tagged ‘peas’

Our peas are so young and fresh at the moment, you can even eat the pod! Raw, it is sweet and crunchy with a delicate pea flavour. They are also fantastic in this light tempura batter…

100g Cornflour
150g Plain Flour
10gr Baking Powder
Iced Perrier or Soda Water, around 250ml to make the batter
Roughly 250g Peas in their Pods
Handful of Fresh Mint

Split the pea pods in half, removing the peas (click here for some tasty pea recipes). Wash the pods thoroughly and dry on a kitchen towel.

Only make the batter when you are ready to cook. Mix togther the flours, baking powder and water. Mix quickly, adding enough water for the batter to coat your finger. Don’t over mix it as it will get gluey – it is ok to have a lumpy batter!

Finely mince some mint and mix into the batter. Immediately dip in the pods and deep fry in hot oil. Once the batter is gently browned remove and dry on kitchen towel. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Serve with mayoinnaise or tzatziki. Click here to buy fresh peas online!

Stevie Parle, cook at The Dock Kitchen in Notting Hill, recently wrote a mouth-watering article in The Observer Organic Allotment blog. We were so pleased to see our fantastic spring peas and broad beans get a mention and be featured in his perfect springtime dish. We’ve been suppling The Dock Kitchen with our fruit and veg since they started and it’s the same fruit and veg available online at www.natoora.co.uk so you really can re-create this fantastic dish at home!

Read on for his broad bean, pea and artichoke creation, or read the full article in The Guardian, and don’t forget to visit Stevie Parle’s blog for more delicious ideas.

Peas, Artichokes and Broad Beans slow cooked together with Sweet Herbs, Lemon and Turkish Pepper Flakes

Serves 6 as a lunch or 8 as a starter

500g of fresh peas without pods
400g of fresh broad beans podded
8 small violette artichokes
2 small red onions
a quarter of a spring garlic bulb
a few sprigs of each mint, parsley, dill, tarragon, chervil and marjoram
a pinch of Turkish pepper flakes (or other mild dried chilli pepper)
a generous amount of olive oil
1 lemon

“Take the artichokes and cut the stems leaving about 5 cm below the choke. Peel the leaves one by one taking care not to pull off much choke. When a little less than half the leaf is tender and pale yellow instead of dark green and tough, stop peeling and cut the dark green tops off. Peel the outside of the stem and the base of the heart. Remove any furry choke and quarter the artichokes before setting them aside in some lemony water.

Finely chop the onion and fry it gently in olive using a deep heavy bottomed pan. When the onion has turned a little translucent add the garlic, finely chopped, and season well with salt and pepper. When this mixture has cooked long enough for the onion to start to break up and the flavour developed the sweetness only onions and garlic can, add the artichoke quarters continue to cook slowly for another five minutes until they begin to soften. Add the peas and broad beans, fry gently for a little while and then add enough water to almost cover the vegetables. Place a piece of greaseproof paper over and allow to cook gently until everything has softened and the flavours have all mingled. Coarsley chop all the herbs, add them and then finish with the lemon and a glug more delicious olive oil for good measure.

Serve a little warmer than room temperature in a bowl, with a piece of toast rubbed with garlic and drizzled with oil.”

Thanks Stevie we will definitely be trying this one out! There’s plenty more Spring goodies to find at Natoora – why not check out our weekly picks for some inspiration and get cooking!

Get the best out of our fantastic fresh spring peas in this light and refreshing souffle…

150g Diced Pancetta
1 Onion
40g Butter, plus some for the pan
40g Flour
150g Boiled Peas
250ml Milk
1Tbsp Marjoram
Salt and Pepper
150g Gruyere
4 Eggs

Heat the oven to 180C, place the baking tray in the lowest rack. Butter the bottom of the souffle mould and leave on the side. Lightly fry the pancetta cubes and the finely chopped onion, remove from the pan and set aside.

Make a roux by melting the butter in the same pan, then add the flour, mixing well until golden (on a medium heat).

Blend the peas with the milk in a blender. Add to the butter and flour mixture, mixing well with a whisk, on a low heat, until boiling. Boil for 5 minutes stirring continuously. Remove from the heat, add marjoram, salt and pepper. Add the grated gruyere, 4 egg yolks, the pancetta and onion. Mix well.

Beat the egg whites to a very firm consistency with a pinch of salt. Add 1/3 of the whites to the mixture, stirring well, then add the remaining 2/3 with a circular motion from bottom to top, very carefully.

Pour the mixture into the souffle mould and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. Don’t open the oven door during cooking or the souffle will deflate! Serve immediately.

Finally Spring has sprung and we are celebrating with a soup made of our favourite early spring veg…

Serves 4

2 Garlic Cloves
4 Artichokes
4 Spring Onions
200g Podded Broad Beans
1 Lemon
4 Slices Rustic Bread
250g Podded Fresh Peas
Parsley
1 White Chicory
4 Eggs
1,5L Water
2 Vegetable Stock Cubes
Rock Sea Salt

Boil the water and make the stock by adding the cubes, blanch the broad beans in it quickly, then remove using a slotted spoon. Once cool, remove the white skin and keep the green beans on the side. Blanch the peas and put on the side. Slice the artichoke, leaving only the heart. Click here for a step by step guide on how to do this!

Clean and finely chop the spring onion, fry it in oil with 1 crushed garlic clove and the chopped chicory, and add the artichokes. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the peas and broad beans. Add salt, pepper and the stock, and cook for 20 minutes.

Toast the bread slices and scrub with garlic, cut them in smaller pieces and lay on the plates. Sprinkle with pepper and olive oil, then break an egg on top of them, carefully. Add some freshly chopped parsley to the soup, then spoon in the plates, trying not to break the egg. The soup has to be boiling hot in order to cook the egg!