I eat my peas with honey;
I've done it all my life.
It makes the peas taste funny,
But it keeps them on the knife.
It’s Great British Pea week (8th – 14th July), with 160,000 tonnes of peas being harvested between July and August every year and the average Brit consuming 9,000 peas per year on average we thought we’d source some interesting and simple pea recipes to celebrate (Peas and honey on a knife anyone?).
Pea and Chorizo Soup with Parmesan Crisp
Serves 6
Ingredients
- Pure Olive Oil - 1tbsp
- Large White Onion - 1 Whole
- Parmesan Hard Cheese - 40g
- Cooking Chorizo - 75g
- Choice Peas - 750g
- Vegetable Stock Mix - 1.2ltr
Method
1 – Pre-heat the oven to 220°C
2 – Heat the olive oil in a large pan, roughly chop the onion and gently fry without colouring (about 5 mins)
3 – Grate the parmesan, and sprinkle over a sheet of baking paper on an oven tray. Bake in the oven for 5 mins so that the cheese is golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and harden, then remove the parmesan crisp from the baking paper with a spatula, and leave on a wire rack to cool
4- Dice the chorizo and add to a separate frying pan on a high heat for 2 or 3 mins, with a handful of frozen peas. Cook until the chorizo releases it’s oil and the peas are defrosted, then set aside
5 – Meanwhile, add the rest of the frozen peas and vegetable stock to the the onions. Bring to the boil, and then take off the heat. Using a hand blender, blend until silky smooth
6 – Return the soup to the heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste
7 – To serve, ladle the hot soup into a soup bowl. Add a spoonful of the chorizo and pea mix to the centre of the bowl, and drizzle with the chorizo oil from the frying pan. Break the parmesan crisp into shards, and place a large shard in the centre of the pea and chorizo garnish
Pea Pesto Bruschetta
Serves 4
Ingredients
- Choice Peas - 250g
- Chinese Pine Kernels - 50g
- Garlic Cloves - 3 whole
- Parmesan Hard Cheese - 50g
- Fresh Mint - Hand full
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 6 tbsp
- Cherry Tomatoes - 375g
- Balsamic Vinegar - 2 tbsp
- Fresh Basil - Hand full
- Part Baked Large White Baguette 56cm - 1
Method
Includes two portions of veg!*
1 – To make the pesto, boil the peas for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Drain the peas in a colander and rinse with cold water and then pat dry with a tea towel.
2 – Toast the pine nuts in a pan until you have a bit of colour, reserve some of the peas and pine nuts for garnishing.
3 – Blitz the rest of the peas in a food processor with two cloves of chopped garlic, remaining toasted pine nuts, parmesan, chopped mint, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Don’t over blitz as you want to keep some texture.
4 – Dice the tomatoes and mix with one finely chopped clove of garlic, balsamic vinegar and chopped basil.
5 – Spread the pea pesto over the toasted slice, spoon over some peas and the tomato mixture, and finish with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts and a sprig of fresh basil.
*When two bruschetta slices are served as a lunch portion, 3 heaped tbsp peas counts as the first portion of veg, 7 cherry tomatoes as the second.
Pea Pesto Pasta
Serves 6
Ingredients
- Choice Peas - 250g
- Chinese Pine Kernels - 50g
- Garlic Cloves - 2 whole
- Parmesan Hard Cheese - 50g
- Fresh Mint - 20g
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 6 tbsp
- Tagliatelle - 350g
Method
1 – Boil the frozen peas for 2-3 mins until cooked. Drain the peas, rinse with cold water, then pat dry with kitchen roll or a tea towel
2 – Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they start to colour slightly
3 – Finely chop the garlic cloves and coarsely grate the Parmesan, then add both to a food processor with the toasted pine nuts, mint, olive oil, and cooked peas. Season with salt and pepper, and then give it a short blitz so that the mix retains a rough texture
4 – Cook the tagliatelle for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta but keep some of the starchy water
5 – To serve, mix the pea pesto with the tagliatelle, and add two table spoons of pasta water to loosen it up. Serve in pasta bowls, with a final drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of mint and extra Parmesan shavings
