Category:

Marinated Spring Peas

4/2/2015

1 pound frozen petite peas, thawed
3 Tbs cider or red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
½ tsp fresh thyme
1 Tbs flat leafed parsley, chopped
1 egg hard cooked, chopped
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbs capers, drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Place the thawed petite peas in a medium serving bowl.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, oil, thyme, parsley, egg, onion, and capers, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle half of the vinaigrette over the peas and toss. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Keep remaining vinaigrette refrigerated for up to 5 days. Use on salads, boiled potatoes, or on top of cooked chicken or fish.

Optional vegetables:
Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and sugar snap peas make wonderful additions or substitutions. Steam until just cooked but still crisp and cool before adding marinade.

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Zucchini Pasta with Herb Pesto

4/2/2015

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I am hooked on my spiralizer! Easy to use with beautiful results, this new kitchen gadget is a must for anyone who is looking for an easy way to prepare zucchini that can be a healthy replacement to pasta on the dinner plate. Video

Zucchini "Pasta"
Serves 4
3 medium zucchini
Use the attachment with the smaller holes to produce a thin spaghetti like result. The machine will produce one long, long, long strand. Be sure to cut the zucchini strand in a few places to make them easier to serve.
Dress with herb pesto.

Herb Pesto
Makes about 1 ½ cups
½ cup olive oil
2 cups fresh baby spinach or arugula, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh flat leafed parsley, stems removed, roughly chopped
6 Tbs mayonnaise
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
3 Tbs fresh mint, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup cold water
Optional: Add 1/3 cup toasted almonds, pine nuts, or roasted sunflower seeds w/oil, spinach

1. Place the oil into the blender or food processor.

2. Add the spinach or arugula, parsley, mayonnaise, rosemary, mint, garlic, and Parmesan cheese (nuts too if using). Process until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Continue to process until smooth adding the water if a smoother consistency is desired.

3. Toss with hot or room temperature pasta and serve hot or cold.
Tip: If using spiralized summer squash or zucchini instead of pasta…no need to cook the squash. The raw squash will stay firm and hold up to the pesto better if left uncooked. Heat dressed squash in microwave for 2 ½ minutes if you’d like to serve it warm or hot.

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Spring Herb Soup

4/2/2015

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Serves 4
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
2 medium baking potato, peeled and diced
2-3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or hot water
1 1/2 cups milk (low fat is fine)
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 cups chopped mixed greens ( baby spinach, arugula, sorrel, watercress, ramps, or dandelion leaves)
2 Tbs fresh herbs, chopped (flat leafed parsley, rosemary, tarragon leaves)
Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

1.  Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed soup pot or large sauce pan over medium heat. When it is melted add the onion and reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook until the onion is soft, about 5-8 minutes.

2.  Add the diced potato, stock (or water), milk and cream to the soup pot. Increase the heat to medium and heat until simmering. Simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked, about 15 minutes more.

3.  Add the chopped greens and herbs and simmer uncovered 5 minutes.

4. Puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold.

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Minted Spring Peas

4/2/2015

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Serves 6 as a side dish

1 pound bag frozen Petite Peas (these are the sweetest), thawed
2 Tbs unsalted butter
¼ cup red onion, chopped
3 Tbs fresh mint, chopped
2 Tbs fresh flat leafed parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and Pepper

Heat a small sauté pan with the butter over low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until just soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the thawed peas and fresh herbs to the cooked onions. Heat just until the peas are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to tastes. Serve hot or room temperature.

Additions:
Add ½ pound thin asparagus, cut into 1”pieces and lightly steamed.
Add ½ pound sugar snap peas, steamed for 3 minutes.

To make minted sweet pea puree: Place the completed pea recipe into a food processor and process until smooth. Serve warm or room temperature on a cracker or crostini. Top with shaved parmesan.

To make minted sweet pea soup: Heat 4 cups of chicken stock. Add the completed pea recipe. Process in a blender in 2 batches until smooth. Add heavy cream to taste if you like a creamier soup. Season with kosher salt and pepper.

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Marinated Spring Peas

Zucchini Pasta with Herb Pesto

Spring Herb Soup

Minted Spring Peas

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