Posted by Blake Royer, April 3, 2008 at 4:00 PM
Spring vegetables are beginning to appear in the produce aisle—asparagus, sugar snap peas—so I wanted to take advantage. What I found is one of those absurdly simple recipes that you think just won't work. Or at least, that's what I was thinking. Really? I can just sauté some shallots and garlic, add stock and rice, simmer for awhile, then toss in crunchy delicious vegetables? And it will taste clean, healthy, filling, and delicious? Well, yes, that's the idea.
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Posted by Jenn Sit, January 10, 2008 at 1:45 PM
For me, wasabi peas are an addictive substance. They satisfy my cravings for mouth-burning spice without the guilt of consuming handfuls of my other secret addiction: Andy Capp's Hot Fries (looks like a French fry, tastes like a chip!). Although I'll eat wasabi peas as much as my tongue will allow, the snack is still chock full of sugar and really not too great for you despite its veggie incognito. In The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without, Mollie Katzen gives us wasabi peas for real—a hot Asian side dish that keeps all the flavors of the crunchy snack, but can be served aside your favorite seared tuna. I'm still looking for the "Doritos for Real" recipe in here...
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, December 12, 2007 at 4:30 PM
Since frozen peas are delicious and pasta lasts nicely in my pantry for months, the two are always around my kitchen. But rarely do I think of combining the two. I had to cross that line when I stared blankly into my fridge and realized I essentially had nothing else left after a long weekend away. With hunger heavy upon the fiancée and me, something had to be done.
With neither of us daring leave the house, we searched a few dozen books until we came to Diane Seed's The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces. (We like her a lot!)
She had four interesting combinations of the two and one that would require no additional purchases at all—truly a pantry meal. She recommend tagliolini as the pasta shape, but all I had were shells. I felt a little like a kid, but they were actually the ideal candidate. Sometimes peas get lost in pasta, drifting to the plate instead of clinging to the noodles. But these little guys swallowed up the peas, providing the perfect carrying case to my mouth. The basil was a little blackened from the weekend but still tasty and a perfect foil for all that butter.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, September 14, 2007 at 4:20 PM
I was thumbing through Nigella Lawson’s How to Eat, when I came across a sentence that immediately caught my eye. As soon as I got to the soup section, before any actual recipes were listed, she details how the make the “the quickest and best soup you can make.” It has five ingredients. It takes all of about four minutes to complete.
I was so caught up in the convenience that I didn’t really notice she was talking about pea soup. It’s not something I’m usually clamoring for, but it was unbelievably easy and surprisingly tasty. I’d definitely make this again, though I’d probably fiddle with some additions. I added a little shot of balsamic vinegar for some sweetness to make it even more delectable.
Of course, this is nothing compared to Batali’s latest post. Did you all read that? That’s dinner tomorrow night.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, August 8, 2007 at 1:45 PM
As the week winds on, Eric Gower, the author of The Breakaway Cook
, keeps impressing me with the simple but delicious-sounding recipes in this book. I haven't cooked his Pasta with Peas, Sausage, and Mint yet, but rest assured, I'm adding it to my recipe collection and will probably use mango sausage, as Gower recommends, when I cook it (which will probably be for dinner tonight).
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, August 3, 2007 at 4:30 PM
The recipe's title is being a tad modest. Sure, it is peas and mint. But that discounts the ingenious inclusion of Boston lettuce, which just compounds the green on green, with ... more green. You can use fresh peas, but frozen are acceptable, too—and it worked fine for us.
It was actually much better than fine. I served this up with a beautiful cornish hen, but all attention was focused toward the green. At the end of the meal, my fiancée and I were scraping the pan for any loose pea that hadn't made it to our plates. That doesn't happen too often. Tellingly, this great recipe came from Vegetable Love, by Barbara Kafka.
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Posted by Ed Levine, July 9, 2007 at 3:00 PM
After writing The Young Man and the Sea, I had a keen appreciation for Dave Pasternack's ability to combine fish or shellfish with pasta in ingeniously simple fashion.
This recipe for Tagliatelle with Shrimp and Peas is easy, delicious, and takes less than half an hour from start to finish. Frozen peas work just as well as fresh ones, and, of course, they are a lot less work. If you can find rock shrimp easily where you live, by all means use them instead of the medium shrimp.
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Posted by Ed Levine, June 27, 2007 at 1:00 PM
I made this recipe a few months ago, in early spring, when Pork & Sons first came out, and it was a huge hit at a dinner party. Because the recipe calls for frozen peas, it can be made any time of year. Nine cups of frozen peas may seem like a lot, but in fact the blizzard of peas makes for a lovely presentation.
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Posted by Ed Levine, April 16, 2007 at 1:30 PM
The recipe that follows has been adapted from Nancy Silverton's A Twist of the Wrist. Frozen peas are so tender and sweet that I use them all year round. If you can't find orecchiette, use rigatoni or bow-tie pasta.
Cook the Book: Orecchiette with Peas, Prosciutto, and Crème Fraîche
Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
8 ounces orecchiette
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, grated or minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup frozen petite peas (about 4 ounces)
1 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)
6 thin slices prosciutto (about 3 ounces), torn in half
12 small basil leaves
Procedure
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add a generous amount of kosher salt. Stir in the orecchiette, return the water to a boil, and cook the pasta, stirring occcasionally too prevent it from sticking together, until it's al dente. (Since cooking times vary depending on the thickness of the pasta, refer to the package instructions for the recommended time and taste the pasta for doneness frequently while it cooks.)
2. While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, heat the oil, garlic, and a pinch of kosher salt in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute until the garlic is soft and fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't brown. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the peas, creme fraiche, and the 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, until the sauce is warmed through.
3. Reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta and transfer it quickly, while it's still dripping with water, to the skillet with the sauce. Add the reserved pasta water, stir to coat the pasta with the sauce and cook the pasta and sauce together over high heat for about 2 minutes, until the ingredients are combined.
4. Spoon the pasta out of the skillet and pile it into high mounds on four plates, dividing it evenly. Spoon the sauce left in the skillet over the pasta. Rumple 3 pieces of prosciutto and lay 3 basil leaves over each serving.
Photograph from iStockPhoto.com
