Cooking with Fresh Garden Peas and Herbs

Pea & Basil Soup, Pea & Flat-leaf Parsley Risotto, Mushy Minted Peas

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Mar 11, 2009 Susan Morris

An abundant summer supply of garden peas are cooked up as a soup, supper and a side dish with loads of fresh garden herbs including basil, flat-leaf parsley and mint.

"Peas eaten raw, straight from pods just picked from the plant, are as good as it comes. They taste completely different from shop-bought fresh peas - sweet, tender and delicious." introduces a photograph of Sarah Raven's hands shelling a bowlful of pods and eight recipes in Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook (Bloomsbury, 2007).

Sarah Raven's original recipes for peas are inspiring:

  • Pea puree
  • Crushed peas
  • Peas with cucumber and mint
  • Pea and ricotta tart with thyme pastry
  • Mint and pea tip risotto
  • Chilled pea soup with roasted garlic
  • Pea and pancetta farfalle
  • Squid, pea and chorizo stew

If that's not enough ideas for cooking with peas, here's three recipes for fresh garden peas and herbs.

Garden Pea & Basil Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 125g fresh garden peas
  • 375ml water
  • 8 cloves of garlic
  • 14-20 fresh basil leaves
  • Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

  1. Cook the garden peas and garlic (peeled and chopped) in boiling water for 15 minutes.
  2. Blend the peas, garlic and water.
  3. Simmer the liquid and add torn basil leaves. Finish with black pepper to taste. Serves two portions.

Garden Pea & Flat-leaf Parsley Risotto Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Olive oil
  • 1 brown onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 350g Arborio rice
  • 1.2 litres vegetable stock
  • 150g garden peas
  • 8 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

  1. Heat the vegetable stock in a saucepan.
  2. Fry the chopped onion and garlic in olive oil in a non-stick pan until soft.
  3. Add all the rice and stir around for 1-2 minutes until rice has turned opaque.
  4. Add small amounts of the stock to the risotto and cook until absorbed.
  5. When nearly all the stock has been absorbed, add the peas and cook for 10 minutes.
  6. Once the peas are cooked, stir in the finely grated Parmesan and chopped flat-leaf parsley.
  7. Season and serve immediately. Serves two as a main dish.

Mushy Minted Peas Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 100g garden peas
  • 4 tablespoons creme fraiche
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh mint

Directions:

  1. Cook the garden peas in boiling water with finely chopped fresh mint.
  2. Once cooked, drain peas and mint and allow to cool down slightly.
  3. Add the creme fraiche and mash for a rough textured mushy minted peas.
  4. Serves two to four persons as a side dish.

Growing Your Own Garden Peas in the Backyard

Although there are serious pests and diseases that undermine yields of garden peas in some summers, podded peas are usually a good vegetable to start growing your own. Garden peas can be planted for succession cropping to ensure a constant supply for cooking with fresh garden peas through the summer months. Fresh garden peas are best cooked within 1 hour of harvesting in the back yard and as Sarah Raven suggests, taste incredible raw.

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The copyright of the article Cooking with Fresh Garden Peas and Herbs in Seasonal Cooking is owned by Susan Morris. Permission to republish Cooking with Fresh Garden Peas and Herbs in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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