Every month, enjoy the simple but elegant pleasures of a delicious, easy-to-prepare meal.
Busy or not, here we come. Every month, "Everyday Gourmet" serves up new recipes, cooking tips and ideas for dishes that are elegant in taste and presentation, yet simple enough to prepare and enjoy in a snap.
Spring is all about green. We’re not into the reds and oranges, the yellows and pinks in the farmers’ markets around us. It’s all green — and delicious.
This time of year, we’re on the lookout for:
- Asparagus
The thinner the stalk, the better. Trim off any woody ends for the best texture.
- Ramps
These are a form of wild leek, a delicacy indeed. Sauté them with a little olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes for a simple but decidedly aromatic side dish.
- Baby lettuces
Salads just taste better this time of year — the arugula small and peppery without any astringent bite, the romaine still tender and sweet.
- Fiddlehead ferns
Another delicacy, these are best sautéed in butter with some minced herbs. Look for the tiniest heads possible, just tiny round pillows of flavor.
But if we have to be honest, we’re mostly hot on the trail of peas. These little green bits of flavor — sometimes called “sweet peas” or “English peas” — are surely the best things this time of year. (Snow peas and sugar snaps are also a spring treat that will brighten any table.) When peas arrive at our farmers’ market, we know that winter is finally a mere memory.
The best part is that almost every part of the pea plant above ground is edible. If we’re not eating the whole plant, we’re missing out on so much flavor: the leaves, the stems, the tendrils that attach the stems to the poles. It’s a feast — and best with minimal cooking, about the kind that spring requires. Better yet, they’re sometimes great with no cooking at all!
Even the pods are edible. We know that from snow peas, of course. Or tender young sugar snaps. In both cases, we eat the whole thing: pod and seeds inside. But even the hulls of the good ol’ standard sweet or English are edible — so long as they’re quite young, even immature. Once the peas inside get to be the sweet morsels we love so much, the pods themselves have become too fibrous to cook up for dinner.
But that doesn’t mean they should go to waste. If you find peas still in the hulls, save the latter for stock. Or make a fine soup out of the hulls, some chopped onion, a garlic clove, a few thyme sprigs and canned vegetable broth. Slowly simmer these things, covered, for about 30 minutes, then strain the broth before serving. For even more flavor, put this strained soup back over the heat, add some little green peas, snow peas, or sugar snaps, and cook for a few minutes, just until tender.
About the Pea and Green Olive Tapenade
Peas add a refreshing sweetness to this traditional spread — less spiky but still very flavorful. Use it as a dip for cut-up vegetables (quartered radishes are particularly nice), as a topping for whole-wheat pasta or even as a condiment on grilled fish.
Pea and Green Olive Tapenade
Makes 6 servings
POINTS® value | 1 per serving
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh shelled peas
- 6 Tbsp sliced green pitted olives
- 1 large garlic clove, quartered
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp drained capers
Instructions
- Place ingredients in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade; pulse several times until a coarse spread forms, scraping down the inside of the canister every few pulses.
- Scrape mixture into a serving bowl — or scrape into a nonreactive, sealable container. Set plastic wrap directly on the surface of the spread to prevent discoloration and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Serving size: 2 1/2 tablespoons
About the Salad of Snow Peas, Sugar Snaps and Pea Shoots
Here’s a tasty fresh salad, the very essence of spring. Serve it with a toasted whole-wheat pita for a little crunch alongside the greens. For even more flavor, spread 1 ounce soft goat cheese on that toasted pita.
Salad of Snow Peas, Sugar Snaps and Pea Shoots
Makes 4 servings
POINTS® value | 2 per serving
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp minced tarragon leaves
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/3 cups snow peas, thinly sliced lengthwise (3 or 4 slices per pea)
- 1 1/3 cups sugar snaps, thinly sliced lengthwise (3 or 4 slices per sugar snap)
- 1 1/3 cups pea shoots, chopped into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
- Whisk vinegar, tarragon, oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a large salad bowl or serving bowl until smooth and emulsified.
- Add snow peas, sugar snaps and pea shoots. Toss lightly to coat.
- Serving size: 1 cup
About the Sichuan Pea Shoots
This aromatic side dish would be welcome alongside almost anything off the grill. For an even more authentic taste, add 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns. To turn this dish into a main course, stir-fry 1/2 pound medium peeled and deveined shrimp for 3 minutes before adding the pea shoots — serve it over cooked brown rice.
Sichuan Pea Shoots
Makes 4 servings
POINTS® value | 0 per serving
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 3 medium garlic cloves, slivered
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 lb pea shoots, cut into fairly large bunches, then rinsed but not dried
- 2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
Instructions
- Spray a large wok or skillet with cooking spray; set over high heat.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes; stir-fry for 30 seconds, just until garlic begins to brown around its edges.
- Add pea shoots; stir-fry until they begin to wilt, about 3 minutes.
- Pour in soy sauce and vinegar; toss as mixture comes to a bubble. Serve at once.
- Serving size: 1 cup