SAVOUR & SIP
Give peas a chance ELISHA EATS HAVE WE TAKEN PEAS FOR GRANTED? ELISHA YOUNG (AKA @ELISHA.EATS ON INSTAGRAM) OFFERS UP SOME DIFFERENT WAYS TO ENJOY THIS SMALL BUT MIGHTY LEGUME
s a child, I was a largely unfussy eater. My parents could feed me anything, from jam sandwiches to chicken feet dim sum, and I
would gobble it down without complaint. The only thing I had any kind of aversion to was peas. Not their flavour or texture – but their name. As children don’t operate on the same plane of logic as adults, the only way my mother could convince me to eat peas was if she called them ‘petit pois’. Obviously, they are just a type of pea, but as a seven- year-old in the throes of learning French, petit pois just sounded so much more sophisticated. In fairness to my younger self, although petit pois (literally meaning ‘small peas’) are peas, they’re picked earlier and taste slightly sweeter. I associated the word ‘pea’ with the lumpy sludge served in a polystyrene cup that accompanied fish and chips, and I wasn’t keen. Although I’ve come to appreciate this mainstay of British cuisine, I stand by the fact that a paste of greyish vegetables isn’t the most enticing. My theory is that the advent of the freezer has led us to view peas as a convenience food. Something easily chucked into a pan for a few minutes to accompany dinner when you discover the veg in your fridge has gone a bit dodgy – instead of the versatile, flavourful legumes they actually are. Pea season – running from June to August – is an excellent opportunity to remedy this. While there’s nothing wrong with chucking some boiled peas on a plate and calling it a day (no judgement here), peas really are the ultimate summer vegetable. They have a wonderful crisp freshness, with a hint of sweetness, meaning they work beautifully in salads, soups, fritters, whipped into a dip for crudites, added to tarts, pie fillings and frittatas, pan-fried in butter, swirled through pasta dishes or even – I’m not joking – pureed and
IN A POD Mix pea puree into a risotto to add depth of flavour and a rich colour – add parmesan for an umami funk
pea, mozzarella and mint salad, plus pan-seared scallops with pancetta and pea shoots. For the traditionalists out there, head down to The Architect, where you can choose from a range of fish and batters, served alongside minted garden peas or classic mushy peas. Thankfully, I’m now able to bring myself to eat peas (even when they’re not French), and I especially enjoy the flavour and vivid green colour they lend to pasta, soup or risotto. I suggest making your favourite risotto recipe, then swirling through 100g of pureed peas, plus 100g more of whole peas – but reserve these for the end, so they don’t turn an unappetising shade of yellow. Top with plenty of salt and black pepper, lashings of olive oil and a nice handful of pea shoots for a fresh and flavourful summer dish. To misquote John Lennon: I think you should give peas a chance.
added to cake. If you can find the pods at a local greengrocer or market, try popping the contents into your mouth raw and revelling in the flavour of fresh peas. There are also pea shoots to enjoy, which can be found as part of a seasonal salad mix in supermarkets. They’re small, tender and slightly sweet. For Cambridge-based culinary delights, The Punter serves garden peas alongside beer-battered fish, but also offers deep-fried squid with pea shoots, as well as mushroom falafel with pea shoots. Meanwhile, the Browns menu features a
They have a wonderful crisp freshness, with a hint of sweetness
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