Five Happy Things
It's Pea Season!
Spread a little joy today! Pass this along to someone who’d love it. 🥰
In just a few weeks, the farmers market has become a whole different place. Strawberries! Peas! Asparagus! Spring onions! Baby potatoes! They even had some itty bitty tiny zucchini for a taste of the glories to come!
I brought home an insane amount of strawberries, but I don’t actually have five go-to strawberry recipes. When they’re this good (that is, red on the inside and sweet as can be!) I mostly just eat them plain. I can easily inhale a whole pint of strawberries in one sitting, so my one strawberry recipe would be: wash, then eat.
But peas! Now that’s another story. I love them raw, but I also love them cooked and mixed with other things, like this beautiful bowl of springtime, otherwise known as Smitten Kitchen’s Spring Salad with New Potatoes.
Here are five of my favorite pea recipes. . .
Spring Salad with New Potatoes from Smitten Kitchen - This one goes right to the top of the list because I was able to get everything for it (peas, asparagus, baby potatoes, spring onions, and radishes) at the farmers market. It’s got a zingy mustardy dressing (no mayo on my potato salads, please) and the onions are lightly pickled so you don’t get the full raw-onion effect. I add a hard-boiled egg to make it a full meal.
Thai Green Curry with Spring Vegetables from Cookie + Kate - I love Thai-style curries, and this one made with green curry paste (I use the one from Thai Kitchen) feels light and summery. The recipe calls for asparagus, but I’ve also subbed in both sugar snaps and snow peas. All three are delicious options. I recommend adding an extra tablespoon of curry paste and using the juice of a whole lime.
Bowties with Sugar Snaps, Lemon and Ricotta from Smitten Kitchen - What? Another Smitten kitchen recipe? What can I say - she’s my favorite. And this recipe is delicious!!!! Basically, the title of the recipe says it all - pasta, peas, lemon juice, ricotta. Yum! But I do need to point out that she advises you to dallop the ricotta all over the pasta and then tip it into a serving bowl without stirring so you get little flavor-bombs of ricotta as you eat. It’s like she’s been sitting right beside me when I heap a big spoonful of ricotta onto the top of my spaghetti with tomato sauce so I can get some intensely ricotta-y bites as I eat. 🥰
Nutty Green Veggie Crunch Salad from Blissful Basil - I shared this delicious salad in this collection of favorite cabbage recipes, but I’m sharing it again here because it’s a real favorite, and because at this time of year I substitute fresh sugar snap peas for the frozen edamame the recipe call for. It’s so crunchy and delicious!!!
No Recipe Peas and Prosciutto - This is one of my favorite ways to cook peas - no recipe needed. First, crisp up some prosciutto. Bacon works too. Take it out of the pan and let it drain on some paper towels, but don’t clean the pan. Add a fair bit of olive oil and toss in some finely-chopped onion or shallot. Once it softens, add a minced clove of garlic and stir until it’s fragrant. It doesn’t need to brown. Now toss in a bunch of sugar snaps or snow peas and cook until they’re heated through and bright green. Sprinkle the prosciutto or bacon over the top, and add a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Done! I like to eat it over polenta.
If you have a favorite pea recipe, please share a link in the comments so everyone can give it a try!
You can find past newsletters with recipes here.
Enjoy!
Best,
Wendi
❤️
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I love your art, but I also love your recipes, and knowing what you do with produce!!