Favourite lunch this week: smashed peas, dill and Feta

I made this for Tuesday’s Women’s Food & Farming Union London’s meeting and it was very well received.

If you like fresh, zesty and texture this is for you!

Really quick and easy to make and works a treat with frozen peas until fresh peas are in season (June).

You could try substituting the dill with mint (but use less because mint easily overpowers everything else) or do half -and-half.

Blobbed onto toasted sourdough or Ryvita pumpkin seed crackers or scooped up with individual little gem lettuce leaves…

No picture I am afraid: I was in too much of  a hurry to take one when preparing for the WFU meeting and so greedy to eat the left-overs the next day I forgot…

I can tell you it looks beautiful: pea-green (obviously) with flecks of dark green + bright white.

Waitrose sell bags of ready washed pea shoot which would make a lovely garnish, but why not grow your own? A lot cheaper and fun.

Serves 4 as a starter

You will need:

150g peas (podded weight if using fresh)

1 garlic clove, green shoot removed and chopped very finely or use a garlic press or pestle & mortar

4 tbsp finely snipped fresh dill

100g Feta, crumbled

25g freshly grated Parmesan

2 tbsp lemon juice

2.5 tbsp olive oil (I have just opened a bottle of 2009 oil from the Fattoria La Vialla estate in Italy – very grassy + peppery, delish!)

This is what you do:

1. blitz the peas in a food processor: pulse for short burst, you want the peas to retain some shape. If using frozen, don’t bother defrosting the peas first.

2. tip into a bowl

3. add all the other ingredients and mix lightly until paste-like

4. check the seasoning: you’ll probably want to add some freshly ground black pepper but won’t need to add salt because the Feta and Parmesan add enough

5. now you are ready to tuck in but have a good sniff (or lung full) first: Spring on a plate!

Bon appetit!

Monique

A craving for tarragon

All of last week I kept thinking about tarragon – the aniseed flavoured herb, that is. Can’t explain why, I just really fancied cooking something with tarragon, so I did just that.

Usually, during the week we eat savvy meals and you could say that I am our most grateful, but critical client (although my husband is not far behind). It is great coming home after a long day knowing that there is a delicious meal waiting for you – real food which is ready in 20 minutes is hard to beat.

But at the weekend, or when we are entertaining, I really enjoy cooking something that takes a little more time. We had friends over for Sunday lunch and I decided to do this little gem of a dish which can be prepared in advance and then slowly reheated in the oven at 150C.

Chicken braised with red wine vinegar and tarragon (serves 4)

Ingredients

4 free-range chicken thighs and 4 drumsticks, skin-on
1 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp red wine vinegar
small knob of butter
100ml dry white wine
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved, green shoot removed
2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4 sprigs of tarragon, chopped
seasalt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oil over high heat in a large non-stick frying pan
Add the chicken pieces and fry until golden brown all over
Season with salt and pepper
Remove the chicken to a plate, spoon the fat out of the pan and add the butter and vinegar
Boil for 10 seconds
Return the chicken to the pan, add the white wine and boil for a few seconds
Add the garlic, tomato and tarragon
Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes
The chicken will be deliciously juicy and tender.

Taste and correct the seasoning, then serve with mashed potatoes or rice and a generous helping of green beans.

I hope you will give this recipe a go – it certainly hit the spot with us and cured me of my tarragon craving (for now).

Bon appetit,

Monique