Happy Spring, Sweet Pea ~ Fresh Recipes for Spring Celebrations

From English spring peas to snow peas, to sugar snap peas and more, those tiny pops of vivid green color and earthy flavors are truly spring on a plate. What’s more—frozen or fresh—sweet peas provide vitamins B6 and C, calcium, iron and magnesium while naturally satisfying the most demanding sweet tooth.

Because they are so versatile, sweet peas can be incorporated into seemingly endless recipe ideas. Keep it simple by mixing peas into casseroles and stews, or go fancy by making a brilliantly colored soufflé or soup. Whip up an easy pea pesto in the food processor to replace a traditional side dish of peas for holiday meals or evening suppers. Drop a dollop of pesto into the middle of soup or nestle a small dish of it into a charcuterie board or veggie tray.

Perhaps even best of all, that old bag of frozen peas tucked way back in the freezer can nurse an injury even better than an ice pack. The peas in the bag conform to an injured area almost perfectly.  

Spring Pea Pesto

Yield: 12 Servings

12-oz fresh peas (use your fingers to remove peas from the shells)
    or one bag of frozen peas, thawed

4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (or substitute vegan Parmesan cheese)

½ clove garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup water

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients and pulse until well blended. Add oil as needed to reach the desired thickness and consistency. Use right away or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Recipe adapted from Titanic: The Official Cookbook, by Veronica Hinke (Weldon Owen, 2023).

Photo credit Michael Lachowicz, George Trois Group

English Spring Pea Truffle Soufflé

Yield: 4 Servings

Editor’s note: Although not part of the original recipe, vegetable stock may be substituted if desired.

English Spring Pea Purée

8-oz fresh English spring shelling peas (blanched in heavily salted water and chilled immediately in ice water)

5-oz chicken stock

⅔ tsp salt

⅛ tsp ground white pepper

½ cup loosely packed, fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, sliced

½ cup diced white onion

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Soufflé

3 egg yolks

2-oz English Spring Pea Purée (recipe above)

1 tsp truffle purée (purchased from your favorite gourmet shop is perfect)

½ tsp fine cognac or armagnac

4 room-temperature egg whites

1-oz granulated sugar

⅛ tsp cream of tartar

Gently cook, with no color, the onions and garlic in butter until soft. Season with salt and white pepper. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

In a blender, place the blanched peas and parsley leaves, pour hot stock mixture over peas and blend on high until smooth. Chill immediately over ice and store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.  CAUTION: Be certain the top is secure and covered with a heavy cloth before blending hot liquid. Also, be sure not to fill blender beyond half before blending. Blend in batches if necessary to avoid danger of being scalded by hot contents.

Combine yolks, pea purée, cognac and truffle purée in an oversized bowl. In a separate stainless steel, copper or glass bowl, whip egg whites to a light froth. Add cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft peaks are formed. Add sugar around edge of bowl and continue to whisk until just before whites form slightly less than stiff peaks and take on a sheen.

Fold one-third of whites vigorously into base, add remaining two-thirds of whites to base and fold gently.

Place in a buttered and Parmesan cheese-coated soufflé dish and bake at 375° F until soufflé creeps up the sides of the dish. Time will vary based on oven and size of dish. If cooked all in one dish, approximately 14 minutes; if placed in 4 separate dishes, approximately 8 minutes. Reduce cook time by one third if convection is used.

Recipe by Chef Michael Lachowicz, George Trois Group, Winnetka, Illinois. Published in The Last Night on The Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style (Post Hill Press, 2023).

Photo credit Michael Lachowicz, George Trois Group

English Spring Pea Soup

Editor’s note: Although not part of the original recipe, reduced vegetable stock may be
substituted if desired.

Yield: 4 Servings

12-oz English spring shelling peas, blanched in salted water for 30 seconds and ice shocked

8-oz well-seasoned and well-reduced roasted chicken stock

1 medium Spanish onion, sliced, sautéed and lightly caramelized

3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped coarsely and added to onions before sautéing

1 large sprig fresh mint

Kosher salt and finely ground white pepper, to taste

½ cup crème fraiche

Place chilled, blanched peas and mint in a blender. Heat chicken stock to a rolling boil and add cooked onions and garlic. Season stock mixture. Carefully, while just off of the stove, pour boiling stock into blender with peas and blend on high for 30 to 40 seconds.
CAUTION: Be certain the top is secure and covered with a heavy cloth before blending hot liquid. Also, be sure not to fill blender beyond half before blending. Blend in batches if necessary to avoid danger of being scalded by hot contents.

Quickly remove hot soup to a chilled bowl over ice and stir to cool in order to preserve color. When cool, strain through a fine-mesh sieve and adjust seasoning. Finish with crème fraiche just before serving.

This soup can be served hot or chilled.

Recipe by Chef Michael Lachowicz, George Trois Group, Winnetka, Illinois. Published in The Last Night on The Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style (Post Hill Press, 2023).

Veronica Hinke specializes in early 20th-century cooking and entertaining. She is the author of The Last Night on the Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style; Titanic: The Official Cookbook; Harry Potter: Afternoon Tea Magic: Official Snacks, Sips, and Sweets Inspired by the Wizarding World; and The Great Gatsby Cooking and Entertaining Guide. Learn more at VeronicaHinke.com.