"I love picking peas and eating them straight out of their pods. After that incredible sweetness, it's very hard to go back to frozen peas in the winter months, but, fortunately, we do have the entire summer ahead of us and, as I've been sowing the seeds fortnightly, we'll have a delicious, continuous crop."
Pea and lemon risotto with langoustines
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g arborio rice
25ml olive oil
30g butter
1litre chicken stock
250ml dry white wine
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
155g garden peas
4 cooked langoustines, whole
8 cooked langoustines,
cleaned and shelled
A handful chopped basil leaves
A handful chopped parsley
1 lemon, juice and zest
100g Parmesan, grated
Method
Heat the stock in a saucepan. At the same time, gently heat a splash of olive oil and a third of the butter in a large, heavy-based pan, add the chopped onion and fry it until it’s translucent, before adding the garlic.
Turn the heat up a little, add the rice and mix it well so that each grain is coated in the oil, adding a little more oil if you need to. Fry the rice for about two minutes before pouring in the white wine and stir continuously while it’s absorbed. A ladleful at a time, add the chicken stock, making sure it’s fully absorbed between each addition. When the rice is nearly cooked, tip in the peas and stir them through.
When the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and stir the grated Parmesan, butter, lemon zest and cooked langoustine tails through it. Cover and set aside for a few minutes, so that the rice can become extra creamy.
Spoon the risotto onto plates. Drizzle it with olive oil, grate more Parmesan over it, then add a squeeze of lemon and a whole cooked langoustine. Serve with lightly dressed salad leaves.
More ways with peas
Pea and feta frittata
Heat some olive oil in a medium-sized non-stick frying pan and add two chopped spring onions, three chopped slices of Parma ham and a cup of peas. Fry for a few minutes before adding a handful of fresh mixed herbs such as mint, basil and parsley and a scattering of chopped feta. Briefly mix everything together and then pour five seasoned and beaten eggs over the mixture. Reduce the heat to make sure it doesn’t burn underneath. When the frittata is almost cooked, place it under the grill for a few minutes to cook the surface. Scatter with salad leaves and serve.
Granny’s peas and carrots
Boil three large, sliced carrots in water and, when they’re nearly cooked, add a cup of peas. In another small saucepan, melt a little butter and add a teaspoon of flour. Mix to a roux and then pour a little of the water the carrots and peas were cooked in over it. Mix with a whisk. Strain the peas and carrots, return them to their saucepan and pour the sauce over them. Add a handful of chopped parsley and seasoning. Perfect with your Sunday roast.
* Follow Country Life magazine on Twitter
