Gorgeous recipes with garden peas

Spring recipes

Our kitchen garden cook reveals her favourite recipes with garden peas.

Garlic-roasted chicken with spiced stuffing and Kerala garden peas (serves 4)

Ingredients
25g butter
1tspn turmeric
1tbspn sea salt
Basmati rice and pea shoots to serve

For the Kerala pea curry
1tbspn coconut oil
2 minced red chillies
1 minced red onion
1tspn mustard seeds
1tspn turmeric
2tspn garam masala
1in grated ginger
8 dried curry leaves
3 cloves crushed garlic
200ml half-fat coconut milk
Seasoning
300g garden peas (fresh or frozen)
1 lime

For the stuffing
25g butter
1 diced red onion
50g pistachios, chopped
50g hazelnuts, chopped
50g almonds, chopped
125g fresh white breadcrumbs
2 sliced cloves of garlic
60g sultanas, rehydrated in boiling water
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
4 sprigs lemon thyme, chopped
A handful freshly chopped parsley
1tspn turmeric
1tspn curry powder
1 red chilli
1 lemon, zest and juice
Seasoning

Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add all the ingredients for the stuffing and gently fry for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned and the flavours are combined, then spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the chicken. Rub the skin with butter and sprinkle the turmeric and a generous scattering of salt flakes over the top. Cook the chicken in the oven for an hour and a half, or until the juices run clear.

Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan. Either blitz the red onion, chillies, garlic and ginger in
a processor or cut them finely so they resemble a paste and add the mixture to the pan. Fry for a few minutes before adding the mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves and garam masala. Keep the mixture on the heat for a few minutes to release the flavours and then pour in the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer, add the peas, then, just before serving, add a squeeze of lime.

Serve the roast chicken and stuffing with the pea curry on the side, basmati rice and a pea-shoot salad.

More ways with garden peas

Garden-pea salad (left)
Take 200g peas and toss with a generous handful of freshly chopped mint and 100g feta cut into cubes. For the dressing, combine 100ml rapeseed oil, 50ml white-wine vinegar, 1tbspn coconut cream, 1tspn lemongrass purée, 1tspn ginger purée, 1tbspn lime juice and some pepper. Mix the ingredients well and dress your peas for an excellent accompaniment to barbecued chicken or fish.

Garden-pea fritters
Combine 100g plain flour, half a teaspoon baking soda, 50g crème fraîche, 2 beaten eggs, 200g peas, 2tbsn mixed chopped herbs and seasoning. Heat 1cm deep oil in a frying pan and then carefully drop in spoonfuls of the fritter batter. Fry for a few minutes on either side until lightly browned and then remove with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper. Serve with salad leaves as a starter or light lunch.