Apparently, Britain has fallen out of love with peas. Data from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs show that the average Briton consumed just 37g of peas per week last year, down from 144g eaten by people in 1975 – a drop of 75 per cent. The vegetable is “increasingly overlooked by consumers”, it seems.
But not by me. There are always two bags of peas stashed in my freezer. I get worried about running out. Frozen peas make an excellent emergency soup, or if you have a blender you can blitz them to a silky smoothness for a fine purée to eat with salmon or trout.
I’m not remotely ashamed of using frozen peas (and pea soups require so many that I would never use fresh), but every year, when fresh peas come into season, I’m reminded why they’re better. Of course they keep their shape better on cooking (in fact, slightly undercooked peas are the way to go), but they also have a green, milky flavour that reminds me of fresh almonds.
The pea’s sweetness is probably its most pleasing characteristic, and its greatest problem. They need bitterness, saltiness or umami for balance. This is why peas are so good in a turmeric-scented vegetable curry, with salty cheeses such as pecorino and feta, with meaty gravy and the almost-charred surface of roast lamb, and with shredded and sweated baby gems (the slightly bitter central ribs are a perfect contrast).
Conversely, peas are also good with the fatty sweetness of bacon and Parma ham, and scallops, which have an echo of vanilla.
And don’t forget the simple pea dishes for which you don’t need a recipe. Cook podded peas in water for four minutes with a chosen herb – mint, chervil and tarragon are all good – tied in a bundle. Drain, discard the cooked herb, toss with butter and chopped fresh herbs and serve.
Give me peas any which way, then – apart from one: I can’t bear peas (frozen ones at least) with rice. It’s the look: the shock of that almost unreal emerald green against white basmati or saffron-stained arborio. And their inclusion in a home-made paella will diminish all your work, making it look like one of those laminated photographs you get in tourist restaurants.
But frozen or fresh, and pea shoots too (once a gardener’s perk but now mainstream, delivering a subtle pea flavour and an unstructured shape), we should eat more of them. Here’s how.
This soup, made with frozen peas and shredded ham hock, has both ballast and lightness.
While the pasta cooks, whip up a creamy sauce of golden pan-fried bacon lardons, softened onion, garlic and frozen peas.
A fragrant soup that’s extremely refreshing. What’s more, served in small portions, it can feed a lot of people.
This is pure and clean tasting, and is better with fresh peas. Good with meat or fish, but I also love it on its own with flatbread or bulgur wheat.
Frozen peas are used to make the pancakes, but you can use fresh or frozen to serve in the salad, adding glorious colour as well as natural sweetness.