Marie Muccio
Eat your peas! I think every child has those three words buried in their subconscious.
Peas are a go to side dish for so many Australian families but let’s face it, peas can be boring and bland at the best of times.
My mission once I was in my own kitchen was to transform the humble pea into a dish the whole family would enjoy.
This is my version of French style peas and I think I nailed the brief! How do I know I nailed it? Well when your kids ask for seconds and thirds then you know you have a winner.
The recipe itself is very simple and the ingredients are minimal. In fact the whole thing comes together in just 15 minutes.
French-style peas also known as petitis pois a la Francaise (how awesome does that sound) are a classic French dish made by braising peas in a stock with finely chopped lettuce, onions and fresh herbs.
The first time I heard of this technique of cooking peas with lettuce I thought it was quite odd but the truth is it goes together so well. To my surprise the lettuce doesn’t taste soggy at all. Cooked lettuce actually tastes really good. It’s also lovely to use for split pea soup.
Frozen peas are not only great for using as an iced pack to bumps and scrapes. They are snap frozen so they retain all the same vitamins and minerals as fresh peas. Either fresh or frozen peas can be used for this recipe. The cooking time will remain the same.
What I love about this dish is that they look so pretty. I love to serve this side at our BBQ’s, dinner parties and family functions. With Easter coming up this is always on our menu.
The key to making your peas not only taste great but look great is in the cooking time. Peas are cooked when they are tender but still bright green in colour. When the peas go wrinkly and dark they are overcooked.
So now I pass the baton of my French style peas onto you. I know there is nothing worse than being the nagging mum at dinner time so I hope this recipe will improve your family dinner time experience!
For many more delicious recipes you can check out my website www.Mrsfoodiemumma.com.
Enjoy XX
INGREDIENTS
- 50 g butter
- 10 sage leaves
- 12 lettuce leaves rolled up and thinly sliced
- 3 spring onions trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- ¼ cup vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley finely chopped. Heat butter in a large pot or sauté pan over medium heat. Once foaming add the sage leaves and cook for a minute or until the leaves are crispy and golden.
Method
- Heat butter in a large pot or sauté pan over medium heat. Once foaming, add the sage leaves and cook for a minute or until the leaves are crispy and golden.
- Scoop out the leaves with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Set aside until needed.
- Add the lettuce leaves, spring onion, peas and stock to the pan. Season well with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer on low for 10 minutes or until peas are cooked.
- The peas are cooked when they are tender but still bright green in colour. Stir through parsley.
- Transfer the peas to a serving dish and top with the crispy sage.
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