"Because they are frozen so quickly after picking, they retain their flavour, texture, colour and nutritional value. In my humble opinion frozen is best."
Unless of course you are able to pick them from the garden immediately before cooking them while they are tender and sweet.
The key to the success of freezing now is that food is frozen quickly to ensure quality is retained. They are blanched first, to retain their bright green colour and flavour, as well as to kill off any bacteria before they are frozen.
While they can be relegated to the side of the plate, peas are incredibly versatile.
They can be blitzed into a puree, mashed, chopped and even squished between your fingers, he says.
"There’s something satisfying about biting through them; the texture and the flavour is that of one of the best vegetables out there."
While they are rarely the leading ingredient in a dish, they do have the ability to steal the show even though they are the supporting act, he says.
If the vegetable bin is empty you can create a spring pea soup, add to a quick pasta or rice dish, throw them into a dahl or tray-bake or blitz them into a hummus or white sauce.
But the most surprising recipes in the book are in the sweet chapter — pea, pistachio and matcha cake, pea muffins with cream cheese icing, or pea cake with coconut frosting.
The book
Images and text from The Frozen Peas Cookbook by Samuel Goldsmith, photography by Mowie Kay. Murdoch Books, RRP $45.
Chorizo, pea and pearl barley stew
Having a speedy stew up your sleeve is great for when the weather turns cooler. What I love about this recipe is that the flavours mean that it also suits the warmer weather too — the lemon and peas help here. In fact, it’s one of the many benefits of frozen peas — you get to use a spring/ summer ingredient all year round.
Serves 12
DF
Ingredients
1 Tbsp sunflower, vegetable or olive oil
200g cooking chorizo, roughly chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 leek, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
1½ tsp smoked paprika
1½ tsp dried mixed herbs
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
150ml white wine
200g pearl barley
600ml vegetable or chicken stock
200g frozen peas
Crusty bread, to serve
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid over a medium heat. Add the chorizo and fry for 4-5 minutes until it’s started to release its oil and is turning golden. Remove from the pan, leaving the oil behind.
Stir the onion, leek and ½ teaspoon salt into the chorizo. Fry for 6-8 minutes or until beginning to brown.
Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, dried mixed herbs and lemon zest, then season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the white wine, then simmer for 1-2 minutes or until the wine has reduced. Stir in the pearl barley and mix to combine everything, then cook for 1 minute before pouring in the stock. Pop the lid on then bring to a simmer.
Cook for 10 minutes, then mix in the chorizo and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Remove the lid, cook for 10 minutes, then stir in the frozen peas, bring back to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the peas are warmed through and tender.
Just before serving, stir through the lemon juice to taste, ladle the stew into bowls and serve with crusty bread.
Chicken, pea and pesto lasagne
Pesto pasta is a favourite meal in most households. This lasagne is a way of giving it an upgrade for family gatherings, but safe in the knowledge that the kids will still eat it (and fussy grown-ups, too). I find lasagne is a crowd-pleaser, and great for prepping ahead, too. Serve with a leafy salad or, if you’re feeling in need of real comfort, some fries and garlic bread.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
250g frozen peas
500g skinless chicken breast, sliced
1 x 190g jar Genovese basil pesto
6 blocks frozen spinach
500g mascarpone
125-175ml whole (full-fat) milk
50g parmesan, grated (shredded)
75g mature cheddar cheese,
grated (shredded)
12-15 dried lasagne sheets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat half the oil in a frying pan (skillet) or saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 6-8 minutes or until golden. Stir in the frozen peas and cook for a few minutes until warmed through and tender.
Tip the onion and peas into a food processor and blitz or use a handheld stick (immersion) blender. (This is an optional step — you can just tip the onion and peas into a bowl and continue, but I love the vibrancy this gives.)
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the chicken until browned. Stir in the pesto and frozen spinach, then cook for 5-8 minutes or until the spinach has defrosted. Stir in the onion and pea mixture, season with salt and pepper, then fold in 5 tablespoons of the mascarpone. Set aside.
Combine the remaining mascarpone with enough milk to create a white sauce consistency, then mix in two-thirds of the parmesan and cheddar cheese. Season well with plenty of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Before assembling the lasagne, see the cook’s tip. Lay 3-4 lasagne sheets over the bottom of an 18cm square ovenproof dish or tin, ensuring they don’t overlap too much.
To make the first layer, spoon over one-third of the pesto chicken mixture followed by a further 3-4 lasagne sheets and one-third of the mascarpone sauce.
Follow with a further two layers, ending with the final batch of mascarpone sauce. Scatter over the remaining cheese.
At this point, you can chill the uncooked lasagne for up to 24 hours or freeze it for up to 3 months. Bake the lasagne in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the pasta sheets are tender and the sauce is bubbling.
If cooking from chilled, it will take longer. If cooking from frozen, it’s worth either defrosting fully first or covering the top with foil to stop it burning.
Cook’s tip
The instructions above are for a three-layer lasagne, but you may find your ovenproof dish is too large for three layers. When you start spooning over the first layer of pesto chicken filling, if you need around half the mixture to cover the lasagne sheets then go for a two-layer lasagne. Simply use half the mascarpone mixture and half the pesto chicken mixture for each layer and add three layers of lasagne sheets (bottom, middle and top).
Risi e bisi
In the traditional version of this Venetian classic, fresh peas are used. If you grow your own, or live next to someone kind enough to share theirs, they are preferable. However, with frozen peas being preserved so quickly, you get a much better flavour than if you use fresh peas that have been hanging around for ages. Risi e bisi means rice and peas in the Venetian dialect and the dish was often used to herald the start of spring when served at the feast of Saint Marco on April 25. The great thing about frozen peas is that you don't have to wait for the start of spring; you can enjoy this dish all year round.
Serves 4
GF
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
125g pancetta, chopped
250g vialone nano risotto rice (see tip below)
125ml white wine or vermouth (optional)
600-800ml hot vegetable or chicken stock (gluten-free, if necessary)
500g frozen peas
50g butter
60g Parmesan, finely grated (shredded), plus extra to serve
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep frying pan (skillet) over a gentle heat.
Add the onion and fry for 8-10 minutes or until soft but not golden. Stir in the pancetta and turn up the heat a little to medium-low. Fry the pancetta until it has started to release its fat and become a little golden round the edges.
Tip in the rice and stir to coat the grains in the oil. Turn up the heat to medium, then fry for a minute or so until the rice starts to go a little translucent round the edges.
Pour in the wine, if using, and simmer for a few minutes until almost all absorbed. Follow with a ladleful of the stock and simmer, stirring continuously, until absorbed. Continue using up the stock until you have a thick but soupy consistency and the rice is almost tender. You may not need to use all the stock, but if you haven’t added the wine you may need to use a little more.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Tip in the frozen peas, stir to mix them with the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and Parmesan until melted.
Serve with a little more grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper on top.
Cook’s tip
Vialone nano is the risotto rice traditionally used for this dish and most other soupy risotto dishes.
If you can’t find it, swap it out for carnaroli risotto rice.
