A Spoonful of Spring

Spring may be one of my favorite seasons, culinarily speaking, if only because it means that "the race is on." While summer heralds the arrival of a cornucopia of produce so delicious that it barely requires cooking, and fall has it's tasty treats including apples, pears and all manner of gourds, spring has something that no other season does: a very limited growing season for each and every product. Spring's bounty comes and goes in extremely short waves (not unlike the weather of the season itself), usually starting out with asparagus and artichokes in the first few weeks of the season, then transitioning into ramps, spring garlic and all sorts of allium family members, followed by my personal favorite spring fare, beans and legumes. Fresh peas, sugar snap peas, fava beans and garbanzo beans tend to have the shortest presence at the market, available for about two weeks before leaving me wanting sooooo much more.

And so, when they finally make their appearance, I do all that I can to elbow my way into the farmers market tents and fill my bag with whatever I can get my greedy little hands on. Usually I venture towards the fava beans, which are shockingly elusive and tend to be the first thing to go, if they show up at all. The English peas, or shelling peas, foe of many a child, are usually what I look for next. If you've never had fresh peas straight from the pod, I highly encourage you to seek them out. They have a firmness that simply can't be found in frozen (and certainly not canned) peas, and a natural sweetness befitting the season, with a tiny hint of that earthiness found in other spring veggies. They cook super quickly, and in my mind, barely need more than to be blanched for 2-3 minutes.

While I'd love to serve my peas with a simple a swig of olive oil, a touch of mint and a hint of ham, I share my table with a green pea-averse partner, and that means a little more doctoring is required. 

So, I basically made the aforementioned dish and used it as a stuffing for a wonderful (and, if I do say so myself) really beautiful tortellini. Served in a light vegetable broth with a topping of watercress salad, these little pockets of spring would fool anyone into eating their veggies. And with a little help from the grocery store, I managed to make the ravioli in less than 30 minutes (if you don't already have wonton wrappers in your refrigerator, you definitely should—you can even keep them in the freezer until you need them). See below for the recipe, followed by a mini-tutorial on a tortellini folding technique that's super easy to master. And remember, you can make extra tortellini and keep them in the freezer for an even quicker weeknight meal. Just place them on a sheet tray until frozen, then pop them into a zip-top baggy or Tupperware and you're good to go! 

Spring Pea and Prosciutto Tortellini

16-20 wonton skins

1/2 cup shelled English Peas

3 Tbsp finely diced or 3 slices thinly sliced prosciutto

1 1/2 tsp fresh mint, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp ricotta cheese

salt

pepper

1. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Add peas and cook for 2-3 minutes until just cooked through and bright green. Remove to a bowl using a mesh strainer, and keep the water boiling (you will use it for the tortellini later).

2. Add prosciutto, mint and ricotta to the peas and stir to combine. Taste for salt and pepper, season accordingly, then mash the mixture lightly with a fork. Fill each wonton skin with a teaspoon of filling and fold closed (see illustrated folding technique below). Add to the boiling water and cook about 2 minutes until ravioli are al dente. Serve in broth or tossed with melted butter and topped with grated parmesan. Enjoy!  

How to Fold Tortellini and Wontons

1. Place a teaspoon of filling onto the center of your wonton or ravioli skin.

2. Using a brush or your finger, wet the top and two sides of the wrapper with water.

3. Fold bottom edge over the top of the filling.

4. Seal edges by pressing down on all sides, carefully removing any air from the filling.

5. Fold the top sealed edge back slightly over the filling.

6. Pull the two corners opposite the folded top around towards each other.

7. Wet the corners so they stick.

8. Pinch corners together.

9. Presto! Repeat.

-Laura

Peas and Love

Like so many kids, when I was little I convinced myself that I didn't like certain foods. Lentils were the first to get the axe, despite actually being delicious and eventually becoming one of my favorite ingredients. But as a kid they seemed like a lumpy brown mess that was out to get me and ruin my lunch. Peas suffered a similar fate after spending years as a part of the freezer section's Axis of Evil, along with carrots and lima beans (which by the way, seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth--seriously, when was the last time you saw them?). Every time peas appeared in a meal they became my main focus, distracting me from whatever tasty dish I should have been enjoying. Cast off to the side like the lepers of the vegetable world, I'd carefully roll them to the edge of my plate with a fork and line them in a row. I reasoned that so long as I was polite in my distaste for these shrivly masses I couldn't possibly be chastised for not eating all my food (besides, I saw my dad out of the corner of my eye quietly doing the same thing).

While peas never quite made the comeback that lentils did in my book, I did come to like them as an adult. I was won over by a simple and common Spanish preparation of peas with garlic, smoked paprika and serrano ham, but then again, what wouldn't taste great with company like that? It was only in the last couple of years when I familiarized myself with what real, fresh spring peas tasted like that I came to see what I was missing. The key to anything we don't like as children (other than general pickiness) is usually that it hasn't been prepared in a way that appeals to us, or more commonly, that someone unfamiliar with the ingredient cooked it into sunmission. Peas, like brussels sprouts and cabbage before them have suffered from overcooking, which leads to an unappealing texture, bad smell and wrinkly skin. Whether fresh or frozen, peas don't need much cooking and should remain plump and bright green. That way their texture, color and natural flavor are preserved, and we all get to enjoy the sweetness that many cooks value them for.

I like to leave delicious spring peas as untouched as possible when they are the focus of a dish. This week I made great spring pea tortellini using wonton skins, one of my favorite stuffed pasta shortcuts. The filling was a simple puree of blanched peas, ricotta, olive oil and lemon juice, all fairly mellow ingredients that let the peas shine. There are no overpowering herbs, and the lemon juice (and zest) brighten up the flavor ever so slightly. I like using them in soup, with a simple broth, and in this case a light lemon broth made with good chicken stock and lemon juice. It's a great compliment to the filling of the tortellini, and a lovely bright spring dish, but a regular old chicken soup or plain broth would do just fine. If you're not in the mood for soup, these are great just tossed with butter and topped with grated parmesan. I even topped the soup with some parmesan and sprinkled some in the broth. This is a great "intro to peas" for anyone that doesn't like them, and if that fails, just let me know and I'll make sure to get you the recipe that brought me over to the dark side!

Spring Pea Tortellini

1 10 oz package frozen peas (about 2 cups if you're using fresh)
3 heaping Tbsps  ricotta cheese (I like part skim for this)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
juice and zest of half a lemon
1 package wonton skins

1. Blanche peas in salted, boiling water until done, but still crisp and bright green (only 1-2 minutes if using frozen). Add peas to food processor along with ricotta, olive oil, salt lemon juice and zest. Pulse mixture until coarse and blended.

2. Fill each wonton skin with a scant 1/2 tablespoon of the pea mixture and fold closed (see proper tortellini folding technique here). Boil in salted water, chicken broth or soup until tender, about 2 minutes. Enjoy!

-Laura