Weekly Salad 20: Fresh Peas with Lettuce

 

 

The summer season is finally here and I’ve been trying to fit as many u-pick dates as I can for the various fruits and vegetables that are available in our area. Our first picking took place at Rowe’s Produce Farm in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Like good ol’ city folk, we got up at sunrise and headed out to the fields to pick their strawberries as well as their peas. Picking peas is not so bad because they’re usually clustered together. Shelling them wasn’t bad either (better than shelling favas, that’s for sure).

Fresh peas are a real treat if you can get them. They have a firm flesh that is not as starchy as canned or frozen ones tend to be. They’re nice any way you prepare them – steamed, sautéed or boiled. For this salad, gently steam the peas until they’re just cooked and toss them with lettuce and top with a poached egg for an easy and delicious salad.

 

 

With the green shells, I made a quick soup by cooking them with some chicken broth, one small peeled potato (to add body to the soup), one garlic clove, some onion, and S&P until soft. I blended the whole thing and strained it through a sieve. You can add a little milk or cream to the mix before serving. Nothing to waste – rien ne se jete.

 

PEA SHELL SOUP

 

ADIEU EVERYDAY COOK

 

 

On Saturday, June 21, Pierre and I ate our last lunch at Everyday Cook in Kerrytown – downtown Ann Arbor – it was the restaurant’s final day before closing. It was a bittersweet time for us as we appreciate what they were doing there, providing fresh, inventive food from a daily changing menu featuring local ingredients. I ordered Chef Brendan’s Chicken & Chorizo Paella with Peas & Roasted Red Peppers and Pierre ordered the Pork Tenderloin with Quince Aioli & Orange Asparagus Salad. Both were great. I wish I knew how the quince aioli was made – it tasted divine. We also shared a St. James tart with none other than KitchenChick – who, incidentally, sat at the same table as us. We wish the chefs and the owners much luck and hope that they find another food venture that can excite people the way Everyday Cook did.

Check out these blog posts:

Picking strawberries and peas from Four Obsessions

Fresh peas two ways from KitchenChick

 

Bon appétit!