At this time of year I get so anxious for spring to arrive. The first few weeks of April are a special kind of torture for New Englanders. One moment it’s 70° and sunny and I’m sure that it’s time to plant the tomatoes, and the next day I’m wearing three layers while trodding through the rain. Every year I find myself scrolling back through my Instagram feed trying to find the moment when spring arrived. When did the apple trees bloom? When did the crocuses pop? It had to be earlier last year, didn’t it?

Slowly but surely, it’s coming. We had a weekend with a hint of sunburn, a beer on the porch in the afternoon, and a promise of more warm days to come. The peas have sprouted and we check on them three times a day, the only denizens of our garden so far. The trees are in that tentative green stage, and I find myself looking up every 10 minutes, as if they may somehow magically burst into blossom over the course of an afternoon. But that’s how it feels when it finally happens, isn’t it? One morning the gray branches and bare against the spring blue sky, practically bursting with anticipation, and the next somehow everything is green and lush.

But all this is the essence of spring, is it not? The uncertainty, the anticipation, the oscillation between summer and winter. So, thank you, spring, for showing up. For teasing us with sunshine and letting us plunge our hands into the soil. For the first signs of green and even for the cool nip in the wind. I promise to enjoy every moment of you, the most fleeting of seasons. I’ll enjoy the rainy days with fat raindrops pounding against the roof. I’ll enjoy every blossom you toss our way – first, the purple and yellow crocus tips, then the showy magnolia blooms, the showers of pink apple blossoms and the regal irises.

Because every season needs at least one or two go-to pasta recipes, I’ve been developing spring pastas. I’m trying to build a collection for each season, like this Creamy Mushroom Pasta and this Heirloom Tomato Spaghetti. And now, my latest for spring – Goat Cheese Stuffed Shells with Spring Vegetables. They have all the usual spring suspects – peas, asparagus, goat cheese, lemon – tucked inside thick pasta shells. The filling also includes ricotta, mozzarella, and chopped spinach. So much cheese! So many vegetables! The finishing touch is a quick bechamel sauce and just a little bit more cheese before baking.

A word of warning: these contain an almost lethal amount of cheese, as you might have guessed from the above. Pace yourself and remember that this batch should serve 8-10 people! Four or five shells is a good serving size, and it’s easy to wolf them down. Serve alongside a salad or some bright steamed asparagus for balance.

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Goat Cheese Stuffed Shells with Peas and Asparagus

A Katie at the Kitchen Door original recipes. Serves 8-10.

• One 12-oz. box of jumbo pasta shells
• 6 oz. soft goat cheese
• 1 lb. ricotta cheese
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated and divided
• 1 egg
• 1 cup (6 oz.) frozen spinach
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 TBS butter
• 3 TBS flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk, warmed in the microwave
• sea salt

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook for the amount of time specified on the packages. Err on the side of undercooking the pasta just a little bit – if you overcook the shells they are more likely to fall apart when stuffing. Drain the shells and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the goat cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the ricotta cheese and 6 oz of the mozzarella cheese and stir to combine. Reserve the remaining mozzarella cheese for topping the shells. Add the egg to the cheese mixture and beat slightly, stirring to combine evenly with the cheeses.
3. Add the frozen spinach to a microwaveable bowl with a little bit of water. Microwave until fully thawed, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Use a spoon to press any excess liquid out of the spinach, draining the liquid out of the bowl. When the spinach is dry, add to the bowl with the cheeses and stir to combine. Now add the peas to the microwaveable bowl with a little water and microwave for 60-90 seconds to defrost the peas. Drain the liquid from the bowl and add the peas to the spinach and cheese mixture, stirring to combine.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer. When simmering, add the asparagus and blanch until bright green, about 90 seconds. Drain immediately and rinse the asparagus under cold running water to stop the cooking. Cut the asparagus into small pieces, about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch long, and add to the cheese filling. Add the lemon zest and black pepper, stir to combine, and set aside.
5. To prepare the bechamel sauce, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir into the butter. Cook the flour and butter, stirring constantly, until fragrant and just beginning to color, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the warm milk, stirring as you do to incorporate the milk into the roux. Cook the bechamel, stirring the whole time, until it has thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon but still runs freely when lifted. This should only take 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with sea salt.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread a little bit of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole dish (to help keep the shells in place as you fill them). Working one at a time, spoon the cheese and vegetable mixture inside the pasta shells, using about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of filling per shell. As you stuff them, line the shells up on the casserole dish in a single layer. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top of the shells, then sprinkle the reserved grated mozzarella over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm.

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It’s finally Friday! Does anyone else need a drink? I needed a drink. It was a long week, guys. Really long. But now it’s over – and I’m on vacation! For ten whole days! I’m headed up to Maine with Trevor and my family tomorrow morning, and I’ll be relaxing, eating well, and spending time outside, rain or shine (it’s looking like rain, unfortunately).

When I saw the recipe for “The Sweet Pea” cocktail in the April issue of Bon Appetit, I got really excited. English peas? In a cocktail? I’m in! Plus that drink is such a gorgeous pale green color I’m not sure how I was supposed to resist riffing on it. I wanted to be a little bit more adventurous with the flavor profile of this drink, and since I’ve been reading green pea recipes all week, I’ve got all kinds of ingredients that pair well with peas on my mind. After mulling it over for the past few days, I decided on the following combo: fresh green peas, cucumber, tarragon, lemon, and elderflower rum. And yes, this is what I saved my super-sweet-from-our-garden peas for.

The resulting drink was lovely. It had a wonderful herbalness from the tarragon, natural sweetness from the peas, a refreshing hint of cucumber, and the acidity of the lemon tied the other flavors together – definitely a departure from my usual super-sweet, super-fruity cocktails of choice. The elderflower rum is a little sweet on its own, and is definitely a nice addition, but if you can’t find it using regular rum is fine. Personally, I don’t like gin, but I imagine that it would work well here if you’re a fan of it.

So cheers! Here’s to a lovely weekend!

Green Pea Rum Cooler

Inspired by Bon Appetit. Serves 1.

• 3 TBS fresh green peas, shelled
• 3 slices of cucumber, about 1/2-inch thick each
• 1/2 TBS roughly chopped tarragon leaves
• 1 slice lemon
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1-1/2 oz. elderflower rum, or other white rum
• ice

1. Muddle the peas, cucumber, tarragon, lemon, and sugar in a cocktail shaker until peas and cucumber are completely mashed. Add rum and ice to shaker and shake for 30 seconds, then strain into a glass. Serve cold, garnished with additional lemon or cucumber slices and a few whole fresh peas.

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Spicy Grilled Pea Pods with Chili Soy Glaze and Mint from The Kitchy Kitchen

When I first spied a picture of these fabulously blackened grilled pea pods on Pinterest, my mind was a little bit blown. Grilling pea pods whole? Genius! Claire Thomas, author of The Kitchy Kitchen, is the one behind this brilliant idea to treat shelling peas like edamame – cook, season, and then suck the peas out of the pods with gusto, being sure to lick your fingers clean of all the spicy-salty goodness left behind. Also, I’m extra grateful to Claire for helping me prove to Trevor that peas are interesting enough to be the star of a recipe. Head over to Claire’s for the recipe, and to find more super-creative ideas (like roasted pineapple butterscotch pudding. Yum.)

Spring Vegetable Potstickers with Sweet Chili Soy Dip from The First Mess

These aren’t really a pea-specific food – they have lots of other veggies in them, like cabbage and asparagus and shallots – but they’re so cute and so clever that I just had to share them. When I think potstickers I always think meat, but these veggie ones that Laura made look just as satisfying and tasty as those really-bad-for-you-but-really-addictive pork filled ones.

Home Made Pea and Ham Soup from Souvlaki for the Soul

When I think of pea and ham soup, I usually think of a bowl of muddy green, overly salty, overly watery, and generally unappetizing soup reserved for days when there’s not much else in the cupboard than dried peas. I never even considered the possibility that it could be classed up with fresh peas and high quality smoked ham until I saw Peter’s photograph. What a difference! This soup looks thick and hearty and flavorful, a complete departure from my mental image. I’ll for sure be breaking this recipe out on the next chilly day we have.

Savory Quinoa Muffins with Peas and Spinach from Rachel Cooks

This is another recipe where you perhaps can’t call peas the star – but it’s certainly a unique use for them! Other than the occasional grated carrot or zucchini, vegetables don’t find their way into my baked goods very often, but I love the idea of having these healthy, veggie-packed muffins around for an easy and filling snack.

And… I’m going to cheat a little bit and include a few of my favorite pea recipes that I’ve posted here over the past few years as well. They’re worth sharing again, I promise.

Mint Ravioli with Sweet Pea and Goat Cheese Filling

I remember really loving these. Rolling the chopped mint out into the pasta dough makes for such a pretty green-flecked raviolo, and it’s certainly impressive if you want to serve these to friends. And apparently I’ll never get tired of pairing sweet fruits and veggies with tangy goat cheese. It just works.

Pea and Wasabi Soup

This is a recipe I put together for Greatist last year (adapted from Radically Simple). It has a short ingredient list, but the combination of sweet peas, tangy buttermilk, and head-clearing wasabi is intriguing and unique. And topping the soup with dried wasabi-peas is a fun use of an ingredient typically relegated to the snack bowl.

Lemon Broccoli Pasta with Peas

Last but not least – peas and cream and pasta. I know it’s overdone, but seriously, it’s so good. Quick to make, comforting to eat, and at least there’s a little bit of green on your plate. Peas are good for that.

The post Ingredient of the Week: English Peas // Around the Blogs appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

I was reminded the other night of the difference between a mediocre English pea and a perfect one. The bag of peas I had picked up at the farmer’s market was just so-so – the peas were fresh, but not particularly sweet, and starchy even though they were small. As I shelled them I wondered if perhaps I had built them up as a favorite ingredient in my memory more than I should have. Really, these run of the mill vegetables were what I had spent months anticipating? Then, last night we went to Andover to take care of this week’s gardening needs. Of course, as soon as I got off the train in town it started pouring, then thundering, and then hailing. It was not an ideal situation. Instead of gardening we sat inside and listened to the storm while eating tacos made from the El Paso kit I found in the cupboard. Around 8 the lightning moved far enough into the distance that we decided to brave the remaining weather, so we ran out into the humid garden, the darkness deepening by the minute, and rushed through our chores. It was dirty, and dark, and the mosquitos were vicious, but I managed to grab a few handfuls of peas, favas, lettuce, and rhubarb to take home. On the drizzly drive back I was frustrated – we put so much work and money and time into this garden and here it was, mid-June, and all we had was a measly half-full bag of veggies to show for it, while the deer were having a free-for-all with our baby fruit. What was the point?

Back in Somerville, I washed the veggies and began putting them away. On a whim, I cracked open one of the pea pods and popped the peas into my mouth. I was immediately overwhelmed by the sweetness. How different from the peas I had bought! I’m sure the farmer’s market peas were initially just as sweet, but after coming off the vine they deteriorate quickly. Although the garden is still frustrating, the peas were positive reinforcement that all of our work is paying off, at least as measured by quality.

Now, after that story I’m being a little bit unfair and sharing a recipe that actually wouldn’t suffer too much from starchy peas (I’m saving what I made with our garden peas for Thursday’s post!). This recipe for green pea fritters uses both fresh and dried peas in what is basically a take on falafel. It’s from Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy, and I was pleased with how easy, healthy, and flavorful these were. I love the use of tarragon in the fritter batter – something about tarragon just makes peas taste more like peas, a discovery I made when trying to create one of my favorite meals from Prague (that is a really old post – please don’t judge me too much!). The herbed creme fraiche is essential in making these fritters really sing, so don’t skip it. And, if you haven’t tried making creme fraiche from scratch, you should – all you do is stir together 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 TBS of yogurt or buttermilk, cover it, leave it in warm place, and 24 hours later tah-dah! Creme fraiche, for a fraction of the price you’d pay in the store.

To summarize: peas are really good right off the vine and they make gardening worthwhile. Make these fritters with some fresh peas. Make your own creme fraiche, it’s easy and cheap. Come back tomorrow for more pea recipes.

Green Pea Fritters with Herbed Creme Fraiche

Recipe adapted slightly from Vegetable Literacy. Makes 12 small fritters (serves 4).

• 3/4 c. green split peas (dried)
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 c. shelled fresh peas, divided, from about 1 lb. of pea pods
• 2 TBS chopped tarragon, divided
• sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3 scallions, white and green parts only, thinly sliced, divided
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 c. creme fraiche
• 1 tsp minced chives
• olive oil or ghee, for frying

1. The day before making the fritters, place the green split peas in a bowl and cover with water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter overnight to soften.
2. The next day, drain the green split peas and puree them in a food processor until smooth. Add the garlic, and 1/2 c. of the fresh peas and pulse until the peas are well broken up. Add 1 TBS of the chopped tarragon and a sprinkle of sea salt and pulse a few times to combine.
3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Stir in the baking soda and 2/3 of the sliced scallions. Season the fritter batter to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the remaining 1/2 c. of fresh peas in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until bright green, then immediately drain and run under cold water. Set aside.
5. Stir together the creme fraiche, remaining 1 TBS of tarragon, remaining scallions, and the chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. Heat a film of olive oil or ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of the fritter batter into the pan, pressing down on the batter to make rounded fritters about 1/2 an inch thick. Cook for 2 minutes a side, flipping when golden brown. Drain cooked fritters on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all fritter batter is used.
7. Serve the fritters warm with a generous drizzle of the creme fraiche and a spoonful of the blanched peas on top.

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I have another ingredient of the week for you all! And… it’s peas. The podded, shelling kind, also known as English peas. I hope you like this series and I’m not boring you to death with the same ingredient every day (please, leave a comment if I am) – it’s so much fun for me to get creative thinking of ways to use one ingredient, and it’s certainly effective in making me feel as though I’m getting the most out of seasonal produce. If you missed the first week (starring rhubarb!) and are curious about how this series came about, you can read the intro here. But then come back and get excited about this humble but sweet green vegetable.

I always think of peas as an early spring vegetable, and I start checking for them in the markets as early as March. I really should know better, since I grow peas in my own garden and they’re barely above ground in March. The truth is, in New England, shelling peas really aren’t widely available until mid-June – the first time I saw them in any sort of quantity was last week at the farmer’s market. It can be an excruciating wait, but once the peas are ready it seems as if something else is ripe every week following that. They’re a true sign that summer is arriving.

Trevor was skeptical of whether or not peas were really interesting enough to dedicate an entire week to. His point, which is fair, was that peas are usually a side ingredient, not the main ingredient. To that end, I’m going to try and avoid recipes with the phrase “with peas.” We want peas to be the star, not something tacked on to the end. Peas are typically used in fairly common ways – mixed into pasta, served as a side dish with butter, pureed into a soup, or as part of a green spring vegetable salad. All of these are delicious, but I’m going to try and think outside of the box this week. I’m not promising leaps and bounds out of the box, but hopefully I’ll at least push on the edges a little.

These little crostini come from a book that’s a favorite source of inspiration for me – Maria Elia’s The Modern Vegetarian. One of the things that I really like about the book are the three mini-section that focus exclusively on the textures of one ingredient. In textures of peas, she includes five recipes – fresh pea stock, sweet pea custards, pea, basil and mint soup, pea jelly, and these smashed pea, dill and feta crostini. The idea is sort of that you make them all together and serve them at once to highlight the contrasts possible with a single ingredient. I considered doing that, but a pound of peas really doesn’t go very far – I’ll have to stock up again before I try the others. But the crostini are very, very good. Lots of flavors all mingled up – sweet, salty, lemony, herbal. I could have easily wolfed down the whole batch in 5 minutes. As it was, I paced myself and shared them with Trevor, sitting outside eating dinner and drinking agua frescas as the heat finally subsided for the day. A beautiful summer evening, with beautiful summer food.

Smashed Pea,  Dill, and Feta Crostini

Recipe adapted from The Modern Vegetarian. Serves 4 as an appetizer.

• 1 garlic clove
• 2 TBS fresh dill, finely chopped
• sea salt
• 5 oz. shelled fresh peas, about 1 cup (from about 1 lb. of peas in their pods)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1/3 c. crumbled feta cheese
• 2 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 8-10 slices baguette

1. Place the garlic, dill, and a pinch of sea salt in a mortar and pestle and pound until they form a paste. Scrape into a small bowl and set aside.
2. Add half of the peas, 1 TBS of the olive oil, and a small pinch of salt to the mortar and pestle and pound to form a paste (you want it to be mostly smooth, but a few chunks of peas is good). Add to the bowl with the garlic. Repeat with the remaining peas and olive oil. Stir the smashed peas and the garlic together until evenly combined. Mix in the feta, Parmesan, and lemon juice, and taste for seasoning, adjusting salt or lemon if necessary.
3. Toast the slices of bread in a toaster, on a griddle pan, or under the broiler until golden brown. Immediately spread the toast with the pea and feta mixture and serve.

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One year ago today, I wrote my first blog post.  It was a recipe for an omelette, which, lets be honest, no one really needs a recipe for. It did not include any pictures, which, lets be honest again, is 70% of the reason most people visit food blogs.  And it has this sad undertone that’s so characteristic of the way I used to feel at Duke pretty much all the time – this underlying longing to be home.

Fast forward one year.  I can honestly say I’m happy at Duke – I’ve dealt with the reasons I felt so lonely, decided to stop worrying so much about friends and parties and things, and hit my groove.  Yes, I still have sad days.  Yes, I still feel lonely sometimes.  But I have wonderful friends, a lovely place to live, and new opportunities almost every day.  This year has easily been the best one yet, and while I can’t say that I’ll be sad to graduate (I am so excited to graduate!), I’m not going to leave Duke resentful.

And this blog – I am much better at it then I was a year ago.  Sometimes I find blogging so fulfilling – like when friends approach me to say they tried and liked a recipe.  And sometimes I find it kind of a chore – like when I’m feeling uninspired and guilty about not posting.  But fulfilling definitely wins out over the chore part, so I’m gonna stick with it.  Over the past year I’ve learned a ton about both food and the culture surrounding it, and I’ve tried dozens of new foods.  When I first started cooking I always wanted to try the most complicated, ingredient-laden recipes I could find, for the challenge of it.  Lately, though, I’ve been the most intrigued by simple recipes.  Recipes with only a few ingredients that enhance each other perfectly.  How to cook mushrooms so that they taste even more like mushrooms.  Recipes that are so simple they could actually be considered techniques.  So this year, I want to explore simplicity.

This pasta recipe is a perfect example of ingredients combining to enhance one another without losing their integrity.  The sauce is simple – butter, shallots, lemon, cream, and salt.  Together, the cream tastes sweeter than it would on its own, the lemon brighter and more savory, the shallots just releasing their pungency.  The kale and peas are cooked just long enough that they begin to mellow in the sauce.  Pour over pasta and voila, the perfection of simplicity.  Really, it’s so good.

Lemon Cream Sauce with Kale and Peas

Serves 2-3.

• 1 TBS butter
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1/4 c. heavy cream
• juice from 1 lemon
• 2 c. chopped kale
• 1 c. frozen peas
• sea salt to taste
• 1/2 lb. angel hair pasta

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. In a large pan, melt butter, and sautee shallot for 2-3 minutes.  Add cream and lemon juice and stir to incorporate.  Add chopped kale and frozen peas and cook for 3-4 minutes, until kale has begun to soften and peas are heated through.  Add salt to taste.  Lower heat to very low.  (Note: I add lemon until it’s on the verge of being too lemony, and then add salt to bring the flavors together.  It works perfectly and is addictively flavorful.)
3. Cook angel hair according to package directions.  Drain.  Pour sauce over pasta and serve hot.

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