Endive & English Pea Salad

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture, but this recipe was delicious. I used English peas bought still in the shell. You could try this recipe with frozen peas, but it might not taste as fresh.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup freshly podded English sweet peas
1 meyer lemon
1 lime
1 small orange
2 scallions (green onion) finely sliced
1 Belgian endive
1 red Belgian endive
2 slices of prosciutto
Extra Virgin olive oil
kosher salt
Freshly cracked pepper
1 tsp pimenton ahumado (smoked paprika)
Fresh shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Boil peas until just tender. Remove from water and place in ice-water immediately. Set aside. Juice the lemon, lime and orange. Wash and pat dry four leaves of yellow endive and four leaves of red endive. Set aside. On two salad plates, drizzle a little olive oil using a pour spout. Set two yellow endives criss-crossed with two red endives on each plate (be creative). Drain the peas. In a small bowl, combine the peas with the scallions. Drizzle olive oil on top, add a good pinch of salt and pepper, and pimenton ahumado. Mix. Add citrus juices. Spoon peas and scallion salad into the four endive leaves on each plate. Rip a prosciutto piece in half and set on each side of the plate. Garnish with parmigiano shavings. Serves 2.

Soupe aux Poids (French Canadian Pea Soup)

Growing up in Toronto, my parents used to always have canned pea soup in the cupboard. This was my dad's favorite soup. I haven't been able to find an equivalent in the US. The brand name was Habitant. And, here's my attempt at a homemade version of a French Canadian staple food. Unlike the pea soup below that uses green split peas and tastes differently, this soup is made with the traditional French Canadian yellow split peas.

INGREDIENTS
10 cups water
2 cups yellow split peas
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups celery with leaves, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 thick slices uncured pork bacon or pancetta, chopped
3 bay leaves, dried
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Combine water and peas in saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 1 hour. In a large skillet, saute onions until translucent, add carrots and celery. Saute on low heat until soft. Add mixture to peas. Add bacon/pancetta and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours until peas are tender, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Portuguese-Style Tuna Casserole

While I was growing up, my mother often made recipes that contained elements of Portuguese-style cuisine. For example, lots of olive oil, potatoes, kalamata olives and onions. This recipe is inspired from many recipes my mother taught us.

INGREDIENTS

3 potatoes, boiled, cubed
4 carrots, boiled, cubed
3 eggs, boiled, sliced
1/4 cup frozen petit peas
1 can tuna in water
fresh sage, minced
fresh dill, minced
fresh oregano, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
fresh ginger, about 3 small pieces
2 tbsps kalamata olives (about 8 - 10)
olive oil (about 1 cup)
flavorful beer (about 1/2 cup)
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
paprika to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a casserole dish, gently combine all solid ingredients until evenly distributed in the dish. Drizzle olive oil until coated. Add salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Add beer. Cover dish with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes or until top is bubbly and golden. Serve.

Pea Soup

So, I had leftover cooked green split peas and I made pea soup out of them. Here is how I did it. So simple and quite delicious!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb. yellow or green split peas
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup free range chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of paprika

DIRECTIONS

Cook the split peas according to the package, but add a little salt to the water. When cooked, the peas should settle on the bottom of the pot. Skim off excess water, leaving 1 inch above peas. In a separate pan, saute onion and garlic until cooked. Add to split pea pot. Add the chicken broth, some salt and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. With hand mixer or blender, puree the ingredients until smooth. Add paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pepper or dollop of sour cream if desired. Enjoy!

VARIATIONS

Many people like to cook the peas with ham bones or chopped bacon. If you do, either cook with the peas or if using bacon, saute with the onions. Reserve a little of the cooked, chopped bacon for garnish.

NUTRITION NOTES

1/2 cup of split peas have 16% of daily value of protein. Source:http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/protein.html

Split Pea Curry (Daal)

I tried a new curry recipe for the first time today. I had a package green split peas and figured a curry would be a great way to enjoy them. I hope you like this!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 package (1/2 lb) green split peas
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 potato, cubed
1 to 2 carrots, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds, spluttered
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
cooked rice

DIRECTIONS

Cook split peas according to package directions. Do not drain. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add tomatoes, potato and carrot. Using a ladle, spoon 1 cup of water from the split peas. Add spices. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve over rice with Kadhi or other curries.

VARIATIONS
Obviously, any of the dry ingredients above can be substituted for fresh ingredients, such as the cilantro, or ginger.