As with any proud Basque, peas have played a huge part in my culinary education – they even feature in one of my earliest kitchen memories, of five-year-old me podding peas with my mother. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that peas are one of the most important ingredients in our cooking tradition, and we happily eat them for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, as well as a raw snack. Every spring, we Basques turn into pea-obsessives, because that’s when guisantes lágrima come into season. They’re much smaller than regular peas, and much, much sweeter, and we cook them every which way, from roasting and frying to stews and salads – they’re so revered that we call them “green caviar”. Lágrima peas are next to impossible to get hold of in the UK, but that’s not to say you can’t use fresh British peas in similarly delicious and varied ways.
Cod with peas, mint, fino and jamón (pictured top)
Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4
400g podded fresh peas
50ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to finish – I use arbequina
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
50g shallots, peeled and very finely diced
100g thinly sliced jamón Ibérico, or serrano ham, cut into julienne strips
25ml fino sherry
200ml fish or chicken stock
8 mint leaves, shredded
Salt and black pepper
4 x 220g cod steaks
Blanch the peas in boiling water for three minutes, then drain, refresh under running cold water and drain again.
Put 30ml oil in a wide pan on a medium heat, then saute the garlic for about 30 seconds, just to soften. Add the shallots, sweat, stirring, for about five minutes, until soft and translucent, then add the jamón and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the fino, cook, stirring, for three or four minutes, until it evaporates and reduces to almost nothing, then add the stock and cook for 10-15 minutes, until reduced by half. Turn down the heat to very low, then stir in the blanched peas and mint, and season generously.
Lightly season the cod fillets, and put the remaining 20ml oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Lay the pieces of cod skin side down in the hot oil, press down lightly with your fingers and cook for three or so minutes, until the skin is crisp. Flip over and cook for another three minutes on the flesh side, until the fish is cooked through.
Divide the pea mix between four plates, top each portion with a piece of cod, finish with a drizzle of good olive oil and more salt and pepper to taste, then serve at once.
Braised pork belly with fried eggs and peas
Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr
Serves 4
1½kg pork belly, scored (ask the butcher to do this for you, if need be)
Sea salt and black pepper
1½tsp (3g) cumin seeds
400g podded fresh peas
60g unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
125ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 slices sourdough, cut into cubes
4 eggs
A few pinches of smoked paprika
10ml moscatel vinegar
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and line an oven tray with baking paper. Put the pork skin side down on the tray and cover the flesh side with a thin layer of salt. Scatter over the cumin seeds, grind pepper generously on top, then roast for about an hour and a half, until it’s just about cooked and a knife cuts easily through the flesh. Flip over the pork belly so it’s now skin side up, and roast for another 15-20 minutes, until the skin crisps up. Once the pork belly is done, take it out of the oven, put on a rack, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest.
Meanwhile, blanch the peas in boiling water for three minutes, then drain, refresh under running cold water and drain again. Put the blanched peas and butter in a pan on a low heat, season and keep warm while you finish off everything else.
In a medium frying pan, fry the sliced garlic in 50ml oil for two or three minutes, until soft and starting to caramelise, then stir in the cubed bread and fry for a couple of minutes more, stirring often, until golden brown.
Put the remaining 75ml oil in a second medium frying pan on a medium-high heat and, once it’s good and hot, crack in the eggs one at a time and cook until the edges of the whites start to go crisp – spoon the hot oil over the top of the eggs to help them along. Season the eggs, then top each with a pinch of paprika and a splash of vinegar.
Divide the peas between four plates, top each pile of peas with a fried egg and sprinkle some garlic croutons over the top. Carve the pork belly into thick slices and serve alongside.
Goat’s cheese with crushed peas and hazelnut crumble
Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 6
150ml extra-virgin olive oil – I use arbequina
3-4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped (150g net)
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked, plus a little extra to finish
400g podded fresh peas
200ml fino sherry
80g cream cheese – I use full-fat Philadelphia
150g goat’s cheese, rind peeled and discarded
Salt and black pepper
6 slices of good bread
1 garlic clove, peeled
100g whole shelled hazelnuts
1 small bunch fresh dill, picked and chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemonPut 50ml of the oil in a small pan with the shallots and thyme, turn on the heat to medium-low and cook gently for about 30 minutes, until the onion turns jammy.
Meanwhile, blanch the peas in boiling water for three minutes, then drain, refresh under running cold water and drain again. Tip the peas into a medium saucepan, add about 75ml oil just to cover, then put on a medium-low heat and slowly cook the peas, too, for about 30 minutes. When the peas are soft, drain off the oil, then gently crush the peas with a fork and set aside.
Tip the shallots and their oil into a food processor with the fino and cream cheese, crumble in the goat’s cheese, then blitz smooth and season to taste.
Put the remaining 25ml oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat, then gently fry the slices of bread for a couple of minutes on both sides, until golden brown. Grate the peeled garlic over one or both sides of each toast.
Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan for a minute or so, until golden all over, then roughly crush in a mortar. Spread some of the goat’s cheese mousse on each piece of toast, spoon the peas on top, sprinkle over some dill, hazelnuts, more olive oil, thyme and lemon zest, and serve.
Crab and pea rice
Prep 15 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4
150g crab meat, a mix of brown and white, for preference
Extra-virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes
Salt and black pepper
280g calasparra rice
20g unsalted butter
900ml vegetable stock
150g podded fresh peas
20g manchego, grated
3 tbsp chopped parsley
4 tbsp chopped chives
3 tbsp chopped basil leaves
Put the crab meat in a bowl, add a drizzle of olive oil, the lime juice and zest, and salt and pepper to taste, then put to one side.
Melt the butter in a wide saucepan on a medium heat, stir in the rice to coat, then sweat for about three minutes, still stirring, until the rice is translucent. Add the stock, stir and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the rice is almost cooked through.
Meanwhile, blanch the peas in boiling water for three minutes, then drain, refresh under running cold water and drain again.
When the rice is nearly done, stir in the blanched peas just to warm them through, then mix in the crab meat and grated manchego. Take off the heat, leave to rest for a few minutes, then serve topped with chopped parsley, chives and basil.
Nieves Barragán Mohacho is chef/co-owner of Sabor, London W1
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