Mangetout

This year my garden has been and still is very generous with mangetout("eat it all" in French) or snow pea. It was on purpose to plant them that many, especially the violet and yellow ones, as there is something more than sweetness to this legume. There is that crunch, freshness, and endless possibilities to cook with it.

Although I love to snap it off the branch and eat it just like that or put it in a salad sliced in thin slices, my preferred way of eating them is blanched for a minute or so, to get rid of that stiffness, yet still, keep the crunch. It is vital to put them in salted, BOILING water and after a while in ice-cold water.

As for the ways of serving it. Be flexible. Blanched, it goes well with almost everything. I love to mix it with tomato, oil, herbs, and serve with burrata. I adore a simple Asian salad - peas, soy sauce, brown rice vinegar, chives, and nigella seeds. They wish to be present on a plate with fried halloumi or paneer scattered with fried almonds. Lightly smoked salmon is the best friend from the fish world. You can serve peas and salmon with olive oil sauce on bruschetta (adding poached egg is a beautiful idea). You can serve it with salmon in a salad. When craving for meat, prosciutto, and mange toutare like hand and glove, appreciating every splash of olive oil, and a sprinkle of basil and peppermint. And don't forget ramen soup. They are perfect to deliver that crunch when everything else is soft and got. These are just a few ways of serving these thin peas that deliver both - sweetness and crunchiness. There are plenty more.

Recipe and pictures: Signe Meirane
Camera: Sony Alpha 7s