Latest news with #freshpeas

New York Times

Spring Comes for the Cutlets

My devotion to asparagus is no secret to anyone who reads these missives. But I don't think I've spilled quite as much ink on my other favorite spring fling: fresh green peas. True, the frozen ones are easy to find and even easier to use; just pour them in the pan, no shucking required. Fresh green peas, however, eaten straight from the pod or gently stewed in butter until they just soften, are peerlessly crisp-tender, earthy and sugar sweet. I'm counting the days until the first ones appear at my local greenmarket in about a month. For now, though, I'll happily break out a bag of the frozen ones to make Cybelle Tondu's chicken with tender lettuce, peas and prosciutto. Cybelle sears chicken cutlets on one side only, giving them a nicely caramelized crust, then flips them briefly to finish the cooking, keeping the meat juicy inside. While the cutlets rest, she adds a little butter to the pan drippings to sauté shallots, lettuce, prosciutto and peas to serve alongside. It's a vivacious springtime take on the usual chicken breast dinner. Featured Recipe View Recipe → Pesce all'acqua pazza (fish in crazy water): Ali Slagle adapts Marcella Hazan's traditional Neapolitan recipe for fish fillets lightly poached in a tomato broth spiked with chile flakes, fennel and garlic. And speaking of Marcella, check out Pete Wells on the new documentary about her. Pete writes that for him, as with many Americans who love to cook Italian food, her distinctive (and somewhat bossy) tone has left a permanent impression: 'That voice — brusque, solidly accented, cured in cigarette smoke, marinated in Jack Daniels — comes to me all the time. Seeing cold pasta at a deli, I'll hear her saying, 'If I had invented pasta salads I would hide.'' Spicy miso lentil soup: Also from Ali, this savory, bright green soup strikes a balance between hearty and light. To keep the color and flavor vibrant, Ali purées raw spinach, miso, lime juice and ginger, then adds it to the cooked lentils and rice right at the end, just to warm the mixture through without cooking it too much (which would dull it down). A garnish of sliced shiitakes fried in sesame oil adds a forthright crunch. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.