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Urban Kitchen Gardener: 10 Ways with Peas
Make the most of the amazing home grown or seasonal veg available this summer. Tom Moggach kicks us off with creative ways to cook and eat peas.
In our Urban Kitchen Gardener series, we will be exploring how to use the amazing veg grown across the city. Whether you want to get creative with plant’s on the windowsill, or you’re not sure the best way to use something in your veg box, Tom Moggach is here to help.
This week we explore: Peas 10 ways!
Freshly picked peas are a marvel - sweet, crunchy and best eaten raw. You can also graze on the young pea tendrils or pea shoots. These are so addictive that they are best grown as a separate crop, thickly sowing peas direct into seeds trays of compost. Herbs such as basil, dill, lemon verbena, mint, shiso and tarragon pair well with this crop.
Mangetouts and sugar snaps:
1. Keep it simple, and serve them raw in a bowl, perhaps with chunks of Parmesan to nibble or a yoghurt dip laced with plenty of chopped dill or mint.
2. Steam for 2 minutes to slightly soften, then stir-fry with grated ginger and sesame oil. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, light soy sauce and serve. You could also add defrosted edamame.
3. When cooking pasta, toss whole pods or shelled peas into the cooking water for the last minute or so, to mix into the dish.
4. Chop and add to Vietnamese summer rolls.
5. Use mangetouts as a canapé base, with dollops of pesto or other toppings on top.
Peas in the pod:
6. Use as a canapé. Carefully open the pods, scoop out every other pea, and replace with small nuggets of feta cheese or diced chorizo. The pods then act as a serving dish, and you eat the peas raw.
Pea shoots:
8. Use liberally in salads, but avoid dousing in dressing, as their texture is best unadorned.
9. Add to sandwiches, stir-fries and risottos.
10. Include pea shoots in a mix for a pesto.
These suggestions are from Tom's fantastic book 'The Urban Kitchen Gardener: Growing and Cooking in the City'. Buy a copy for a special price of £15.
Want to learn more about Tom? Have a look at his Roots to Work Interview. Interested in growing in the city? Check out Sustain's Capital Growth.
Published Tuesday 4 August 2020
London Food Link: London Food Link brings together community food enterprises and projects that are working to make good food accessible to everyone in London to help create a healthy, sustainable and ethical food system for all.
