Peas with Sorrel and Mustard from "Plenty More"

Peas are totally underrated.

Most people revert to memories of their childhood days when they think of peas. For me, they usually found their way to the convenient shelf underneath the table - my "not so secret" hiding spot for the food that I didn't want to eat off of my plate.

True story.

The adverse reaction to peas is often due to the common use of frozen peas, cooked simply with some butter, salt and pepper, and then put on a plate - hopefully with mashed potatoes so the peas don't slide around too much! And while this is quite a delicious combination, I can see how it could get monotonous.

It's time to give peas a makeover! Fresh or frozen, this recipe from Plenty More (of course) adds a new dimension to the often overlooked vegetable.

Mustard three ways and a unique herb, sorrel, bring peas to another level.

Speaking of sorrel - what the heck is that anyway?

I had no clue. But I went looking for it at Whole Foods! I found it in the simple plastic herb pack, coupled with more familiar herbs such as basil, thyme and rosemary. As this recipe called for a decent amount of sorrel, I had to buy two packs.

When I brought it home - I was expecting something akin to a bold spinach - just by judging the look of the leaves. That hypothesis on flavor was incorrect! Sorrel surprised me with its "sour" acidic taste with a hint of lemon. It is not something you want to eat a whole bowl of but I can see why Ottolenghi decided to let it shine amongst the soft and nearly sweet peas. Then you hit it with some mustard and yogurt - both with an odd contrast of sharp and smooth and you've got a complex (but simple to prepare) pea side dish.

Peas with Sorrel and Mustard
Plenty More p. 70
serves four

Ingredients:

• 2 cups/300 g fresh or defrosted green peas
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 3/4 tsp superfine sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz/220 g green onions, white and green parts, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into 3/8-inch-/1-cm-thick slices (2 cups/180 g)
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp black mustard seeds, toasted
• 6 tbsp/75 g Greek yogurt
• 3 1/2 oz/100 g sorrel leaves and stems, coarsely shredded
• salt

Directions:

1. Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the peas, and blanch for just 30 seconds. Drain into a colander, refresh under cold water, and set aside.
2. Place both mustards in a small bowl with the sugar, 3 tablespoons water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix together to form a smooth paste and set aside.
3. Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once hot, and the green onions and garlic and fry for 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Turn down the heat to low and add the mustard sauce, peas, 2 teaspoons of the mustard seeds, and the yogurt. Stir for 1 minute until everything is well mixed and the yogurt is warmed through. Remove from the heat, stir in the sorrel, and serve at once, with the remaining 1 teaspoon mustard seeds sprinkled on top.

We served the peas and sorrel dish with a simple grilled steak. For a side dish, and a pea side dish at that, it sure had a lot of flavor. Was it my favorite side that I've made from Plenty More? No - but a high bar has been set with that cookbook. I didn't love the sorrel. Perhaps I would use a little less. Or cook it a little more to possible make it a bit less pungent. But that's also what made this dish pack the punch that it did - and what gave it a unique texture contrast - something that is so often missing from standard boiled peas.

So I'll give it a B. Totally interesting - we finished the whole dish - so that's saying something! And it was great with steak because it had enough "freshness" to make you feel that you are having a well-rounded meal. But it also had enough depth that complimented the steak quite nicely.

Speaking of another beautiful pairing. Say hello to my favorite Merlot. It's the Merlot that changed my mind about Merlot. It is beautiful, silky, with hints of blackberry and chocolate and barrel-aged in French Oak to bring forth a fabulously balanced, bold wine. I'm in love. Maybe that's by it is called "Amour."

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