Peas during this season are tender and sweet – ideal for many recipes. Discover some easy recipes for delicious pea appetizers!
Do you feel like drinking a glass of fresh white wine with your friends and you want to surprise them with some light and tasty vegetable appetizers? Here are five recipe ideas with peas to win you over! These are recipes that can be served as an appetizer or even as a main course with a fresh side dish. Savory pies and much more… flans and pâtés to spread on bread and croutons, all made with one common ingredient: peas.
Making peas
Before you think about how to use them in your recipes, cook them. Peel them well, blanch them quickly in water followed by a cold ice bath to maintain the bright color and crunchy texture. Alternatively, pan-fry them for a few minutes with extra virgin olive oil, onion and parsley for a softer, tastier version. Then use them to prepare the appetizers that we suggest or use them to stuff meatballs, make a vegetable flan or use them simply as an accompaniment to your main courses.
Discover the five recipes we suggest below for an extra-special springtime aperitif!
Savory pie with peas
You can use tart dough or puff pastry to make this recipe. Once the dough has been rolled out to cover the baking dish, prick it with a fork and pour in a mixture of 250 ml fresh cream, a beaten egg, grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, salt, pepper and the peas. All cooked together in a pan. You can also add cubes of smoked bacon or cooked ham if you’d like. Cook at 350°F (180°C) for about 30 minutes.
Pizza-tortilla with peas
For the pizza ‘dough,’ use a tortilla or even a piadina. If you have time, you can also prepare the classic base for the usual leavened pizza. Cook the tortilla in a pan – two minutes on each side. Add fresh ricotta cheese and peas at the end of cooking. Complete with herbs, a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper. If you use a pizza base, simply cook it in the oven with oil and salt and then add toppings.
Simple savory pie with peas
Again, you can use the base you prefer – between tart dough, salted shortcrust pastry or puff pastry. Fill the savory cake with peas and other vegetables such as beans, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, spinach and whatever else you’d like. Simply cook the vegetables in a pan and then mix them with ricotta or other cheeses such as mozzarella or fontina cheese for a quick version. Add one or two beaten eggs to the mixture and then cook everything at 350°F (180°C) for about 35 minutes.
Savory plumcake with vegetables
For this recipe, we suggest you use a yogurt jar for portions. Mix a jar of plain yogurt with three eggs, a small jarful of oil, three jarfuls of flour, one jarful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, a yeast packet, salt, pepper and the vegetables you want to use. Fill a buttered and floured plumcake mold and bake at 400° F in the oven for about 40 minutes.
Bruschetta with mashed beans and peas
This is a very tasty bruschetta. Beans, peas and pecorino cheese – can you think of a better combo? First cook the beans and shelled peas in a pan with some onion and a little oil. Add salt and pepper. Mix everything with a spreadable cheese such as ricotta, robiola or goat cheese. You can also simply blend the vegetables without adding anything else. Spread the cream on the grilled bread and complete with pecorino cheese and a drizzle of oil.