This recipe fuses the sweet earthiness of peas with the pronounced saltiness of carne salada. Carne salada literally means “salty meat” and refers to a salami produced in Trentino in northeastern Italy. If you can't find it, just swap it for another salt-cured meat like corned beef.
It also calls for saba, a sweet and acidic Italian condiment made from cooked grape must – it's produced mostly in Emilia-Romagna by many balsamic vinegar producers but differs from balsamic vinegar in that it's not fermented or aged. You can find it at Italian gourmet specialty shops like Eataly and Gustiamo.
In regard to the peas, use fresh peas as the recipe requires leaving several in their pods and cooking them as such – which happens to make for an Instaworthy plate.
Peas With Carne Salada
Photo: Riccardo Lettieri, Styling: Beatrice Prada
Recipe: Joëlle Néderlants
Skill Level: Easy
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients for 4
2 lb. fresh peas
1⁄4 lb. cured meat such as corned beef
saba (cooked grape must; if you can’t find it, use balsamic vinegar)
extra-virgin olive oil
cinnamon
salt
Shell 1½ lb. peas and set aside. Wash the remaining peapods and slice them open lengthwise, leaving the peas attached.
Blanch the shelled peas. To blanch the peas, bring water to a boil and add salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Cook the shelled peas in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water for 30 seconds, then drain in a colander and set aside. Blanching halts the cooking process and retains the color.
Repeat with the open peapods. Set aside.
Cut the cured meat into pea-size chunks. In a large mixing bowl combine the cured meat, peas, and pods and season with salt, saba, and extra-virgin olive oil.
Finish with a pinch of cinnamon. Transfer to a salad bowl and serve.