Pile the nettles into the skillet—with tongs—and toss to wilt and tenderize, 2 to 3 minutes. Season everything with salt and pepper.
Beat the eggs with a fork or a whisk in a medium bowl until they are fully blended and just slightly foamy. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the eggs into the pan over the garlic, asparagus, and nettles, scraping all the egg out of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Let the eggs cook without disturbing them for about 1 minute. Then with a silicone spatula or a table knife, gently lift the edges of the eggs, letting the liquid eggs pour over the edge and underneath. Let that set for another few seconds and then continue lifting and letting the eggs flow. This will create layers and make the frittata lighter.
When the eggs aren’t super runny anymore but the top is still moist and undercooked, slide the pan under the broiler for a minute or two to lightly brown the top of the frittata.
Careful, the pan handle is hot now! Run the spatula or a small knife around the edge of the frittata and then flip the pan over onto a cutting board or cooling rack. Shake and tap to release the frittata. If a bit sticks to the pan and rips, don’t worry, just piece it back together. Invert the frittata again so it’s right side up. Scatter the feta over the top. Let the frittata cool until it’s just warm, and serve in wedges.
MORE WAYS:
Turn leftover frittata into an open-faced sandwich: Spread some fresh goat cheese on a slice of good bread (walnut bread would be awesome), arrange a handful of arugula or other tender greens over the cheese, top with thin slices of cold frittata, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Make a main-dish salad with cold frittata: Cut it into ¼-inch sticks, toss with some lemon juice, lemon zest, chile flakes, salt, black pepper, and plenty of olive oil. Let the frittata marinate for a few minutes, then toss with fresh greens and fresh herbs, such as mint and parsley, and a handful of grated sharp cheddar.
Create easy appetizers: Cut the room-temperature frittata into 1-inch squares. Spread some Whipped Ricotta onto a serving plate and arrange the frittata squares on top. Add some toothpicks and you’re set.
Asparagus, Garlic Chives, and Pea Shoots, with or without an Egg
This dish is a variant on the classic “mess o’ greens”—a big tangle of asparagus and other early spring treats. I serve this as a main dish by topping it with a fried or poached egg; eggless, it makes a lovely bed for a piece of fish.
» Serves 2 or 3
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch green garlic or spring onions, trimmed (including ½ inch off the green tops), thinly sliced
1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed
4 cups lightly packed pea shoots and tendrils
1 bunch garlic chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Pecorino Romano cheese, for grating
2 or 3 eggs (optional)
2 tablespoons Dried Breadcrumbs (optional)
Pour a healthy glug of olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the thicker spears of asparagus to the pan in a single layer. Cook until the asparagus are slightly tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the thinner spears and cook, pulling out spears as they become tender. (If the green garlic starts to get too dark, scoop it out with a spoon.)
Once all the asparagus are cooked and out of the pan, drop in the pea shoots and splash in a bit of water to create some steam to wilt them.
Add the garlic chives and sauté, tossing frequently so everything wilts nicely, for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on how tough the pea shoots are. Return the asparagus to the pan, season generously with salt and pepper, and add another healthy glug of olive oil.
Cook until all is tender—but not mushy—another minute or two. Squeeze the lemon juice over everything, toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
Serve as is, with a shower of grated pecorino and breadcrumbs. Or set aside the greens in a warm place while you gently fry the eggs in olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and slide an egg onto each portion of greens. Serve right away.
In the kitchen Use baby mustard greens instead of pea shoots, or toss in a handful of sliced sugar snaps or English peas.
Grilled Asparagus with Fava Beans and Walnuts
I think walnuts and asparagus taste similar—both are slightly bitter—so I love to work them together in a dish. For the topping, you’ll be making a wettish, textural salsa with favas, breadcrumbs, walnuts, cheese, lemon, and olive oil. If favas aren’t available, just skip them.
» Serves 4
2 pounds fava beans in their pods
1½ pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed
About 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Dried Breadcrumbs
½ cup chopped lightly toasted walnuts
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
Shell, blanch, and peel the fava beans.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high and grill the asparagus (with no oil) until it’s nicely charred and slightly tender, 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the thickness.
Transfer the asparagus to a wide bowl or a platter, drizzle with 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss gently to coat without breaking up the spears.
Toss the peeled favas in a bowl with the breadcrumbs, walnuts, Parmigiano, and another tablespoon or so of lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning until the fava-walnut mixture is highly seasoned and delicious. Add ¼ cup olive oil and toss again.
Pile the fava mixture onto the asparagus and gently toss everything together. Taste a bite of asparagus and favas and adjust with more lemon, salt, pepper, or olive oil as needed. Serve at room temperature.
Vignole
This is my straightforward interpretation of a classic Roman springtime dish, in which a handful of spring vegetables are gently stewed together until they have lost their bright green color . . . but not their green flavor. Asparagus and fava beans are typical, and I like to add whatever else looks good at that time—English peas, sugar snaps, spring onions.
Vignole is fantastic the second day because all those flavors have had a chance to develop. And it’s great with some short pasta, such as ditalini, or some farro stirred in. Don’t forget the grilled bread on the side and a drizzle of olive oil.
» Serves 4 to 6
½ pound spring onions, trimmed (including 1 inch off the green tops), bulbs quartered or cut even smaller if they are big
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
2 pounds fava beans in their pods
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ pound sugar snap peas, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
½ pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed, stalks cut on an angle into ½-inch slices, tips left whole
½ head escarole or other sturdy and tasty green, root end trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, washed really well
¼ cup lightly packed mint leaves
½ cup lightly packed roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
Cut the spring onions into 1½-inch lengths (you want to have a bit more than 2 cups).
Stack the prosciutto slices, roll them up into a cylinder, and slice crosswise into thin strips. Then cut across the coils of the strips so that you’re chopping the prosciutto into small bits. (This process is easier if you chill the prosciutto in the freezer for a few minutes first.) You want around ¾ cup.
Shell, blanch, and peel the fava beans.
Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other big heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, and prosciutto. Reduce the heat, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until the onions are soft and fragrant but not browning at all, 12 to 15 minutes.
Add the fava beans, snap peas, asparagus, escarole, and 1 cup water. Cover and cook at a simmer until the vegetables are very soft and the flavors are all blending together, 15 to 25 minutes. You want the consistency to be slightly brothy, and though most of the liquid will come from the vegetable juices, add a bit more water if need be.
Add the mint, parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning so the stew is rich and savory. Drizzle on a bit more olive oil.
Serve on its own or over pasta. Finish individual plates with more olive oil and pass the Parmigiano at the table.
English Peas
English peas—the type of pea grown for the pearl-shaped seeds on the inside rather than for the pods—are absolutely one of spring’s treasures. Even if you find peas later in the summer, they will not compare to first-of-the-season peas, which are sweet and crunchy yet tender, with no starchiness at all. This is the time to shuck a bowl of peas and eat them totally raw, maybe dressed in a bit of olive oil and lemon juice, but nothing else to interfere with their youthful appeal.
Curvy is beautiful. Look for pods that show the contours of the peas inside, so you know they’re fully developed, and of course pick ones that are super green and not dried out. The peas will stay freshest in their pods, so only shuck them when you’re ready to eat them.
Briefly boil. If you don’t serve them raw, serve them as close to raw as you can—just dunk them briefly in boiling water or add them late in the process of your recipe, so they keep their lovely green sweetness. The more mature and starchy the pea, the longer you should cook it.
In the field When you grow your own peas, you get to harvest the delicate and tasty tendrils, also called pea shoots. Snap peas and English peas produce these curling strands, which can be clipped from the plant and used like a fresh green, eaten raw or lightly wilted.
English Pea Toast
A perfect showcase for the early-season peas, this toast can be an appetizer, a first course, or a light main course. A layer of fresh sheep’s cheese, sweet and mild, would be so nice with the peas, but I also use my go-to cheese topping, Whipped Ricotta.
» Serves 4 as an appetizer
1½ to 2 pounds English peas in their pods, shelled (1½ to 2 cups peas)
3 red spring onions or scallions, trimmed (including ½ inch off the green tops), thinly sliced on a sharp angle, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well
1 lemon, halved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small handful mint leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
Four ½-inch-thick slices country bread
1 cup fresh sheep cheese, fromage blanc, mild goat cheese, or Whipped Ricotta
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for grating
Put the shelled peas and onions in a bowl, squeeze on the juice from half the lemon, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the mint, taste and adjust with more lemon, salt, or pepper, and then add ¼ cup olive oil.
Grill, broil, or toast the bread on both sides. Spread the fresh cheese onto each toast and arrange on plates. Tumble the peas onto each toast, pressing lightly so that most of the peas stick to the cheese. Finish with a nice shower of grated Parmigiano and a thin ribbon of olive oil.
English Pea and Pickled Carrot Salsa Verde
Though I’m calling this a salsa verde, which usually refers to a sauce or condiment, I like to serve it as an actual side dish or as the bed for a grilled pork chop, chicken breast, or a piece of fish. Don’t limit yourself to pickled carrots—any good pickled vegetable will do, and the more types, the merrier.
» Serves 2 to 4
2 pounds English peas in their pods, shelled (2 cups peas)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 small handful mint leaves, cut into fine shreds
3 scallions, trimmed (including ½ inch off the green tops), thinly sliced on a sharp angle, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well
1 cup thinly sliced pickled carrots, store-bought or homemade
1 lemon
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt until it tastes like the sea. Drop in the shelled peas and boil for just 30 seconds (or closer to a minute if the peas are more mature). Drain and immediately run under cold water or dunk into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and dry.
Separate the stems from the parsley leaves. Trim off the dried end bits of half the parsley stems (compost the others or use in another dish) and very finely slice the stems crosswise, the way you would chives. Chop the parsley leaves medium fine.
Put the parsley stems and leaves and the mint into a small bowl. Add the scallions, pickled carrots, and peas. Grate the lemon zest into the bowl. Add the capers and season generously with pepper. Pour over ½ cup olive oil and toss together.
When you’re ready to serve, halve the lemon, squeeze about 2 tablespoons lemon juice over the mixture, and season with salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more lemon, oil, salt, or pepper.
In the kitchen Equip yourself with a rasp-style grater (Microplane is one brand). All your grating tasks will become so much easier, and the final results will be fine and fluffy.
English Peas with Prosciutto and New Potatoes
When you have truly young, creamy potatoes and sweet, tender peas, this supersimple side dish is close to perfect. You can swap pancetta for the prosciutto or leave out the meat altogether to make it vegetarian.
» Serves 3 or 4
½ pound new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch dice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
½ small onion, finely chopped
3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
2 pounds English peas in their pods, shelled (2 cups peas)
1 small handful fresh mint leaves
Put the diced potatoes in a medium pot, add water to cover by 1 inch, and add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until the potatoes are just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat a small glug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and prosciutto and a bit of salt. Sauté until the onion is soft and fragrant, but not browned, and the prosciutto has rendered some fat and is getting crisp around the edges, 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the shelled peas and potatoes and season generously with salt and lots of pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to steam-cook the peas until they are tender and all the flavors have married, another 3 to 4 minutes.
Toss in the mint, taste and adjust the salt and pepper, and finish with a nice drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm.
MORE WAYS:
Create a crusty hash: Once the peas and potatoes are tender, drizzle with a bit of cream and a handful of grated Parmigiano, increase the heat, and crush the peas and potatoes with a spatula so the mixture flattens out and sticks together. Cook over medium-high heat, turning several times, until the surface is nicely browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve the hash with a fried egg or on its own.
Make a springtime pasta: Make the recipe and boil some pasta such as penne or ditalini. Reserve some pasta water and toss the pea-potato mixture with the cooked pasta, a knob of butter, a handful of grated pecorino, and enough pasta water to make the consistency nice and creamy.
Make a spring medley: Cook small-diced carrots and young turnips with some chopp
ed scallions along with the onion. Finish with mixed herbs—parsley, tarragon, dill, and mint.
Pasta Carbonara with English Peas
Adding peas to a carbonara is by no means classically Italian, though the combination of black pepper, pancetta, and peas is. I barely cook the peas—a quick blanching in the pasta cooking water right before you pull the pasta is all it takes. Instead of (or in addition to) the peas, you could use asparagus or thinly sliced sugar snap peas.
» Serves 2
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces pancetta, cut into small dice
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces dried fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti
1 pound English peas in their pods, shelled (1 cup peas)
3 scallions, trimmed (including ½ inch off the green tops), thinly sliced on an angle
1 small handful pea tendrils (optional)
1 egg, whipped well with a fork in a little bowl
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt until it tastes like the sea.
Put the pancetta and a small glug of olive oil in a skillet or Dutch oven that’s large enough to hold all the pasta. Cook until the pancetta is lightly browned but still slightly chewy, 9 to 12 minutes (or less if you’re using thinly sliced pancetta). Season the pancetta very generously with pepper. Take the skillet off the heat, but don’t drain anything—you’ll use that fat!
When the water is at a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until almost al dente. When the pasta is almost ready, add the shelled peas to the pasta pot.
Six Seasons Page 9
