Put that bag of frozen peas to work in these recipes, which are perfect for brunch or a midweek dinner: fritters, a frittata, a pesto tart and a comforting fish pie.
Could peas be the most useful frozen vegetable? British food writer Samuel Goldsmith thinks so. “The emeralds of the vegetable world”, as he calls them, are frozen so quickly after being picked that they retain their flavour, texture, colour and nutrients.
“In my humble opinion, frozen is best,” he writes in his new recipe collection The Frozen Peas Cookbook.
“Unless, of course, you’re able to pick them straight from the garden immediately before cooking while they’re still tender and sweet.
“The fresh peas that grace the supermarket shelves are usually too old to compare favourably to their frozen counterpart.”
Rather than relegate peas to an afterthought spooned onto the side of a plate, Goldsmith encourages home cooks to rethink the way they use them. Peas can be blitzed into a sauce or chopped into a bake, mashed into a puree or mixed into fritters for extra crunch.
Here, Goldsmith shares four new ways to try frozen peas at home.
Pea fritters, three ways
If there’s one thing I can’t refrain from ordering at brunch, it’s a fritter; pea or sweetcorn, preferably. That, and a cocktail, something fizz-based. Anyway, I digress. The fritter is the king of brunch, especially when topped with a poached egg and accompanied by a zingy dip – I recommend something with harissa. Not only do I love the flavour and colour of a pea fritter, I love folding in some whole peas for a little crunch. Here are three ways I like to make mine.
INGREDIENTS
- 200g frozen peas
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped mint, dill or parsley
- 100g self-raising flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- oil, for frying
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
- Place the peas in a heatproof bowl and cover with freshly boiled water to defrost. Leave them for a few minutes, then drain. Leave the peas to dry for 5 minutes. Remove a handful of peas and set aside, then roughly chop the rest before putting them in a bowl with the spring onions and herbs.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the flour, eggs, milk and mayonnaise to make a smooth batter. Season well with plenty of salt and pepper. Fold this into the pea mixture along with the reserved whole peas.
- Form the pea mixture into 10-12 fritters and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frypan over low heat.
- Add the fritters and fry for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. (I prefer to cook over low heat to ensure they don’t burn on the outside.) You may need to cook the fritters in batches; if so, add a little more oil after each batch, if necessary.
Makes 10-12
Serving suggestion: Pea fritters go well with poached eggs, spiced yoghurt (mixed with ground spices, harissa or chilli sauce), guacamole, salsa, a light salad and lime wedges, to name but a few accompaniments.
Pea, feta and harissa fritters
INGREDIENTS
- 200g frozen peas
- 1 garlic clove, crushed or finely grated (shredded)
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 75g feta, crumbled
- 75g self-raising flour
- zest of ½ lemon
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp harissa (as hot as you like it)
- 1 tbsp milk
- oil, for frying
METHOD
- Place the peas in a heatproof bowl and cover with freshly boiled water to defrost. Leave them for a few minutes, then drain. Leave the peas to dry for 5 minutes.
- Roughly chop the peas and tip them into a large bowl with the garlic, spring onions, parsley and feta.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the flour, lemon zest, eggs, harissa and milk until smooth. Season well with plenty of salt and pepper. Fold the pea mixture into the batter.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frypan over a low heat. Drop an eighth of the mixture into the pan to make a fritter. Continue adding more mixture, leaving 3cm between each fritter, until the frypan is full. Cook the fritters for 4-5 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula, until golden, cooked through and puffed up a little. You may need to cook the fritters in batches.
Makes 8
Pea, sweetcorn and halloumi fritters
INGREDIENTS
- 100g frozen peas
- 100g frozen sweetcorn
- 1 x 225g block halloumi, coarsely grated (shredded)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed or finely grated (shredded)
- ½ bunch of chives (about 20g), finely sliced
- ½ red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- 100g self-raising flour
- zest of ½ lemon
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp milk
- oil, for frying
- guacamole, salsa, harissa yoghurt or Sriracha mayonnaise, to serve
METHOD
- Place the peas and sweetcorn in a heatproof bowl and cover with freshly boiled water to defrost. Leave them for a few minutes, then drain. Leave the peas and sweetcorn to dry for 5 minutes.
- Remove a couple of handfuls of the peas and sweetcorn and set aside, then roughly chop the rest before putting them in a large bowl with the halloumi, garlic, chives and red chilli, if using.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the flour, lemon zest, eggs and milk until smooth. Season well with plenty of salt and pepper. Fold the pea and sweetcorn mixture into the batter.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frypan over a low heat. Working in batches, drop large spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan to make the fritters. Continue adding more mixture, leaving 3cm between each fritter, until the frypan is full. Cook the fritters for 4-5 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula, until golden, cooked through and puffed up a little. You may need to add a little more oil after each batch, if necessary.
Makes 10-12
Chorizo, potato and pea frittata
When tinned potatoes started to make a comeback, I wasn’t entirely convinced. However, once I understood how versatile they are and how they speed up cooking times, I realised it was time to jump on the bandwagon. Plus I found out that British chef and author Nadiya Hussain is a big fan, so they must be great. I think they’re perfect for a frittata because you don’t have to boil them separately first, and I’m always concerned they’ll be a little too hard if I don’t. They’re also fantastic with peas, so it really is a win-win all round.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp sunflower, vegetable or olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 100g chorizo, roughly chopped
- 1 x 400g can potatoes, drained and cut in half
- 150g frozen peas
- 6 eggs
- 50g mature cheddar cheese, grated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
- Heat the oil in an ovenproof frypan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until golden, around 8 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook for a further 1 minute.
- Stir in the chorizo and cook for a few minutes or until it’s starting to brown and the oil has been released. Add the potatoes, mix together and then cook for 3-4 minutes to brown a little. Stir in the frozen peas and season with salt and pepper, then cook for a few minutes to thaw slightly.
- Beat the eggs together with a good crack of black pepper, then mix in half of the cheese. Pour this egg mixture over the potato and peas in the pan. Cook the frittata over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the egg has set underneath and around the edges.
- Meanwhile, turn the grill on to its hottest setting. Scatter the remaining cheese over the frittata and put the pan under the hot grill for 5-10 minutes or until the eggs have set and the frittata is golden. It may puff up a little, which is absolutely fine.
- Once cooked, leave the frittata for a few minutes before slicing and serving. It is equally good warm or cold.
Serves 4-6
Variations:
Red capsicum and pea frittata: This frittata is also great with roasted red capsicum from a jar. You can either replace the tinned potatoes with jarred capsicum or halve the quantity of potatoes and add two chopped roasted red capsicum when you add the potatoes.
Leek and feta frittata: Omit the onion, paprika and chorizo, and instead slice and fry a leek in the oil, stir in the potatoes, followed by the peas and then replace the grated cheddar cheese with crumbled feta. This is also lovely with some fresh green herbs, such as parsley, dill or tarragon.
Mash 𝄒n𝄒 pea fish pie
Fish pie wouldn’t be the same without peas. In this version, shared with me by my friend Lorna, the peas are added to the topping rather than mixed through the sauce. Lorna runs an online Duke of Edinburgh cookery school, which is all about building confidence in young people. Before that, she was the Queen of Canapes, cooking for the stars and writing countless articles and books. There’s nothing she doesn’t know about cooking, so I practically bit her hand off when she said she had a great fish pie recipe to share.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Maris Piper or other starchy potatoes (about 400g), peeled and cut into 3cm cubes
- 40g butter
- 20g plain flour
- 300ml full-fat milk
- 300g skinless sustainable white fish fillet, cut into 3cm cubes or use a fish pie mix
- 1 slice white bread
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 150g frozen peas or frozen baby peas
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
- Put the potatoes in a saucepan of salted water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the sauce. Melt half of the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, mix well. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously. If there are any lumps, vigorously beat them out with a wooden spoon or whisk.
- Put the saucepan back over medium-low heat, bring to a simmer then cook for 1 minute while stirring. The sauce should lightly coat the back of a spoon. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove the saucepan from the heat and gently stir in the fish.
- Make the crumbs by tearing the bread, including the crust, into small pieces. Put them in a small mixing bowl with the oil, season well and stir well with a fork to coat in the oil.
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional). Once the potatoes are cooked, add the frozen peas and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the potatoes and peas, then return them to the pan. Add the rest of the butter and mash well – you should end up with smooth mash, but you’ll only be able to crush the peas, so the mixture will be a combination of rough and smooth. Season well with plenty of salt and pepper.
- Spoon the fish and sauce into an ovenproof dish and top with the potato-pea mash, spreading the mixture to the edges of the dish with a fork. Scatter over the crumbs.
- Put the dish on a baking tray and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the crumbs are crisp and golden. Serve on warmed plates.
Serves 2
Ricotta, pea and pesto tart
One of the recipes from my first book, The Tinned Tomatoes Cookbook, that drew people in was the tomato, cheddar and pesto tart – it’s incredibly simple to make and such a crowd-pleaser. This is a similar dish, though a completely different flavour and a much fresher vibe thanks to the peas and lemon.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 × 320g packet ready-rolled puff pastry
- 150-200g frozen peas
- 250g ricotta
- 1 egg
- zest and juice of ½ lemon
- 4 tbsp Genovese basil pesto
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Unroll the puff pastry sheet and lay it on a non-stick baking tray. Score along each side of the pastry, around 3cm in from the edges, to create a border – take care not to cut through the pastry. Prick inside the border all over with a fork. Bake in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown and puffed up.
- While the pastry cooks, tip the peas into a heatproof bowl – if you’d like to scatter some whole peas over the top for decoration, use 200g. Pour freshly boiled water over the peas and leave for 2 minutes to defrost, then drain. Put 150g of the peas, 175g of the ricotta, the egg, lemon zest and juice into a blender with a good pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pulse until combined and the peas have broken down a little – you can go as chunky as you like here.
- Remove the pastry from the oven and, using a spoon or fork, push down the puffed pastry inside the border to create a pastry case. Spread the pea and ricotta mixture over the centre of the pastry case – it’s easier to start from the outside and work your way in. Return the tart to the hot oven for 8 minutes.
- Remove the tart from the oven, then dot over the remaining ricotta, scatter over the 50g of whole peas, if using, and spoon dollops of the pesto on top.
- Bake in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes or until the ricotta is a little golden and the pastry is golden and cooked through.
Cook’s tip: For a cheesier tart, grate a little cheddar, parmesan, or vegetarian or vegan Italian hard cheese over the filling in the final 10 minutes.
This is an edited extract from The Frozen Peas Cookbook by Samuel Goldsmith, photography by Mowie Kay, Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99
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