Green Pea Pod Salad

Marinating the onion

1. The dish itself consists of marinated onion, boiled or fried pea pods, herbs and a salad dressing. There is nothing difficult about making this appetizer. You can prepare the vegetables independently and mix everything at the end, adding the olive oil.

   

2. Marinate the onion. Peel a small white onion and cut it into very thin strips or rings. Put the sliced onion in a bowl or cup, add a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of sugar (2 g) and a pinch of oregano. Squeeze 1 tbsp of juice from the lemon and mix it with the onion. Stir everything and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.

   

Cooking the peas

1. For this appetizer you need the youngest pods, of a pleasant green color. If the peas have passed the milk-ripe stage, the dish will have a noticeable off taste.

2. Prepare the pods. Wash the pea pods and sort them, setting aside the overripe ones. With a sharp knife cut off the stems and tips at the ends and, if possible, remove the tough string that runs along the edge of the pod; it looks like a nylon thread. If you are going to fry more mature pods, only wash them: the tips and strings come off after frying.

   

3. Boil the peas if they are very young. Pour 1 l of water into a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of sugar (5 g). Bring the water to a boil over high heat. The sugar is said to keep young peas from losing their bright green color. I have repeated this procedure many times, for example when I make meat salad. I won’t say the color stays the same after cooking, but the peas do not come out overcooked, like the peas in cans.

   Put the prepared pods into the boiling water. As soon as the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. For a salad, cook the peas almost until done, but never overcook them, or the dish will turn to mush. The cooked pods should be slightly crisp, or al dente, as they say. Cook the peas for about 6-7 minutes, though you can adjust the time to taste and according to how done they are.

4. Cool and dry the boiled pods. Drain the peas and immediately cover them with very cold water for 5 minutes. Then drain the water again and put the pods in a colander to let the water run off. Ideally the boiled pods should have no visible traces of water. To get there, spread the pods on a large plate so they dry a little.

6. Fry the peas instead of boiling them if they are more mature. Without cutting off the tips, wash the pods and pat them dry with a napkin. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and fry the pods in it for 5 minutes over medium heat. Then turn off the heat and let the peas cool under the lid. After that, use a knife to trim off the tips and the tough ribs.

   

Assembling the salad

1. Prepare the onion and herbs. Squeeze out the onion marinated in lemon and spices and separate it into individual strands. Pick all the leaves off the cilantro and mint sprigs and peel the garlic. Chop the herbs and garlic very finely with a knife, literally to dust. Do not grate the garlic or use similar gadgets, as there will be a lot of garlic juice, and that is not acceptable. If the pods seem too big to you, you can cut them in half on the diagonal.

2. Mix and dress the salad. Combine the prepared pea pods, marinated onion, and the herbs with garlic. Season the salad with black pepper, ideally ground just before using. Salt the appetizer if you like and to taste.

   

   Dress the salad with the remaining olive oil mixed with 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. Toss gently and transfer to salad bowls.

Serving

1. Garnish the salad with strips of lemon zest taken off just before using. You can grate the zest on a coarse grater. I recommend decorating the salad with sprigs of herbs and a lemon wedge. By the way, fresh mint gives the salad an exceptional flavor, so be sure to add a fresh green sprig to the finished salad.

   

   A salad with green peas, herbs and olive oil is a delicious, vitamin-rich appetizer. Vegetarians and fans of all kinds of diets and healthy eating systems will like it.

   

   A little addition to the above. The idea for this salad came to me in Bulgaria, where I came across similar recipes based on green pea pods, though usually fried in oil. Such salads are rarely served as a standalone dish; more often they are part of complex appetizer spreads or combined salads. At the same time, a large platter may hold baked and fresh vegetables, pickled peppers, a mushroom appetizer, slices of fresh brynza or feta, Greek salad, olives and the green pea salad.

   Give it a try. You will get an excellent dish with plenty of appetizers that will be the centerpiece at the start of a family celebration or a good feast.