Many times, the first crop of the new year to spring up in southern gardens is snow peas. They are easy to grow and ready to harvest when the pods are about three inches long. Picking every two or three days encourages the plant to produce more peas before the hotter heat of summer. If not from your own garden, pot, or trellis, the freshest snow peas are available in your local farmers markets. In fall and winter, this salad will bring a ray of sunshine to your table using snow peas that are frozen at their peak. Just prepare as you would with fresh pods. This recipe was inspired by the Israeli – British chef, Yotom Ottolenghi. Check him out!
Nutritional information for snow peas
Snow pea, green bean, hazelnut and orange salad
Ingredients:
1 pound French beans (haricot vert)
1 pound snow peas
1/2 cup unskinned hazelnuts or other nuts
1 orange, zested
3/4 ounce (3-5) chives, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. hazelnut oil or walnut oil
Coarse sea salt and black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes. Cool enough to handle, then rub them in a clean kitchen towel to remove most of the skins. Chop nuts roughly, leaving some whole, set aside.
- While the hazelnuts are roasting, prepare the green beans by trimming off the ends with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Remove stringy spines from snow peas.
- Bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil. Before adding the vegetables, prepare a large bowl of ice-cold water and set nearby. Have a large, slotted spoon on hand.
- Blanch the peas and beans separately. Start with the peas for 1 minute, remove promptly with the slotted spoon, add immediately to the ice bath, when completely cold, drain and set aside to dry. Repeat the process with the beans but blanch for 4 minutes, shock in the ice water, drain and dry, add them to the peas.
- Using a citrus zester remove the zest from the orange or cut into tiny strips, avoiding the pith.
- Assemble the dish by mixing all ingredients together in a large bowl, toss gently. Adjust seasoning and serve at room temperature.
