Description
If you’re looking for a creamy sweet and savory side dish, French peas have got you covered! They are delicious and very easy to make, especially if you use frozen peas like I do.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 shallots
- 200g lardons* (7 oz)
- 115g lettuce (4 oz), I used a small romaine heart
- 400g frozen peas (3 cups or 14 oz)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 bay leaves
- 160ml heavy cream (⅔ cup)
- 80ml water (⅓ cup)
- 30g Swiss cheese (1 oz), grated or cut into very small pieces
Instructions
- Cook the lardons and the shallots. Peel the shallots, finely chop them and set them aside. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, tumble in the lardons. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the lardons have released their fat but be careful, they shouldn’t turn crispy or brown too much. It should take about 6 min. Add the chopped shallots, stir well and cook until the shallots have softened, about 3 min. While the shallots are cooking, slice the lettuce into thin ribbons and set them aside.
- Wilt the salad and “defrost” the peas. Once the shallots are soft and golden, tip in the sliced lettuce. Stir well and cook until wilted, about 3 min. Add the frozen peas and cook, stirring from time to time, until the frost begins to leave the peas, about 3 min.
- Cook the peas. Add the salt, black pepper, bay leaves and cream. Give it a good stir, bring to a simmer over high heat and then cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the French peas cook for 15 min. Pluck the bay leaves and discard them. Stir in the cheese and cook for 5 min uncovered, stirring from time to time. Add a bit of water if it looks too dry (but I highly doubt it will be). The peas should not simply be coated in cream but be pretty “saucy”.
Notes
* if lardons are not available, you can instead slice thick-cut bacon crosswise into strips or use diced pancetta
The French peas with cream will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Reheat gently in a pan, covered with a lid, set over medium-low heat. Add a couple tablespoons of water if it looks too dry and stir occasionally. It should take about 5 min to warm up.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 413
Keywords: cooking frozen peas, sauteed lettuce and peas, quick sides