GREEN PEA POD RECIPES

Steps:

• Put the spring onions into a large pan with the potato, garlic and stock. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potato is very soft. For the garnish, blanch 3 tbsp of the shelled peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain, put in a bowl of cold water and set aside. Add the remaining peas to the soup base and simmer for 5 minutes – no longer, or you will lose the lovely fresh flavour of the peas.
• Stir in the mint, sugar and lemon or lime juice, cool slightly then pour into a food processor or liquidiser and whizz until as smooth as you like. Stir in half the buttermilk or soured cream, taste and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve the soup cold, cool quickly, then chill – you may need to add more stock to the soup before serving as it will thicken as it cools. To serve hot, return the soup to the rinsed-out pan and reheat without boiling (to prevent the buttermilk or soured cream from curdling).
• Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the remaining buttermilk and the drained peas.

Steps:

• 1. Half-fill a large saucepan with cold water and add a tiny pinch of salt.
  2. Place on a high heat and bring to the boil. Meanwhile…
  3. If using fresh peas, pod them into a bowl, then leave to one side.
  4. Use a Y-shaped peeler to peel the potatoes, then chop into 1cm chunks on a chopping board.
  5. Once the water is boiling, carefully add the potatoes, bring back to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer gently for around 10 minutes, or until cooked through, adding the peas for the last 2 minutes. Meanwhile…
  6. Finely chop the chives and add them to a mixing bowl.
  7. Drain the salmon in a sieve over the sink .
  8. Add the salmon to the bowl, using a fork to flake it into small chunks.
  9. Once cooked, drain the potatoes and peas in a colander over the sink then leave them to cool completely. Meanwhile…
  10. Use a microplane to finely grate the lemon zest, then add it to the bowl along with the flour.
  11. Crack in the egg and season with a tiny pinch of pepper.
  12. Once cool, tip the potatoes and peas back into the pan and use a potato masher to mash them really well.
  13. Add the mash to the bowl, then mix together until really well combined.
  14. Sprinkle a little flour over a clean work surface and onto a large plate.
  15. Divide the mixture into 8 and use your hands to pat and shape each ball into a fishcake, roughly 2cm thick.
  16. Place them onto the floured plate, dusting your hands and the top of each fish cake lightly with flour as you go.
  17. Place a large frying pan on a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  18. Carefully place the fishcakes into the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden, turning carefully with a fish slice.
  19. Cut the zested lemon into wedges.
  20. Serve the fishcakes with some seasonal green veg or a fresh green salad and lemon wedges for squeezing over.