Spring is in the full swing and we couldn’t be happier about this marvellous season! The air is warmer and fresher, days are longer and brighter and our local markets in southern Europe are starting to offer more and more colourful produce these days.

Today, Allegra Pomilio, will be taking us on a virtual visit to her home kitchen in Italy, experimenting with pea pods, and turning them into a delicious dish full of spring flavours.

Allegra says: “Throughout the duration of the quarantine, we attempted to avoid (to the best of our ability) the infinite queues that form outside supermarkets. We shop less but better. Although this was already our philosophy at home, it became especially pronounced over the quarantine period which continues to date, sadly.”

“We cook using only seasonal ingredients, which include plenty of fava beans, and, of course, green peas! I decided to experiment a little with pea pods (as it seemed like such a waste to only use the peas and to toss out the pods), which resulted in two unique recipes. This velouté, in my opinion, turned out even better than one that only uses peas, as the pods give the dish an even more complex taste – perfectly enhanced by shavings of bottarga. The perfect spring meal!”

Makes 4 small/medium portions

Ingredients:

Approx. 600 g pea pods
1 medium brown onion (chopped)
1 tbsp. olive oil
A knob of butter
Juice from half a lemon
Half a glass of white wine
Zest from one lemon
Salt
Pepper

To serve:

Generous shavings of bottarga
Full fat cream
A handful of fresh peas
Extra lemon zest
Fennel fronds or your preferred fresh herbs (dill, parsley, or coriander work well too)
An extra drizzle of olive oil

Heat a pot of salted water. While waiting for the water to boil, melt the knob of butter in a large saucepan and add the tablespoon of olive oil. Then, add half the lemon zest, the onion and mix well with a wooden spoon until the onion is translucent, but not browned. Pour in the white wine and let the mixture cook for a while.

Boil the pea pods in the pot of salted water and add a few tablespoons of the cooking water into the saucepan with the onions. After 3-4 minutes, drain the pea pods with a slotted spoon (do not throw away the salted water just yet!). Then, add the pea pods to the onion mixture, as well as the leftover lemon zest, and the lemon juice. The peas should be well coated with the onion sauce mixture. Sauté for a few minutes before transferring the mix into a blender.

While blending, gradually add the salted pea pod cooking water (from earlier) until you obtain the desired consistency (approx. 400 ml of liquid). Add salt and pepper. Gently scoop the soup into a bowl, add some fresh peas, cream, extra lemon zest, and the shaved bottarga, topped off with a swirl of olive oil.

Enjoy! x

Words and photographs by Allegra Pomilio

Interview adapted by Veronika Krizova

PEA PODS VELLOUTÉ