Hearty Colorful Salads
In a wishful mood, one could paraphrase Gershwin’s “Summertime” from “Porgy and
Bess” as “Summertime, when the living should be easy”. For meals
we tend to focus on the ease of cooking on the grill and large leafy salads.
But there are other equally appetizing and colorful offerings for the table and
many of them feature fresh peas.
If your acquaintance
with peas has been limited to the canned or frozen varieties, this is the time
to venture forth and get up close and personal with peas as they come from a
garden, farm market or a vegetable stand and discover the flavor and texture of
fresh peas. Well, there is the necessary activity of shelling them before
you have a small bowl of those plump tiny green globes ready for cooking. One
possibility is to enlist your children or grandchildren for the activity, but
be ready to lose some in the process as they discover how delicious a snack
these peas make right out of the shell. They won’t even notice that it is a
‘healthy’ snack.
Once
shelled, the peas require only five minutes of cooking in water with a dash of
salt or chicken bullion to be ready to serve for dinner. If you want to dress
them up, add tiny onions or make a cream or cheese sauce, but fresh peas have
delightful flavor of their own, possibly enhanced with a small dab of
butter. Like corn, peas will taste best soon after harvest. They
will keep in the shell in the refrigerator for a day or so, but once shelled
should be cooked reasonably quickly. Oriental or snap pea pods will keep
refrigerated for a week in a closed container.
Snap pea and Radish Salad with Yogurt
Wash 1 lb snap peas, remove the strings and halve on the bias and combine with
8 large radishes thinly sliced. Toss with ¼ cup olive oil, 2 blsp. white
balsamic vinegar, 1 Tblsp. rice vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Yoghurt base mix: 1 ¼ cup whole milk yogurt, 2
scallions thinly sliced, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to taste, 2
tblsp lemon juice, ½ tsp. grated lemon zest and ½ cup lightly packed torn fresh
basil leaves. Spread yoghurt base mix in a shallow bowl, top with the
vegetables and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Dilled Ham and Pea Salad
Cube
¾ lb. lean ham in ¾ inch pieces. Add: 2 chopped scallions with the green
parts. Cook 1 to 1 ½ cups of shelled peas (can substitute frozen)
in a cup of chicken bullion for 3 minutes and allow to cool. Dressing mix:3 tblsp. each light mayonnaise and sour cream with 2 tblsp.
rice vinegar, 1 tblsp. chopped capers, ¼ tsp. salt and pepper and 2 tblsp.
chopped fresh dill. Toss dressing with ham and scallions and stir in the peas.
Chill 1 to 2 hours before serving on a bed of tender lettuce.
Another
of my favorite ways to feature fresh peas is in a summer potato salad. The
green color is outstanding against the creamy white of potatoes. And if you use
red potatoes and a bit of chopped red pepper in the salad, you might qualify
your salad for honorary membership in the Italian food society: red, white and
green being the colors of the Italian flag.
Red, white and green potato salad
Note:
have the dressing ready by the time the potatoes are finished cooking.
Dressing: Mix together ¼ cup chopped red
onion, 2 Tblsp. plain yogurt, 2 Tblsp. olive oil, 4 Tblsp. wine vinegar, 2 tsp.
Dijon mustard, garlic salt to taste, ¼ tsp. dried thyme, salt and pepper to
taste, some chopped parsley (optional).
Scrub
and cut in quarters 4 large red (or Yukon gold) potatoes. Cover potatoes in a
pot with cold salted water, bring to boil and cook for 12-14 minutes until they
can be pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes, cool only slightly and
cut in about 1 inch pieces. Pour dressing over the warm potatoes and toss.
While
the potatoes are cooking, in a separate pot cook 1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh
shelled peas (can substitute frozen) in a cup of chicken buillion for 3 minutes,
remove with a slotted spoon and allow to cool. Add to the cooled potato salad
together with a small red pepper cut in about ¼ inch pieces. Toss gently and
chill for 1-2 hours and serve on lettuce leaves. (Serves 4-6). Salad can be
made the day before use and kept refrigerated.
Together
with some grilled sausage this makes a quick and satisfying home made summer
meal. With luck and more sunshine, there should still be some strawberries for
picking in July and those with a bit of whipped topping would finish the meal
in a handsome way. Any leftover salad can be refrigerated for use the following
day.
(I. Winicov Harrington
lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less
than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website:
www.winicov-harrington.com)
