pea shoots

These dumplings are a way to get the satisfaction of making your own pasta without having to make your own pasta. This recipe doesn’t require you to drain the ricotta, but if you notice that yours is especially wet, you may want to add a tablespoon or two more of flour to make sure the dough stays together. It should be like a very wet biscuit dough (and not pourable or soupy). As for the vegetables, this dish is a truly excellent canvas for anything seasonal (asparagus and peas in the spring, cherry tomatoes in the summer, mushrooms in the fall, squash in the winter), so adjust as you like.

Ricotta Dumplings With Buttered Peas and Asparagus

ricotta

eggs

Kosher salt and black pepper

all-purpose flour

unsalted butter

olive oil,

leek,

peas

parsley or mint leaves,

Parmesan or pecorino, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Combine ricotta and eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and, using a large wooden or metal spoon, gently mix in the flour, taking care not to overmix (which could result in tough dumplings).

Meanwhile, heat butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks have softened completely and are starting to pick up some color, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add asparagus and peas to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until asparagus is just tender and bright green, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on its thickness. Remove from heat while you cook the dumplings.

When the water is at a nice steady boil, drop the ricotta mixture into the pot by the heaping spoonful. (The dumplings will expand in the water, so make them slightly smaller than you’d like them to end up.) Be careful not to crowd the pot; cook the dumplings in batches if need be.

Once the dumplings rise to the top, let them boil until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. (You can always pull one out and cut it in half to test its doneness; the texture will go from dense and doughy to light and pillowy.)

As the dumplings finish cooking, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the skillet with the peas and asparagus. Once they’re all in there, give everything a quick toss over medium heat just to evenly coat the dumplings in the buttery sauce. Add pea shoots and toss just to wilt slightly.

Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter and top with parsley, cheese and more olive oil, if you like.

In this 10-minute take on beans and greens, creamy white beans are sautéed in butter and garlic, then crunchy radishes and tender greens are stirred in at the end for texture and crunch. White miso, a fermented soybean paste that’s worth seeking out if it’s not already in your fridge, provides a complex, umami flavor that pairs well with the mild beans. Finish the dish with a good squeeze of lemon to add brightness and balance out the salty miso. Serve these beans on their own, or alongside grilled shrimp or salmon. Any leftover miso paste can be whisked into salad dressings and marinades, or used as a base for a quick weeknight soup.

White Beans With Radishes, Miso and Greens

white miso

garlic cloves, finely chopped

white beans,

pea shoots, arugula or other baby greens

radishes,

lemon wedges,

Black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk the miso with 1/4 cup water until dissolved. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until it foams. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the beans and toss to coat with the garlic butter. Add the miso mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the beans are warmed through, about 2 minutes. The beans should be a bit saucy, so thin it out with a tablespoon or so of water if needed.

Remove from the heat and stir in the greens and radishes. Gently toss until the greens are just wilted. Squeeze with lemon juice, season with pepper and gently toss again.

In this unusual summer salad, funky, creamy Camembert and crisp, juicy sugar snap peas unite make a texturally complex and very flavorful dish. You can use any washed rind cheese here as long as it’s ripe enough to be spread on a plate. If you can’t find a gooey-centered cheese, you can substitute a creamy goat cheese instead. Pea shoots make an ideal garnish, echoing the flavor of the sugar snaps, but if you can’t get them, use any baby green or micro green in its place. If you want to work ahead, you can blanch the peas and mix up the dressing several hours ahead. But don’t combine the salad ingredients until just before serving. In this dish, freshness is key.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Salt and black pepper

sugar snap peas, trimmed

garlic garlic

lemon juice

extra-virgin olive oil,

pea shoots, ends trimmed, or use baby arugula

ripe, runny Camembert (or another washed- rind cheese

chervil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have ready a bowl of well-salted ice water. Drop peas into boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute; use a slotted spoon to transfer peas to ice water to cool completely. Drain well and pat dry with a towel.

In a small bowl, whisk together garlic and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in oil. Add pea shoots or arugula and toss to coat.

Scoop out runny cheese from inside rind and spoon onto four small plates, smoothing the cheese to cover most of the plate. Scatter snap peas on top of cheese. Drizzle with olive oil. Mound greens over peas. Sprinkle with chervil or chives and serve.

Melissa Clark makes a salad that is the perfect balance between freshness and richness, featuring crunchy sugar snap peas, pea shoots and ripe, runny cheese.

Pea Salad With Creamy Cheese

This is a celebration of delicious, sweet peas and is proper comfort food. It’s super-simple and quick to put together, and the beautiful sweetness of the peas is contrasted brilliantly by the salty depth of flavour from the guanciale. Pecorino is the Roman cheese of choice, made with sheep’s milk, and worth hunting out.

Tortiglioni

80 g piece of higher-welfare guanciale (cured pig’s cheek) or smoked pancetta

shallots

lemon

½ a bunch of fresh mint (15 grams)

g pecorino cheese

extra virgin olive oil

pea shoots to serve (optional)

The duck meat is meant to be simmered well ahead of the final cooking, so this recipe can be prepared several days ahead. (In the process, a bonus broth is achieved, some of which is used to make the sauce. Leftover broth can be saved for a little noodle soup.) Then, at the last minute, the chopped, cooked meat is briefly stir-fried; showered with aromatics like ginger, orange zest, garlic, cumin and hot pepper; splashed with rice wine; and finished with just-wilted pea shoots.

Twice-Cooked Duck With Pea Shoots

Muscovy duck legs, about 1 pound each (or 4 pounds smaller Pekin legs)

Salt

Chinese 5-spice powder

ginger

onion,

rice wine

soy sauce

brown sugar

orange zest

spicy black bean paste (available at Chinese grocers)

sesame oil

ginger,

garlic cloves, roughly chopped

red chile peppers

cumin seed

duck broth

cornstarch

vegetable oil

pea shoots, leaves spinach

scallions

With a sharp knife, trim any excess fat from the duck legs, leaving the skin intact. Trim the skin a bit, too, if it seems quite thick. Reserve duck fat for another purpose. Season each leg generously with salt, then sprinkle with the 5-spice powder, rubbing the seasoning into the meat. Place the duck legs in a heavy-bottomed pan along with the ginger slices and onion. Cover with 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, covered, until the meat is fairly tender when probed with a paring knife, about 45 minutes (if using Pekin duck legs, cooking time will probably be less). Take the duck legs from the pot and let them cool. Remove the meat from the bones and chop into rough 1/2-inch pieces. Strain and cool the cooking broth and skim any fat from surface. This step may be done up to 2 days ahead  of finishing the dish.

In a small bowl, stir together the rice wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange zest, black bean paste and sesame oil. Put the julienned ginger, chopped garlic, red chile peppers and cumin seed on a small plate. Measure 1 cup of defatted duck broth. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small container. Have all these ingredients in easy reach of the stove.

In a wok or large cast-iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Add the chopped duck meat and let it sizzle, stirring well, until crisp and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Lower the heat to medium high and add the ginger, garlic, red chile peppers and cumin seed. Stirring frequently, cook for one minute more, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the rice wine mixture and duck broth and bring to a brisk simmer. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook until lightly thickened, 30 seconds or so. Turn off the heat and add the pea shoots, mixing them into the sauce until barely wilted. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with scallions.

Wondering what to do with young pea shoots? These stir-fried pea shoots are incredibly easy to make and full of flavor; a tasty spring side dish that comes together in 15 minutes!

 Pea Shoots Recipe

peanut oil- (or olive oil, avocado, coconut)

4-6 garlic cloves, rough chopped

shallot, chopped

chili flakes

pea shoots (about 8 cups)

salt and pepper

mirin, see notes

Prep all ingredients and gather near the stove.

Heat oil in a wok, or large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Add garlic and shallot and stir fry 2 minutes until fragrant and just lightly golden, add chili flakes, stir fry 30 seconds.

Add pea shoots. Stir fry 1 minute, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the mirin, and cook this off 1 last minute.

I live in Australia and these are in season now - this recipe is delicious!

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