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Braised peas with little gems, spring onions and wild garlic
Serves 6 as a side Sauces and accompaniments
Ingredients
- 12 spring onions, roots removed
- 5 confit garlic cloves (see recipe, right), plus 2tbsp oil from the confit
- 500g frozen peas
- 250ml fresh chicken stock
- 2 little gem lettuces, cut diagonally into 3 pieces
- large handful wild garlic leaves, washed and cut in half
For the confit garlic
- 4-5 garlic heads, tops sliced off
- enough good-quality olive oil to just cover the garlic
Method
First char the spring onions. Heat a frying pan over a high heat and lay the spring onions flat in the pan. Find a heavy pan that fits inside the frying pan to weigh down the spring onions. Allow to cook for a few minutes before turning. Remove from the pan once they have started to brown and cut them into thirds.
In a heavy-based casserole, heat the garlic oil over a medium flame. Add the garlic cloves and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the peas followed by the stock and allow to braise for 5 minutes. Add the spring onions, then the lettuce. Cover with a lid and continue to braise for 3-4 minutes until the lettuce has wilted. Finish by adding the wild garlic for the last minute and allowing it to wilt. Season and serve immediately.
Confit garlic
MAKES 400-600G
Put the garlic heads into a small saucepan and pour over the olive oil until the garlic is just submerged. Heat over the lowest heat as it’s very important that the garlic doesn’t burn or it will turn acrid. Allow the garlic to very slowly cook in the oil for 20-30 minutes until soft and buttery. You do not want it to boil or colour. Chilled, this will keep for 2 weeks.
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