Green peas, potatoes and artichokes: a ticket to heaven

Today I have a humble but most delicious dish that I consider a ticket to heaven.

And I must confess, I never say no to a ticket to heaven, no matter what the price.

In this case, the price is minimal.

Green peas in their shells
Green peas in their shells

This is not the result of my cooking skills and incredible experience; alas, I have to admit that it is 99% due to the sublime quality of the ingredients.

Green peas
Green peas

The freshest ingredients were grown and harvested in the seaside town of Oreoi in Northern Evoia, Greece, where I spent Easter 2013 with my cousins Kostas and Maria.

Maria gave me the peas and the artichokes as I was leaving to drive back to Marathon.

Artichokes and green onions
Artichokes and green onions

We talk about peas and we think sweet and fragrant. Add “crunchy”. They were so fresh that I could eat them all uncooked.

They key to cooking the best ingredients is to preserve their flavor and texture, and only add the minimum of taste enhancement agents.

I added olive oil and butter on a deep pan, and let it melt and mix.

Potatoes in olive oil and butter
Potatoes in olive oil and butter

I then sautéed potatoes (grown in Marathon) to enhance the color and coat them with the oil and butter mix.

On top of the potatoes I grated lemon peel, and added salt and pepperoncino.

Grating lemon peel
Grating lemon peel

After the potatoes got a golden brown color, I added the peas, thinly sliced green onions, fresh coriander, some water and two sliced sun dried tomatoes.

Green peas, potatoes and artichokes in the pot
Green peas, potatoes and artichokes in the pot

I let them come to a boil and then added the artichoke hearts, the stems and the juice of one lemon.

After 15 minutes they were ready.

Green peas, potatoes and artichokes - served
Green peas, potatoes and artichokes – served

I let them rest for 20 minutes, and then served with fresh bread and white wine, preferably asyrtico of Santorini.

Green peas, potatoes and artichokes - detail
Green peas, potatoes and artichokes – detail

Bon appetite!

One comment

  1. Cucina povera ma saporitissima!
    Ειναι πραγματικη ευλογια τα φρεσκα λαχανικα της ανοιξης!

Comments are closed.