I’m a little embarrassed to be posting this as a recipe, but not enough to stop myself from doing it. See, sometimes having [fill-in-the-blank] on toast for lunch or dinner is really all you have the strength or willpower for. The past few weekends, after traveling back and forth to the suburbs, celebrating birthdays, forcing myself to the gym, spring cleaning my apartment, doing my taxes and yes, staying out a little bit too late, I was looking for something on the healthy end of the spectrum to feed myself for dinner. However, the thought of chopping more than two things and standing in front of the stove made me hurt physically. And so, when I stumbled upon this bright green, spring-y pea mash on toast in an old Bon Appetit, I was ready to take action. The kind of action that is slow and short-lived.
Did I mention this costs close to nothing to make? Aleppo pepper (you can substitute regular crushed red pepper), garlic and a jar of preserved lemons are both things I keep on hand, so this required only a quick (are you sensing a theme to this post?) trip to the corner store for frozen peas, chives and parsley. A few minutes on the stovetop to cook the peas and infuse the parsley and garlic into the cooking liquid, and a couple of blitzes in the food processor later, and you’re basically there.
Fairway has a really delicious “farmer’s bread” that makes thick and chewy slices, so I toasted up a few as a vehicle for my spring pea mash. Drizzle with olive oil, spread on a nice thick layer of peas, drizzle with more olive oil and shake on some Aleppo pepper, and you have yourself a bright springtime dish that will fill you up and not leave you exhausted and resentful…a Sunday night win!
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove, quartered
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for toast
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups shells fresh peas (from about 2 lbs pods) or frozen peas, thawed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon peel, divided
- 1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes plus more for serving
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 12 slices country-style bread or ciabatta, toasted
Instructions
- Combine garlic, parsley, 1 tablespoon oil, a pinch of salt and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Add peas and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender, about 5 minutes for fresh peas, about 2 minutes for frozen. Drain, reserving cooking liquid.
- Transfer pea mixture to a food processor; pulse until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl; mix in chives, 1/2 teaspoon preserved lemon peel, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper and 2 tablespoons of oil. Stir in reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls (I did not need many) until mixture is still thick but spreadable. Season pea mash with salt, black pepper and more lemon juice, if desired.
- Drizzle toast with oil; top with pea mash, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon preserved lemon peel and more Aleppo pepper and drizzle with more olive oil.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/04/30/toast-with-lemony-pea-mash/
