Peas

All the recipes in this section are the result of experience, creativity and... word of mouth by Eleonora Berto, a daily presence at the “El Tamiso” store under the Salone in Padua. The ingredients are all from organic farming and the doses are approximately for four people.

BASIC COOKING Method
1:
Slice an onion, put the shelled peas and cover them just with water, turn on the stove and proceed with cooking, after about 20 min. add the salt. The oil and parsley (garlic event) at the end (cooking time about 30 min).
Second method,
fry the onion in a little oil with a clove of crushed garlic, add the shelled peas, broth or water that barely covers the peas, the salt and continue cooking. After about 30 min. they will be ready.

STUFFED PUMPKIN FLOWERS
INGREDIENTS & PROCEDURE: 12-15 washed zucchini flowers or zucchini, (keep them whole) peas already cooked and roughly crushed with a fork 4-5 basil leaves. Prepare a batter with 100 grams of spelt flour, 180 ml of water, a pinch of salt. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
Break the basil and add it to the peas, fill the flowers with a teaspoon, pass them in the batter, a few at a time and fry them in

hot oil.

RICE AND BISI SOUP
INGREDIENTS: 1 glass of semi-whole wheat “RIBE” rice, water 2 and a half glasses, 700 grams of peas, 1 medium onion, salt, 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, 1 liter of boiling water to cook the pods.

PROCEDURE: Shell the peas, slice the onion and put everything in a pot with the rice and water indicated, turn on the stove at high heat, when the rice starts to boil, lower the heat to a minimum, salt and cover with a lid. Cooking time 25 min. When it has absorbed the water. Clean the shelled pea pods by removing, with a knife, the woody stalk.
In the pot of boiling water, dip the pods with a little salt. Cook them for 15 minutes and pass them through a VEGETABLE MILL, thus separating the cellulose. At this point, add the chicken broth, the sauce, the prepared rice, the parsley, the oil, the Parmesan cheese and correct the salt.

PAPPARDELLE WITH “BISI ROSSI”
INGREDIENTS - for pasta: 350 grams of soft wheat flour, a whole egg, a little water, salt
for the dressing: 700 grams of peas, 1 medium onion, tomato sauce, a bunch of parsley, extra virgin olive oil, a clove of crushed garlic, salt,
parmesan cheese to taste
PROCEDURE: With the flour, the egg, the salt and a little water prepare a firm dough, wrap it in a cloth and let it rest ½ hour. Roll out with a rolling pin into a sheet of about two millimeters. Flour it, roll it and cut it into thin slices, separate them by moving them and let them dry. Shell the peas and cook them as per the basic recipe, adding the garlic and tomato puree towards the end of cooking. Cook the pasta al dente (5 min.) drain it and season it with the sauce, the Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.


STUFFED LETTUCE
INGREDIENTS: 500 gr. lettuce, 300 gr. cooked peas, 300 gr. ricotta, 1 or 2 eggs, nutmeg, salt, extra virgin olive oil, parsley or mint.

PROCEDURE: Blanch the lettuce in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain it and season it with a little oil, place it in a small baking dish so you can fill it. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the eggs, grated nutmeg, salt and oil.
Add the peas. Pour everything in the center of the lettuce and close the filling with the leaves in a 'casket' shape. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven (180 degrees).

TART WITH FAKE BISI

for the pasta: 250 gr. soft wheat flour, 100 gr. butter, 50 ml. water, a pinch of salt, quickly knead the ingredients and let it rest for 15 min. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and place it in the previously buttered and floured pie pan. Prick the pastry with a fork and bake it in a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 170 degrees. Wait for it to cool before removing from the pan. Transfer to a serving plate, fill with milk cream and decorate with 'fake bisi'.

for the cream: ½ lt. boiling milk, 80 gr. cornstarch, 40 gr. brown sugar, a pinch of salt, the grated rind of a lemon, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of vanilla. Make the cream by pouring all the ingredients into boiling milk, over low heat, mix for a few minutes. Remove from the stove and let it cool down. If “lumps” form, work with the immersion blender.

for “fake bisi”: blend a handful of natural (unsalted) pistachios, pour this flour into a saucer and mix it with a teaspoon of honey with the help of a fork, refrigerate for 20 min. Form small peas that will be used to decorate the pie.