Peas de Resistance

These peas are so named because even as part of a lavish menu, they really stood out as something unusual. Like my other favorite pea preparation, this recipe uses the richness of ground nuts as a foil for the tender juiciness of the peas. You can use English shelling peas, sugar snap peas, or a combination of the two.

Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging, now more herbal than ever, is to be found this week at Sidewalk Shoes.

Peas with Pistachio and Parsley Sauce

1 cups shelled peas (from about 1 pound peas in the pod. You can double the amount of peas if you have more)

½ cup pistachios

1/3 cup yogurt

salt

leaves from about 6 branches of parsley (loose ½ cup)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic scape, chopped (or one scallion, or a clove of garlic)

½ teaspoon salt

Line a strainer or colander with cheesecloth or paper towels and allow the yogurt to drain while you prepare the other ingredients. Blanch the peas briefly in boiling water. Decorticate the pistachios, or skip this step, but it is lovely if you do. Place half the pistachios in a blender or processor with the yogurt, about ½ teaspoon salt, parsley, olive oil, and garlic scape. Blend, drizzling in a few spoonsful of water as needed to make a smooth sauce. Mix the peas and sauce in a shallow baking dish. Chop the remaining pistachios and scatter them on top. Bake until bubbly and slightly browned. The original recipe suggests 15 minutes at 500F. I gave them half an hour at 375F with a minute under the broiler.