Seasonal local food recipe No 109: Braised peas, rocket and spring onions

Recommended by Camel CSA member and expert grower Bridget Gould, a recipe from Delia Smith that would work as well with french beans as with peas. It’s a good recipe for slightly older peas which perhaps have more flavour than younger ones.

Serves 6

Preparation/cooking: 15 minutes

Ingredients
3 lb (1.35 kg) peas (unshelled weight), freshly shelled
2½ oz (60 g) fresh rocket
12 bulbous spring onions
1½ oz (40g) butter
pinch golden caster sugar
1 rounded tsp Maldon sea salt

Method
First trim the spring onions: you need only the white bulbs (the rest can be chopped and saved for something such as a stir fry).

Pull off any thick, stalky bits from the rocket and tear the larger leaves in half. Now all you do is put all the ingredients in a large saucepan, together with 3 tablespoons of water, cover with a lid, bring them up to simmering point and simmer gently for 8-15 minutes, depending on the age of the peas.