Cooking with seasonal ingredients takes advantage of when produce is at its best. There’s usually more flavor, it can be more cost efficient, and it just feels more genuine. Each month I’ll cook a dish showcases and in-season ingredient.
Peas are in season in May so I’m guessing that means pea shoots are in season. I threw both into this salad so my bases are totally covered. I basically used pea shoots as a stand-in for lettuce so just throw a bunch in a bowl. Now that I’ve tested it out, I realize the overall texture would have been a bit better with some regular lettuce (like the butter variety). Toss the pea shoots (and lettuce) with raw fennel that you’ve shaved on a mandolin along with some crumbled feta. Heat some frozen peas up in a pan, just long enough to take the chill off. It’s nice to have a little something warm in this salad but not hot – this ain’t a side dish. Add the peas to the rest of the salad and dress with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
It’s such a simple salad but different from the typical green starter dish. And I think fennel is in season, too. You are just SO spring with this salad.
Peaches to Apples 