English Pea & Basil Purée with Garlic Confit and Pea Pod Stock

A bright spring recipe featuring fresh English peas, basil, lemon, and sweet garlic confit — perfect alongside fish, chicken, pasta, or spring vegetables.

Serves: 4–6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients

English Peas

2 ½ pounds fresh English peas in pods (yields about 2 cups shelled peas)
Ice water, for shocking

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Pea Pod Stock

Reserved pea pods
4 cups water
1 lemon, peeled into wide strips
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
1 small shallot, sliced
1 small celery stalk, chopped
4–5 parsley stems
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 black peppercorns

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Garlic Confit

1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled
1 cup olive oil (or enough to fully submerge garlic)

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Purée

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cups blanched English peas
4–5 garlic confit cloves
½ cup loosely packed basil leaves
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¼ to ½ cup cream or half-and-half
½ to ¾ cup warm pea pod stock
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

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Method

1. Shell and Blanch the Peas

Shell the peas and reserve all pods for the stock.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath nearby.

Blanch the peas for 60–90 seconds until bright green and just tender. Immediately transfer to the ice bath to stop cooking.

Drain well and pat dry.

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2. Make the Pea Pod Stock

Rinse the pea pods thoroughly.

In a medium pot combine:

reserved pea pods
water
lemon peel
halved garlic head
shallot
celery
parsley stems
salt
peppercorns

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 30–40 minutes.

Avoid boiling aggressively — the goal is a fresh, green, delicate stock.

Strain and reserve warm.

You should have approximately 2–3 cups of stock.

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3. Prepare the Garlic Confit

Place peeled garlic cloves in a small saucepan and cover completely with olive oil.

Cook over very low heat for 35–45 minutes until the garlic is soft, sweet, and lightly golden.

The oil should barely shimmer — the garlic should confit gently, never fry.

Reserve both the garlic cloves and the oil.

The garlic oil can also be used for:

roasted vegetables
grilled fish
vinaigrettes
finishing pasta
brushing grilled bread

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4. Build the Purée

Heat butter or olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat.

Add diced shallot and cook gently until translucent, about 3–4 minutes.

Add:

blanched peas
garlic confit cloves

Sauté just until the peas are heated through and lightly coated in the aromatics.

At this stage, remove about ½ cup of the sautéed peas and reserve for garnish.

Transfer the remaining pea mixture to a blender with:

basil
Parmesan
cream or half-and-half
lemon juice
½ cup warm pea pod stock

Blend until completely smooth.

Add additional warm stock as needed until the purée reaches a silky, spoonable consistency.

For an ultra-smooth finish, pass through a fine mesh sieve.

Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

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To Serve

Warm gently before serving. Avoid boiling after blending to preserve the vibrant green color.

Finish with:

reserved sautéed peas
basil leaves
lemon zest
grated Parmesan
garlic confit oil
cracked black pepper

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Recommended Protein Pairings

Seafood

Excellent with:

halibut
cod
branzino
salmon
sea bass
scallops

Best preparations:

pan-seared
roasted
grilled over charcoal
olive oil poached

The sweetness of spring peas pairs especially well with delicate white fish and shellfish.

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Chicken

Pairs beautifully with:

crispy skin airline chicken breast
herb-roasted chicken thighs
grilled lemon chicken

Additional flavors that complement the dish:

mint
preserved lemon
pancetta
spring onions
asparagus
pea shoots

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Other Uses for the Purée

This purée also works well as:

a pasta sauce for fresh tagliatelle or gnocchi
a base beneath lamb or pork
a spread for crostini with ricotta
a spring vegetable soup base
a sauce for risotto
a component in grain bowls with farro or couscous

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Chef Notes

Using the pea pods for stock deepens the flavor while reducing waste.
Basil should be blended briefly to maintain freshness and vibrant color.
For a looser sauce, add more stock.
For a tighter purée, reduce the cream slightly.

Salmon Crispy Rice with Citrus Sesame Ponzu & Sriracha Mayo

Makes 15-20 bites

Rice

1 cup sushi rice
2 cups water
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 cups canola or other natural oil

Instructions

Rinse sushi rice under cold water until the water runs clear
Combine rice, water, and solt in pot (or rice cooker), bring to boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes
Once cooked, transfer rice to a mixing bowl and cool down slightly
Combine sugar and rice vinegar in a sauce pot and heat until sugar is dissolved, and slowly mix into the rice
Transfer seasoned rice to mini silicone muffin trays or a small sheet tray, press until firmly shaped, and freeze over night
Fry in canola oil (or oil of choice) the next day
Cut into squares or use cookie cutter for small rice circles if using a sheet tray instead of muffin tin

Salmon

12 oz sushi grade salmon
Cilantro
Red Onion
Pickled Ginger

Instructions

Remove skin and bloodline from salmon
Dice until very small pieces of salmon
Mince cilantro, red onion, and pickled ginger and set aside until ready to assemble and serve

Citrus Sesame Ponzu

1 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp ginger
1 stalk lemon grass
1/2 lime juiced
1/2 orange juiced
1 cup tamari (or soy sauce)
1/4 cup honey

Instructions

Toast garlic and ginger in sesame oil in a sauce pot until fragrant
Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil, reduce until slightly thickened and cool

Sriracha Mayo

1 tbsp Sriracha
3 tbsp Kewpie Mayo
1 dash tamari (or soy sauce)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and place in a piping bag (or use spoon to drizzle)

Garnish

Furirake (or sliced toasted nori sheets and sesame seeds)
Serrano Pepper sliced very thin
Scallion sliced thin on a bias

Instructions

Toss salmon with a slight drizzle of sesame oil in a bowl to coat and prevent from oxidizing
Add 1 tbsp of ponzu at a time and cilantro, onion, and pickled ginger mixture
Taste for seasoning and adjust the sauce and salt ratio
Place salmon mixture on fried cripsy rice, top with a dirzle of sriracha mayo, serrano, scallion, furikake, and serve

Persian Rice Salad

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati or Jasmine Rice
4 cups water or chicken stock
Pinch of saffron
1 tsp salt (season to more or less to taste)
1/2 cup toasted and crushed hazelnuts plus more for garnish
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds plus more for garnish
4 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
1/2 inch piece of ginger (peeled and finely julienned)
Mixed herbs minced: dill, parsley, mint
2 tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

Fry garlic and ginger in olive oil until lightly browned
Pass through the strainer over the bowl to separate the oil from the garlic and ginger to cool
Rinse and cook rice with water or stock and saffron and salt (bring to boil uncovered, adjust heat to low and cover for 10 minutes, remove from heat and keep covered for 10 minutes, remove lid, transfer rice to a sheet tray to cool once cooked)
Toss cooled rice with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, including the ginger, garlic, and oil it was fried in
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, vinegar, or lemon if needed
Plate in serving bowl or platter and garnish with more herbs, nuts, and pomegranate

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