Update: Funny to see how hot it was in April, three years ago, when here we are in June 2012 and it’s been chilly, grey and rainy for days. This time around, with fresh peas-from-the-pod, ever so slightly steamed, and radishes & lettuce from the first CSA of the year, this salad was still easy, breezy, pea(sy) good.

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This crazy “Spring” weather, with temps approaching 90 degrees, has got me not wanting to do much of anything beyond laying in front of the fan and eating a popsicle, much less spend a lot of time in the kitchen or out on the sunny, sunny deck.  But gardens don’t plant themselves, and dinner does not make itself (although I must confess I toyed with the idea of Thai food takeout).  But then I remembered that box of frozen peas that has been languishing in the freezer since before Christmas, when I was experimenting with my chicken pot pie recipe. In my never-ending search for good radish recipes, I had printed out a recipe from Epicurious called Pea Salad with Radishes and Feta Cheese. It sounded pretty quick and easy, with minimal stove-on-heating-up-the-house-even-further time, so I gave it a go.

This really is easy, breeezy: it took about 15 minutes total, with scrubbing and slicing radishes, searching out cumin in the Dread Food Cabinet, steaming peas and chopping dill.  The result was quite lovely; fresh, light and crunchy, cool, but surprisingly satisfying – exactly what I wanted on a hot and sticky Sunday evening. And I finally got rid of that box of peas in the freezer! A definite win-win.

Adapted from Pea Salad with Radishes and Feta Cheese, Molly Stevens, on Epicurious

Easy Breezy Pea(sy) Salad

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 – 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

Salad

• about 2 cups (8 oz) frozen or fresh peas (from about 2 lb fresh peas in the pod)
• 1 small bunch radishes (about 10-12 radishes), scrubbed, trimmed, sliced lengthwise and sliced thinly
• 2 – 3 oz feta, diced to 1/4-inch dice, or about 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 2 handfuls (about 3 cups) baby lettuce leaves

METHODS

1. In a small bowl, mix cumin, honey, lime juice, olive oil, dill, salt and pepper well with a fork. Taste, and adjust seasonings. (Or, shake vigorously in a Mason jar!)
2. Steam peas over boiling water until tender, about 3-4 minutes for frozen, 1-2 minutes for fresh. Drain peas and plunge into ice water to stop cooking, then toss a colander to drain well. Combine radishes, peas, lettuce and feta in a medium bowl. Add about half the dressing; toss, taste, and continue to add more dressing to your taste. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

OPTIONS

1. The original recipe called for pea sprouts (instead of lettuce). I could not find any at my local farmer’s market, but I would guess they’d be a nice addition.

STORE

If you need to store the salad, do not toss the whole amount with dressing; serve in large bowls and toss each individual serving with dressing, then store the dressing and salad mix separately, refrigerated, for 1-2 days.

SEASON

Spring.