I’ve been working in Toronto all week and crashing with my ex, aka, The Architect Cock, who I share a house with in Parkdale. We went to Fiesta Farms for some groceries and the A.C. found some fresh Ontario peas for 2.99 a bag. Excited, he said, “Imagine how these would taste in your risotto?” (I’d made him my Risotto Aphrodisio the previous night with frozen cheap ones…)
For lunch, I wanted to use the peas in a salad. After reading a few recipes on the net that called for mayo, sour cream and bacon I decided to keep it simple and light (the A.C. though brilliant and adorable, could lose a few pounds, and my nagging is probably one of the reasons we’re no longer together.) I paired the peas with avocado and tomato. For a dressing I made an olive oil, lemon and mint vinaigrette. (There was tons of fresh mint in the garden, and mint seemed to be a common element in the recipes I found online…)
The morning rain had cleared so we ate the salad outside. The Architect Cock looked very content and cute with his pea salad, and my hearted warmed, panged even, watching him on the chaise longue under the sun, savouring each bite. In that moment, everything was working between us in a way I wished it could all the time.
I Will Always Love You Pea Salad
Ingredients
Two cups fresh peas
1/2 cup avocado chopped (not too ripe)
1 firm vine ripened tomato, seeds squeezed out, chopped
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
salt and pepper
two cloves garlic
a few sprigs of fresh mint
2 teaspoons grated or shaved parmesan
Directions
Steam peas for about 2 minutes, then rinse under cold water. In a bowl, mix peas with chopped avocado and tomato. Toss with vinaigrette. Divide into two bowls and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Yum!
Next time I’m going to add a little shaved or grated parmesan. I experimented at the end, sprinkling on a little grated in my dish, and it was good too.