Simplicity. That's what I'm looking for these days and that's what I'm putting on my plate.
Like tonight. A very simple yet delicious dinner. So simple that I don't even need to explain everything in grams and deciliters.
To make this dish even simpler I've used frozen baby peas, one of the few things I regularly have in the freezer. I don't like to keep left-overs or to use lots of frozen food but certain things come in handy when you need them. Fresh filled pasta to plunge in boiling water directly from the ice compartment for emergency lunches or dinners, the odd ciabatta bread, Alaska pollock for the cats when I forget to buy their food, and peas.
Italians love to use peas in lots of recipes even when it's not exactly the right season. They're practically indispensable in the minestrone, for example, and thus in Italy it's quite common to have them frozen and ready for use.
So get yourself some nice baby peas (fresh ones are even better, if you have them), a couple of fillets of sole, some fresh basil ed ecco fatto, you'll have a quick and easy to make Italian classic.
Gently fry a small onion or shallot in a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until soft and glazy.
Add the peas with some hot water from the kettle.
Let them cook until almost tender, letting most of the water evaporate. Season with a bit of salt.
Lay the sole fillets on top of the peas and put the lid on the pan, leaving them to gently steam for a few minutes.
Season with salt, black pepper and fresh basil and serve immediately.
The music that goes with this dish is from Pierangelo Bertoli with Tazenda, "Spunta la luna dal monte"
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