Green pearls

Green pearls
Magazine: April 2008

Symbol of good fortune and prosperity, peas have always been well loved in every era since they made their debut in Asia, 6,000 years before the Christianity. In the past, fl owers of the legume were plaited as auspicious garlands for brides, whilst the long green pods were one of the principal sources of nutrition. In France in the ‘600s, peas were considered as very precious and especially reserved for the aristocracy who devoured them with pleasure. Al lot of prominence has been given to the benefi ts of this legume that is sweet, tender, juicy, nutritious and highly digestible but also to the short period, from April to June, in which the product is available in its natural state. “Peas should not be eaten out of season, but should be “early vegetables” and extremely fresh” affi rms the star-awarded chef Antonella Ricci who, together with her husband Vinod Sookar, oversees the kitchen of the family restaurant “Al Fornello da Ricci” in the Brindisi area. “Just ten days too late and the peas become hard, fl oury and bitter”. “For my dishes, inspired by the local Puglia’s traditions, I prefer the small local, narrow pods, picked early, that contain tiny fully-fl avoured peas,” says Antonella Ricci. “With the cooked peas, extra virgin olive oil plus salt and pepper I make a type of pesto to dress gnocchi, topped off with slivers of truffl e and new season’s oil”.