This time of year there is no vegetable as vernal as the English pea. Pleasantly sweet and crisp, English peas (also known as garden or shell peas) are the truest sign of spring. And although they're delicious in risotto, or cooked with bacon, or of course, in soup, my favorite way to eat peas lately is by spreading a thick layer of pea butter onto toast.
What is pea butter, you might ask? Exactly what is sounds like: Spring's freshest peas, mashed into creamy butter and ready for spreading. It's the perfect antidote to avocado toast fatigue, and it's also delicious stirred into pasta, mixed into herby rice, or spread on top of lamb chops.
Besides being delicious, pea butter is super simple to make. Gently cook a shallot in butter, then pulse that shallot with fresh peas and additional softened butter in a food processor until just combined. Add a pinch of lemon zest and salt and pepper and you're ready to spread. And the best part? Frozen peas work just as well for this recipe (in fact they're the best choice if the alternative is mediocre fresh peas), meaning you can enjoy a taste of spring any time of year.
