In spring, garden peas and young carrots need little embellishment to taste amazing. It’s all about the execution. You want them just tender, but not crunchy. And you use only a little butter here—just enough to make the vegetables glisten.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　2 thin carrots

　　1 cup thinly sliced Vidalia onion

　　1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　Kosher salt

　　2 cups fresh shelled green peas (from 2 to 2 1/2 pounds in the pod)

　　2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

　　1 tablespoon fresh dill leaves

　　

Step 1

Cut a 1/2-inch piece from a carrot at an angle. Roll the carrot until the cut side faces up and cut another 1/2-inch piece at an angle. Continue rolling and cutting both carrots.

　　

Step 2

Combine the carrots, onion, 1 tablespoon of the butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until very tender, about 10 minutes. A knife should be able to pierce through a carrot with no resistance.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, combine the peas and 3 tablespoons water in a large saucepan. There should be just enough water to coat the bottom of the pan. If there isn’t, add more water as needed. Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the peas are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Add the carrot mixture and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the peas. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are glazed and bound by a thin, creamy sauce, about 2 minutes.

　　

Step 5

Transfer to a serving bowl and top with mint and dill.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.