This quick side dish is so green and fresh-tasting that it seems the essence of spring, although with a package of frozen green peas, you can make it any time of year. Peas and escarole enhance each other wonderfully because of their contrasting tastes and textures.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　1 10-ounce package of frozen petite sweet peas (2 cups)

　　1 8-ounce head of escarole

　　1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

　　Generous pinches of salt, black pepper, and sugar

　　

Step 1

Defrost the peas by placing them in a colander and running hot tap water over them for a minute. Thoroughly rinse the escarole and cut it into fine shreds (about 4 cups).

　　

Step 2

In a skillet on medium heat, sauté the escarole in the oil or butter for a minute or two, until bright green and wilted. Add the peas, salt, pepper, and sugar and cook, stirring constantly, just until the peas are hot, a minute or two.

　　

Serving & menu ideas

Step 3

So green and sweet, this is the perfect side dish for Flounder with Herbed Lemon Butter (page 159). Or serve it with Yellow Rice (page 179) and Lemon Herb Tofu (page 68). It’s a delicious simple meal spooned on Polenta (page 184) or tossed with a chunky pasta and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

　　From Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table. Copyright © 2017 by Moosewood Collective. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. Buy the full book from ThriftBooks or Amazon.