There are plump, crumb-coated croquettes of peas and tarragon waiting to pop into sizzling oil and slices of potato, partly cooked and ready to toast under the grill. The pea croquettes will sit on a tangle of pea shoots and herbs. The potatoes will get a sauce of sweet, golden onion, curry paste and yoghurt. Both are the sort of recipes you can prepare in advance, leaving only the cooking to the last minute.
The croquettes, big fat fritters of peas and tarragon, have a back note of wasabi. The mild heat flatters the peas and unexpectedly brings the tarragon to the fore. Ideally, its presence is gently felt, but you can add more or less as the fancy takes you.
Equally, the curry paste in the yoghurt sauce can whisper or sing as loudly as you wish. I chose a mild paste with a hint of tomato and paprika whose slightly sour notes make the recipe dance. The important detail is not to let it boil once you have stirred in the yoghurt.
Much of my eating is in this style at the moment. The dishes I find myself drawn to can be partly made earlier in the day, leaving only a little last-minute cooking. They are substantial enough to be a light main course or useful as an accompaniment. Relaxed cooking for pretty much any occasion.
Grilled potatoes with curry yoghurt sauce
Use your favoured curry paste here. (I used a bhuna paste, which lent a slight tart and smoky quality to the sauce.) Serves 4. Ready in 45 minutes
potatoes 400g, medium-sized
curry leaves 30
onion 1, large
ground nut or vegetable oil 3 tbsp, plus a little extra
mild curry paste 1-2 tbsp
yoghurt 250ml
Bring a deep pan of water to the boil, then salt it generously. Peel the potatoes, then add them, whole, to the water. Let them cook for about 15 minutes or until they are tender enough to pierce easily with a metal skewer. Remove the potatoes from the water and set aside to cool a little.
Warm the oil in a shallow pan, scatter in half the curry leaves, fry for a minute or two until almost crisp, then remove from the pan with a draining spoon and set aside.
Peel the onion, slice it thinly, then stir it into the remaining oil in the shallow pan. Let it cook over a low to moderate heat for 15 minutes or so, stirring from time to time, until soft and pale gold.
Line a baking sheet with kitchen foil and preheat an overhead (oven) grill. Cut the potatoes into slices, each roughly the thickness of a couple of £1 coins. Place them flat on the baking sheet. Brush each slice with a little groundnut or vegetable oil, then season lightly with salt and cook under the preheated grill until they start to colour.
Scatter the remaining curry leaves into the onion and let them cook for a minute or two. When they darken, stir in the curry paste. Continue cooking for a couple of minutes until the onion is coated with the paste and very fragrant, then stir in the yoghurt and remove from the heat.
When the potatoes are golden and sizzling, serve with the curry sauce and scatter with the reserved curry leaves.
Pea and wasabi croquettes with pea shoots
Tarragon and peas with the warm, gentle back note of wasabi. Make sure to chill the mixture thoroughly before shaping the croquettes and turn them gently in the pan using a palette knife. Makes 8. Serves 2. Ready in 30 minutes, plus chilling time
shelled peas 500g, fresh or frozen
tarragon 15g
wasabi paste 2-3 tsp
butter 40g
egg yolks 2
breadcrumbs 40g, dry, white such as panko
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To coat and fry:
eggs 2
breadcrumbs 4 large handfuls
vegetable or groundnut oil to shallow fry
To serve:
pea shoots, mint and coriander a handful
olive oil a little
lemon juice a little
Put a deep pan of water on to boil and salt it lightly. When it is boiling, tip in the peas and let them cook for about 4 minutes, a little longer for fresh peas, then drain them. Strip the tarragon leaves from their stems. You will end up with about 10g.
Tip the cooked peas into the bowl of a food processor and reduce to a thick purée, then add the tarragon leaves and the butter. Beat the egg yolks, then stir them into the puréed peas together with the wasabi, breadcrumbs and a generous seasoning of salt. Transfer to a mixing bowl, cover and leave to chill.
Gently shape the pea mixture into 8 barrel-shaped croquettes. (A little flour on your hands will make this easier.)
Break the eggs into a shallow dish and beat lightly with a fork. Put the breadcrumbs into a second shallow dish or deep plate. Lower the croquettes, one by one, into the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Pat firmly to help the crumbs stick to the croquettes, then lift them out on to a baking sheet.
Warm a 1cm deep layer of vegetable or groundnut oil in a shallow pan. Keeping at a moderate heat, lower the croquettes into the oil and fry for a few minutes until the underside is golden and crisp. Gently turn them and cook the other sides, then remove and drain on kitchen paper.
Toss together the pea shoots, mint and coriander leaves, dress with a little olive oil and lemon, then nestle the croquettes among them.
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