Bacon, feta and pea salad

Our veg box arrived today in the pouring rain, containing a box of freshly picked pea pods and the most amazing bag of salad leaves.

Makes enough for one. You'll need:

some peas, freshly shelled (this is one occasion where the frozen variety probably aren't worth using)
a handful of salad leaves (mizuna or rocket, spinach and butterhead lettuce is a good combination)
25g feta cheese, cubed
2 rashers of streaky bacon
some salad dressing of your choice - something balsamic-y is good

Fry the bacon (you don't need to add any extra oil) for 5 minutes in a pan until it goes crispy. Slice into small pieces.

Sling the salad leaves into a large bowl, and chuck in the peas (uncooked). Add the feta cheese and the bacon pieces, and toss together. Drizzle over a little salad dressing and season with lots of black pepper.

Eat with some nice bread, or failing that some pitta bread that you've dragged out of the freezer and toasted...

Coconut rice with peas

We made this as a sneaky treat because your Dad was out (he's an inveterate pea hater).

Makes enough for 1 adult and 1 small child.

You'll need:

coconut milk (I used about a third of a tin)
a handful of peas (defrosted)
basmati rice (about half a mug)

Chuck the rice in a pan. Pour the coconut milk into the measuring mug, and top it up with water until it reaches the top (you need twice as much liquid as rice!). Tip into the pan, bring to the boil, then simmer gently until all the liquid has been absorbed, and the rice is tender. You might need to add a little extra water - keep an eye on it.

The rice will take about 8-10 minutes to cook - so you need to add your peas in the last couple of minutes, so that they heat through.

If you want to be fancy, you could also add some chopped coriander before serving.

We ate this with some chicken and red pepper kebabs. The wooden skewers caught fire, so they weren't exactly a success...

Chorizo with peas and feta

We wrote a letter to Santa today, and you cycled to the postbox at the end of the street to send it on its way. Here's hoping you get a reply...

A robust sort of a tea for a cold, windy and migrainy day was required. Makes enough for two (your Dad was out at a work event, hence the peas).

You'll need:

a large chunk of chorizo, sliced
lots and lots of frozen peas
an onion, finely chopped
any odds and ends of peppers hanging about in the fridge
lots of freshly ground black pepper

Gently fry the chorizo over a low heat until it gives off its spicy oil. Add the onion/peppers and fry until they have softened. Meanwhile, heat the peas in boiling water for 3 minutes, until they have defrosted and cooked. Drain.

Chuck the peas into the chorizo/onion/pepper mixture, and swish about for a couple of minutes until they take on the chorizo oil and flavours.

Serve immediately, with some plain basmati rice. Sprinkle some cubes of feta cheese over the top.

Pea (and everything else) soup

Another of the 'let's see what's in the fridge' recipes that's excellent for lunch.

You'll need:

some chicken stock (I had some lurking in the freezer because I'm like that, but to be honest a stock cube of some description would be equally good, dissolved in some hot water)
veg! I used some frozen peas, some celery and an onion
a couple of potatoes (don't on any account use sweet potatoes...it makes for a horribly sweet soup if you mix them with peas...)

Peel the potatoes, and then chop them (and all the veg). Stick the onion/celery and any other similar type things in your pan, with a little olive oil, and fry them until they've softened. Add the potatoes and stock, bring to the boil, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Add your peas, and cook for another five minutes or so.

Stick in the blender (or use one of those magic wand/blender things) to make it all smooth. Chuck in a teaspoon of creme fraiche or a dribble of cream if you're feeling in need of a bit of luxury. Some tiny pieces of crispy pancetta or bacon would probably also go down well.

Salmon and pea pasta

You used to love this for tea when you were tiny (especially when I made it with the little star or alphabet pasta). I made it for the first time in ages yesterday, and you hated the cheese sauce. You can't win...

Makes enough for one toddler:

a small offcut of salmon
a tablespoon of frozen peas
a little butter, milk and flour
nutmeg
a little grated cheese
pasta

Put the salmon in a pan, and cover with milk (you could also add a bay leaf at this point). Poach for 5-10 minutes until the salmon is cooked through (how long it takes will depend on how thick it is). Take the fish out of the milk, and then flake (checking carefully for bones).

Add a knob of butter and a little flour and some grated nutmeg to the warm milk, whisking until the lumps have gone. Grate some cheese into the sauce, and stir until it thickens.

Stick the peas and the pasta in boiling water, and simmer until cooked (about 7-8 minutes for pasta twists, a lot less if you're using tiny pasta shapes).

Add the pasta to the cheesy sauce, along with the flaked fish. Grind a little black pepper on top.

Grown ups like this too, especially if you use mature cheddar in the white sauce.