Cooking at Home with the One-and-Only Chef Vitaly Paley

Three Pea-leasing Recipes from Chef Paley's Kitchen

Chef Paley is a hometown hero for many reasons, from blazing trails on the American culinary scene as a James Beard Award winner (Best Chef Pacific Northwest in 2005) to snagging a win on Food Network’s Iron Chef. Now, Chef Paley is busy championing budding talent across five Portland restaurants including Imperial and The Crown at Hotel Lucia, Rosa Rosa at Dossier, Headwaters at Heathman Hotel and Paley’s Place, plus leading missions surrounding sustainable seafood practices. If you haven’ caught his Friday live cooking series alongside his talented wife Kimberley, do yourself a favor and check out his IG Live, Friday’s at 5:00pm PT.  Peas are the perfect spring vegetable and oh so versatile. Here, Chef Paley shares step-by-step recipe for three different pea dishes.  If you’re using frozen peas, he has some pro tips for you. Bon Appétit!

Recipe 1: Chilled English Pea Soup (Serves 4 to 6)

Frozen peas are usually sweeter than their fresh counterparts. This is a very simple, colorful and elegant summer soup that is also extremely easy to make.  Prepare it the day you serve it, because after the moment of perfection everything fades with time. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 bag frozen English peas  
• 8 cups water  
• 4 bags of mint tea  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper  

Instructions

1. Steep mint tea and chill (per instructions) 

2. Defrost peas according to instruction on the package 

3. Place the peas along with two cups of the herbal tea in a blender and liquefy 

4. Thin the soup with more herbal tea if the mixture seems too thick. (If there is any tea leftover, refrigerate it and save it for another use or drink it!) 

5. Set the soup aside and keep cold 

Recipe 2: Pea and Vegetable Salad (Serves 4 to 6)   

Ingredients

• 1 Yukon gold potato, boiled whole, cooled, peeled, and diced into cubes  
• 1 carrot, peeled and cooked in salted water and diced into cubes  
• 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted according to instructions on the package   
• 1 hard-boiled egg, coarsely grated  
• Couple of sprigs dill, picked and chopped   
• 2 scallions cleaned and chopped  
• Couple of spoonful’s of mayo, sour cream or plain yogurt (dealer’s choice!) 
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste  
• Lemon juice to taste  

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and keep refrigerated if not using right away 

Recipe 3: Crushed English Pea Toast with Goat Cheese (Serves 4 to 6)   

Ingredients

• 1/2 bag of frozen peas   
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese  
• 1/2 cup olive oil  
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest  
• Juice of 1 lemon  
• 5 large mint leaves, washed, dried and chopped (optional)  
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper  
• Fresh or aged goat cheese, crumbled  

Instructions

1. Defrost peas according to package instructions 

2. Pulse all the ingredients in the food processor to chunky consistency 

3. Scrape the sides with rubber spatula, as needed 

4. Generously season with salt and pepper 

5. If a food processor is not available, place in a bowl and use a potato masher or the back of a fork  

6. Spread on toast and top with crumbled cheese  

Tips for toasting bread:  For the bruschetta-style grilled bread, place a cookie cooling rack over a burner on medium heat. Grill bread on both sides, rub generously with raw garlic on both sides and the top with your favorite toppings, like crushed peas. Or just toast the bread in the toaster or under the broiler (but watch closely, it is high heat and can burn quickly.)