It seems as though the Sun left us for a while this morning, and it could not come back out from the gloomy clouds for the rest of the day. Rain is also on the menu, but I am not minding it one bit. Last week was hectic but absolutely lovely. My friend’s visit was a success. We went to loads of places around Malta and she seems to have enjoyed her holiday here. Now I’m taking a little time to adjust to my routine again, but I’m happy and I have a rest-day planned. I will be cooking though and I can tell it will be good as the temperature also gave me a rest and I will be savouring every second.
For today’s lunch I will make an Indian-inspired recipe for buttered chicken and will work on that as soon as I publish this post, and plan to make this as a side. I think it will pair up well with the chicken and frankly I think it will make a delicious side to any other dish.
For the past few months I have been on a fresh garlic kick. I just love the stuff, and finding it everywhere in Malta has been such a delight. And a relief because I think I cannot live without it! It makes everything taste fresh, like parsley or coriander, but better. The chore of washing it and cutting it is all worth it. I usually buy quite a large amount, but I find that if I wash it it keeps very well in the fridge for quite a few days. I would even dare stretching it out for a good week or so. I place it in a glass container, cover that with cling film and place a lid over it. That way you won’t get any nasty smells in the fridge. This week I am experimenting with keeping it in the deep freeze. We’ll see how that goes.
I have to say I use fresh garlic and everything else really quite liberally, so for this recipe the quantities are completely up to you. I just give an approximation of what I used because I just couldn’t be bothered with measuring here. And you shouldn’t either. Have a taste once in a while and adjust the ingredients and seasoning. Trust me, it’s very difficult to ruin something like this. Just make sure not to burn the garlic; just let it brown and it will give a lovely caramelized flavour to the peas. If you are not a fan of peas then by all means try this with another vegetable. The world is your oyster. I just love it. (Wait…didn’t I say that already?)
- 1 tablespoon regular olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- a good handful of fresh garlic, washed and cut into small pieces
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 2 teaspoons za’atar or thyme
- pinch of salt
- pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- handful of fresh parsley, washed and roughly chopped
Heat a shallow pan over medium heat and pour in the olive oil. Add the chopped onion and fresh garlic. Stir and wait for the onion to turn translucent. Add the frozen peas.
When the peas are slightly heated and turn bright green with the heat, add the za’atar or thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir.
Remove the pan from the heat and tip the peas into a bowl. Pour in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and add the parsley. Mix and serve warm.
For 2 as a side. Enjoy with your main dish and a cold glass of white wine. Preferably on a nice terrace underneath an umbrella. With friends.
Rob.
Chorizo & Thyme 