The idea for cookbook author Vanessa Seder’s latest book, Eat Cool: Good Food for Hot Days (Rizzoli, March 2021) took root in her kitchen in the summer of 2018. She was working on unrelated recipe development and food styling projects that required nonstop use of her oven during a stretch of steamy weather; her home in Portland was older and lacked air conditioning. At the ends of those long, hot days, Seder says she was desperate to create interesting family dinners that didn’t require prolonged use of a heat source to prepare.
Makes
4 peopleIngredients
For the pea puree
- 2 cups shelled or frozen and thawed peas
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
For the salad
- 2 cups raw corn kernels from 2–3 corn cobs
- 2 cups sugar snap peas sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 cups pea tendrils
- 1 cup thinly sliced radicchio
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs such as dill, mint, and flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese
- Edible flowers such as borage, marigold, or radish flowers, for garnish
Instructions
- To make the pea puree, place the shelled peas, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. The puree can be made a day ahead of time, if desired. Divide the pea puree among 4 large plates and smooth out with a spoon or offset spatula. Set aside.
- To make the dressing, combine in a small bowl the mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, then whisk in the olive oil to incorporate.
- To make the salad, divide the corn among the 4 plates with the pea puree and top with the sugar snap peas, pea tendrils, radicchio, and herbs. Drizzle with the dressing, sprinkle with the ricotta salata, and garnish with the edible flowers if desired.
- Serve immediately.
