The weather lately has been as temperamental as peas in pods. But peas are even harder to read than the sky: some pods contain sweet things no bigger than peppercorns, which explode when you bite them; the contents of others, however, are closer to small ball bearings, their size very likely a sign that all the natural sucrose has been metabolised and transformed to pea starch. The best thing for the tiny ones is to snack on them alongside a bit of cheese, whereas the path for big ones is the same as for dried peas, so pea and ham soup or a long-simmered puree.
Prepared for all the above, I first checked that there were frozen peas in the freezer. It was a packet I used to take for granted until, aged 14 and having finished all the biscuits, crisps, cereal and milk, I decided that peas were a decent late-night desperation snack. Fortunately, there was a packet, because I needed a good portion of it to make up for the pea shortfall caused by the huge and tiny ones found in one kilo of pods.
This week’s recipe is a mix of three recipes. The first is Arabella Boxer’s poussins aux pois in First Slice Your Cookbook, which was published in 1964 and designed by her then husband, Mark Boxer, who had the innovative and massively useful idea of slicing the cookbook in three and ring binding each part, so you can flip through the three sections – soup and hors d’oeuvres, mains and puddings – separately, and have them all open at once. The book also includes drawings by Alan Cracknell and wine suggestions by Hugh Johnson. In short: run to AbeBooks and get a copy. The second and third are Ada Boni’s pollo in padella (chicken in a pan) and her braised peas and spring onion from Il Talismano della Felicità (The Talisman of Happiness), which is a fraction of the fun of First Slice Your Cookbook, but also brilliant. The combination of pan-fried chicken with golden, crisp skin and softly braised spring vegetables is delightful.
Chicken thighs are brilliant, too; the combination of their fat content, red muscle fibres and darker meat make them the most flavourful part of the chicken, and also less likely to dry out when you cook them. The bone within the thigh keeps the flesh and muscle compact, and therefore helps with tenderness; however, the nature of the cut means that boneless thighs are good, too, and also cook more quickly. You decide.
Serve directly from the pan or transfer to a warm serving plate, zigzagging with olive oil or adding a few bits of butter. This is a reliable and ideal dish for all sorts of weather, especially alongside bread and a glass of wine.
Spring chicken thighs with spring onions, mint and peas
Serves 4
- 8 small or 4 large skin-on chicken thighs, bone in or bone out
- Salt
- Olive oil
- 1 large bunch spring onions, finely sliced, or 3 fresh white onions, peeled and sliced
- 100ml white wine
- 400g peas, fresh or frozen
- 1 small bunch mint or mentuccia, ripped
Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt, rubbing it all over so it’s well distributed. Starting with a cold frying pan, cover lightly or rub the base with oil, then lay in the thighs skin side down.
Put the pan on a medium-low heat – this is going to help the fat render gently, which ensures golden and crisp skin – and leave to fry gently for 20-25 minutes for bone-in thighs, or 15-20 for boneless. Gently shake the pan intermittently, and notice the rising level of opaque cooked meat.
Once the skin is golden brown and crisp, turn over the thighs and cook for another 15 minutes for bone-in or eight for boneless, until cooked through. Lift the thighs on to a warm plate and keep it in a warm spot.
Pour the fat from the pan into a bowl, leaving any meaty residue behind in the pan. Return three tablespoons of the fat back into the pan, stir in the onions and move them about briskly for a minute or two. Add the wine, let it whoosh, then stir so any meaty residue eases from the base of the pan – the onions will go slightly brown (this means flavour). Simmer for five minutes, add the peas and make sure there is still enough liquid that the pan is steamy (if not, add a little more). Cover the pan and cook the peas for eight to 12 minutes, until tender but with a bit of pop.
Stir in the mint leaves, then return the chicken thighs skin side up to the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes more. Taste for salt. Serve directly from the pan, or transfer to a warm serving dish.
