Sunday, August 17, 2014

Snap Pea and Cucumber Salad with Radish and Dill

Veggies, veggies, everywhere! This salad is a nice change of pace from the usual mayo and pasta heavy side dishes at the summer's frequent potlucks and BBQs. And yet another wonderful excuse to use up the bounty of our CSA box!

This may be the last of the snap and sugar peas of the season. Which is truly a pity. Out of all of our farm's bounty, I love to snack on the sugar peas the most. They were plentiful this year, but we went through them before I had a change to blanche and freeze any for the winter. Ah well. Enjoy them while they are fresh!

The salad is sturdy enough to endure a day in the sun, unlike it's mayo laden brethren. However, after a day of so, the peas do begin to pickle and loose their vibrant green color. Do try to eat this salad up as quickly as possible!

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' recipe on Food Network

serves 4-6

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 small cucumbers, quarted and cut into 1/2-inch bites
1 small bunch of radishes, trimmed, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup dill
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

The Process:
Prep a large bowl full of water and ice. Set aside. 
 
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the snap peas and cook until vibrant green, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the peas into a colander and immediately transfer to the bowl of ice water. This stops the residual heat in the peas from continuing to cook them. Leave the peas in the ice water for 2 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a larger serving bowl. 

Quarter the cucumbers legthenwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Trim the tops and tips from the radishes. Cut each in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Add the cucumber, radish and dill to the salad bowl and toss with the peas to combine. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and zest with the oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Chill until ready to serve.

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