Brighten up your menu with these tasty side dishes
Treat your family to a side dish that will be the pea-ce de résistance, with these delicious recipes made with Birds Eye Petits Pois
Written by Anya Shah
Birds Eye Petits Pois & pesto orzo
Tiny but tasty, the versatile Birds Eye Petits Pois give this pesto a creamy consistency that bursts with flavour
PREP 10 MINS • COOK 30 MINS • SERVES 4
You will need:
75g pine nuts
1 green courgette, thinly sliced into half-moons
1 yellow courgette, thinly sliced into half-moons
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil, plus an extra 50ml
Pinch of salt
200g Birds Eye Petits Pois
25g basil
25g parmesan, or vegetarian Italian style hard cheese
1 garlic clove
150g orzo
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
Birds Eye Petits Pois are picked and frozen in two and a half hours to produce a tiny pea that’s big on flavour, with a burst of sweetness
Method
1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Tip the pine nuts onto a baking tray and cook for 5 mins to toast them, giving it a shake halfway through so they cook evenly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
2 Meanwhile, chop the courgettes into thin half-moons, and finely slice the onion. Arrange in a large roasting tray, drizzle the olive oil over and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. Using your hands, toss the veg so it’s all covered in the oil, then cook for 25 mins. While cooking, stir a couple of times so everything cooks evenly - you want the veg to caramelise on the edges for more flavour.
3 While the veg is cooking in the oven, cook the Birds Eye Petits Pois following packet instruction. Set aside 150g for use later and put the remaining 50g into a food processor. Add half the pine nuts along with the basil, parmesan, garlic and the extra 50ml oil, then blitz to a fine paste.
4 Cook the orzo following packet instructions, then once cooked, stir through the pesto.
5 Once the courgette and onion are cooked, stir them through the orzo pesto along with the remaining cooked Birds Eye Petits Pois, halved cherry tomatoes and pine nuts. Can be served with extra cheese on top if desired.
Birds Eye Petits Pois, broad bean, asparagus & dill
Add a dash of vibrant green to your plate with Birds Eye Petits Pois in this easy-to-make dish that’s packed full of flavour
PREP 10 MINS • COOK 10 MINS • SERVES 4
You will need:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150g frozen broad beans
300g Birds Eye Petits Pois
6 asparagus spears, shaved into thin strips (using a veg peeler)
½ lemon, zested and juiced
25g dill, finely chopped
Birds Eye Petits Pois are grown in Britain by expert fieldsmen and farmers who know the perfect time to pick for flavour and freshness
Method
1 In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add in the shallot and a generous pinch of salt, then fry for about 5 mins until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min, taking care not to brown it. then add in the broad beans, Birds Eye Petits Pois and 100ml boiling water, and simmer for 5 mins.
2 Once cooked through, turn off the heat. Add the asparagus, lemon zest and juice, then sprinkle in the dill. Mix everything together and serve immediately.