Peas and pink grapefruit with white almonds

Working with The University of Sheffield

Season: SpringSummerWinter

Organic grapefruits are semi-regular in the fruit boxes at the moment and we want to fire up your enthusiasm for them! Clem’s culinary hero is French chef Alain Passard and he has devised this intriguing dish. His intro to the recipe (from Gourmet Traveller) is a delight:

“Here, we are in a situation approaching fantasy. Certainly, when we bring together garden peas and pink grapefruit, we verge on culinary improbability. Yet, in agreeing to a rendezvous, the two accomplices lead us to an unexpected pleasure garden, heavy with the scent of fresh thyme.”

Ingredients

350g green peas (defrosted weight)

1 pink grapefruit

16 blanched almonds, left whole or cut in halves or quarters lengthways

40g lightly salted butter

2 tbsp virgin olive oil

2 small thyme sprigs

Sea salt to season

Method

Peel the grapefruit, removing as much of the pith and core as possible. With a small sharp knife, free the grapefruit segments by cutting along the sections of membrane and letting the segments and juices fall away on to a plate. Cut the segments into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.

In a sauté pan with sloping sides, or in a saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil over low heat. Stir in the thyme sprigs and peas. Cover with water to a depth of about 4cm. Simmer the peas, stirring frequently, until the water evaporates and the peas are cooked to an al dente stage (about 11 mins)

Meanwhile, have ready four warm soup bowls and the almonds: you can leave the almonds whole or, if you prefer, cut them lengthways into halves or quarters. Season the cooked peas with salt and discard the thyme sprigs.

Divide the peas between the soup bowls. Arrange the grapefruit segments on top, distribute the almonds and serve straight away.