Sugar Snap Pea and Basil Salad
This easy, light salad is perfect for your summer pot luck. It is quick and easy to make ahead and it gets better over time. This is the kind of salad that stays crunchy and fresh for hours and also keeps well overnight in the fridge making it perfect for weekly meal prep. It is bright, salty and satisfying. If you can’t find sugar snap peas, you can substitute frozen peas or fresh peas instead. Or a combination of sugar snap peas and shelled peas is also delicious.
Ingredients:
16 oz of sugar snap peas, trimmed and blanched
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
4 oz of freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 oz chopped pecans
Generous handful of basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Recipe:
Start by preparing the snap peas. Bring a medium pot of water to boil and salt as if you were going to make pasta. Wash and rinse the peas, then trim off the ends. Drop the pea into the salted boiling water for about 5 minutes then drain and plunge into ice water. I usually just boil the peas, then drain and fill the pot will cold water and ice cubes. This stops the cooking and will preserve some crunch to the peas as well as keeps their bright green color.
Combine the olive oil and lemon juice together with a pinch of salt and some fresh crackled pepper.
Combine the peas, dressing, parmesan, basil and chopped pecans in a large bowl.
You can serve right away or allow the flavors to marinate over a few hours or even overnight. This salad does keep well in the fridge for about 2-3 days.
