Green Goddess Spring Pea Salad
Springtime brings fresh garden herbs, sugar snap and English shelled peas. A big burst of green after the drabness of winter. This is the time to enjoy an herbaceous, creamy dressed salad of soft lettuce, crunchy cucumbers, popping English peas, and crisp, sweet sugar snap peas. A fresco of delicate greens in multiple textures and flavors!
ONWARD:
Years ago, in one of my first restaurant jobs, I made green goddess dressing to be served in the fine dining room. It, unfortunately, went out of fashion until just recently when it came roaring back. I searched through my old restaurant recipe cards and found this recipe. At the time, the yogurt was not a strained variety like Greek yogurt but a full-fat Greek yogurt creates a creamier dressing. Other than that change, this recipe is exactly the same and just as delicious as ever, especially when served on these spring vegetables!
4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
No olive oil used in this recipe.
Green Goddess Dressing
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, minced (divided)
⅓ cup fresh basil, leaves
½ cup parsley leaves
¼ teaspoon garlic, mashed
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chives minced
DIRECTIONS:
1. Pulse one tablespoon of the tarragon leaves, basil, and parsley in a small food processor.
2. Add the garlic, salt, yogurt, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Process until smooth.
3. Stir in the remaining one tablespoon tarragon and chives in a small bowl with the dressing. Reserve cold.
INGREDIENTS:
Spring Pea Salad
2 cups sugar snap peas (about 10 ounces)
2 cups English shelled peas (about 10 ounces)
2 Persian cucumbers sliced thin
1-2 heads butter Bibb lettuce
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the serving plates in the refrigerator to chill.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Prepare two small bowls with cold water and a few ice cubes each. Blanch the sugar snap peas for one minute or until they change color to a vibrant green but are still crunchy. Lift out of the water to the ice water bath. When cool lift to paper towels to dry.
3. Blanch the English peas in the same boiling water for two minutes until they change color and are soft. Strain through a colander and place in the second ice water bath until cool. Drain and reserve.
4. Remove each leaf from the lettuce head(s). Wash and spin dry.
5. On the chilled plates lay a bed of the lettuce leaves. Top with the cucumbers, snap peas, and English peas.
6. Drizzle with the Green Goddess Dressing. Serve cold.
