Summer Presents

Name: Summer Presents
Ingredients: 2 heads butter lettuce, separated, washed, spun; 1 cup sweet peas, blanched and cooled, or use frozen, defrosted; 1 cup whole milk ricotta; 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese; 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese; 2 large or 3 small shallots, fine dice; Zest and juice of 1 lemon; Pinch red pepper flakes; Sea or kosher salt and pepper to taste; 1 or 2 bunches scallions

10 ingredients

5 steps

Ingredients

2 heads butter lettuce, separated, washed, spun
1 cup sweet peas, blanched and cooled, or use frozen, defrosted
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 large or 3 small shallots, fine dice
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Pinch red pepper flakes
Sea or kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 bunches scallions

Directions

1

Wash and spin (in a salad spinner) leaves of butter lettuce. Trim off the ends of the cores.
2

I used a bag of fresh English type sweet peas. I dropped them into boiling water for 4 minutes, pulled them out into a bowl if ice water to cool, then drained them. If you have fresh peas from your garden, treat them the same way. If you want to cut to the chase and use frozen, be my guest. Whichever version you are using, pour them into a flat-bottomed bowl and mash them with a hand masher. Don't go to the food processor for this one. The filling wants to look rustic, not perfectly homogenous.
3

Add the ricotta, feta, Parmesan, shallots, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, and stir it all together. Season to taste with good salt and some grinds of pepper.
4

Trim off the root end from about a dozen scallions. Starting at the former root end, split each one in half lengthwise. Separate into nice, long, intact usable ones and those that should go into a salad.
5

Lay out lettuce leaves. Using a teaspoon (literally one with which you would stir tea), drop a spoonful of filling in the center of each leaf. Wrap it from right to left, slip a scallion stem underneath, bring both ends to the top, and carefully tie them once. Just once. Don't be discouraged if some of them break. Some will, some won't. Persevere. Arrange on a platter. Enjoy your party. Even if it is a party of 2. Maybe especially the latter.