Baked Peas with Creamy Tarragon, Pistachio, & Yogurt Sauce

Peas are coming into season (yay!).  What better way to celebrate this small miracle of spring than to cook it up in a creamy, herb-infused sauce (sauce makes everything better, right??).  Check out this awesome recipe for Baked Peas with Creamy Tarragon, Pistachio, & Yogurt Sauce, courtesy Ode2Food.

1 pound frozen peas
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh tarragon leaves
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup goat cheese (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 500 F.

Put the peas in a cooking pot or a small Dutch oven and gently heat them on the stove until they thaw, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, put the tarragon, scallions, olive oil, yogurt, goat cheese and 1/4 cup of the pistachios into a blender and puree. Gently mix into the peas, add salt and sprinkle the top with extra chopped pistachio. Bake for about 15 minutes – about the time the top will begin to brown. Remove and serve.

The original recipe calls for frozen peas but you could easily use shelled english shelling peas, lima beans or petite sweet peas as alternative. If you can’t find Greek yogurt, strain some plain yogurt through cheese cloth over a bowl for 2 hours to thicken it up and for the extra liquid to drain.

Original recipe courtesy Eric Gower's The Breakaway Cook, 2007.
Recipe text and image courtesy Ode2Food.