My dream of April is one of rhubarb galettes, strawberries that taste like sunshine, and shucking peas on the back porch. The reality of course is one that’s far greyer, and more freezer case than farmer’s market.
That said, I am to conjure spring as best I can, with a dish that combines some classics of the season; lamb and peas brought together by an emerald green herb oil, against the milky softness of burrata. (And yes, I’m making it with frozen petit pois.)
The peas are barely cooked, then smashed with oil and lemon. They’re the furthest from mealy or pallid you can imagine, instead bouncily tender and acutely sweet. Dressed by the oil— which includes mint, a perennial partner to both peas and lamb—the peas have a grassy freshness and serve as both sauce and side to the meat. The idea is to have the peas and cheese cool, and then place the chops atop when still crackling with sizzle. Then, the burrata melts a bit, the peas warm in spots, and the oil marries all. It is, in short, a very good way to ease the wait for sunnier days.