Pea Shoots

SEASON'S INGREDIENTS Pea Shoots By Sophia Markoulakis, Chronicle contributor Delicate tendrils and sweet-tasting pea-flavored leaves are just some of the phrases used to describe pea shoots (Pisum sativum), showing quite a presence at restaurants, farmers' markets and specialty grocery stores. Spring is their time to shine so it's no surprise that they are appearing everywhere on restaurant menus. I recently tried some at a San Francisco Chinese restaurant, where they were quickly stir-fried with slivered garlic and dried chiles. Still high from my pea shoot encounter, I quickly snapped up some at the San Mateo Farmers' Market at the College of San Mateo and promptly added them to a chicken stir-fry, where they gave the flavor of peas with their greens instead of their pods. Description: Pea shoots are the tender new growth of a pea plant. Some people, like Rick and Kristie Knoll, refer to this greenery as pea greens. The Knolls, who own a farm in Brentwood, have been growing pea greens for years. Kristie says: "When we first started selling them we didn't know what to call them and just started selling them as pea greens. We didn't know what other people were calling them at the time." Rick plants several varieties of peas for their greens and says that any o Publish Post f the snow or snap pea varieties will produce great-tasting greens. He recommends 'Oregon Giant' and 'Oregon Sugar Pod' (Mangetout pea). He suggests that you pick a variety that "produces fewer tendrils and more greens." Cultivation: To encourage a prolific crop of pea greens, Rick recommends the plants be trellised or supported with a 1-foot structure and allowed to produce a pod up to 1 inch long. "At this point you can start pinching," he says. Don't worry about a one-time pea green feast because they'll continue to produce more. Kristie says "pinching the tops after they get a bit of growth from the terminal ends forces growth from other shoots." Rick warns, though, that you don't want to start pinching too soon because you'll end up with plants that will stay too small. As the perfect multiuse plant, pea plants provide greens and then pods for great eating. Pea plants love cool early spring weather and can easily be started in the garden from seed once the soil is workable and the threat of frost is almost over. Sandy, rich, quick-draining soil is ideal. Loosely cover the soil with a plastic tarp for a couple of days before planting seeds. This will warm the soil and speed the germination process. Plant the seeds an inch or so deep and about 3 to 4 inches apart. Use row covers to protect seedlings from birds and bugs. Harvest: Begin to pinch off new growth when plants reach at least a foot in height. The flowers are also delicious when mixed with the greens. Just remember -- no flowers on the plants means no pea pods. When you tire of the greens, let the plant's flowers produce pods. Besides 'Oregon Giant' and 'Oregon Sugar Pod, ' other varieties to try include 'Dwarf Grey Ginger, ' 'Sandy, ' and 'Usui.' (Caution: The flowers of the sweet pea annual garden flower, Lathyrus odoratus, are not edible.) Availability: If growing pea shoots is not in your immediate future but you still want to try some, find local cool-weather shoots from fall through May.If you don't see them on shelves, ask the produce manager to order some. Preparation: Pea shoots have been used in Asian cuisine for centuries, often used as part of dumpling filling, paired with fermented bean curd and flash-fried with garlic. They are also paired with other springtime favorites such as fava beans, asparagus, green garlic and flowering chives. Many prefer to eat them raw in salads with other tender greens. To prepare, rinse with cool water and use only the most tender parts of the stem (and leaves), reserving only the leaves of woodier stems. However you decide to cook pea shoots, they don't need more than a few seconds of cooking. This can be achieved by adding them to a dish such as risotto or pasta right before it's removed from the stove, tossing them in a stir-fry after the stove has been turned off, or placing them on a plate, uncooked, and topping with a fillet of fish such as halibut hot from the grill or broiler. Snow Pea Shoot Dumplings From Yank Sing restaurant in San Francisco. Dumpling Skins Traditionally, Chinese chefs press out these thin wrappers by using the oiled, flat side of a cleaver against a wooden surface. But with a little practice, a rolling pin will work, too. A tortilla press can make the process faster. Cooking makes them translucent. INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cups wheat starch 2 tablespoons tapioca starch 1 tablespoon shortening 1 cup boiling water INSTRUCTIONS: Sift wheat starch and tapioca starch into bowl. Add shortening in a lump on top, but don't worry about mixing it in. Quickly pour all of the boiling water onto the shortening and starches and mix vigorously with a spoon. The water cooks the starches. When you can't mix anymore, turn the mixture out on a board and knead until the dough is well blended. Dough will be slightly sticky. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Roll each half into a 1-inch-diameter cylinder. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice each cylinder into 15 pieces, about a half-inch each; roll each piece into a ball and cover them with a damp paper towel or wrap in plastic until ready to use. To form the wrappers, very lightly oil your hands, a small rolling pin and a wooden work surface. Using the heel of your hand, gently press down on each ball to flatten enough for a rolling pin. Then, using the rolling pin, carefully roll out a thin round, 3 inches in diameter. Don't use any flour. If the dough is cracking around the edges, you can knead each ball a bit before rolling it out. You are now ready to fill and wrap. Yield: 30 skins PER DUMPLING SKIN: 30 calories, 0 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 0 g fat (0 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber. Print This Recipe | Review This Recipe Snow Pea Shoot Filling INGREDIENTS: 1 pound snow pea shoots 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/8 teaspoon white pepper 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons onion oil (see note) 30 dumpling wrappers, see recipe above INSTRUCTIONS: Wash the snow pea shoots in cold water. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add snow pea shoots and blanch for a few seconds until just softened, not cooked through. Quickly remove the shoots and place them in a colander under cold running water until cool; allow to drain. Place the shoots in a piece of cheesecloth or paper towels and gently squeeze them dry, then cut into 1/2-inch lengths. Set aside. In a bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil and onion oil. Then add the pea shoots and mix well. Refrigerate the filling until ready to wrap. It will keep overnight. To wrap, place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of one wrapper and fold in half. Bring the edges together, making small folds along one side and pressing into the other edge, which remains flat. These will look much like the har gow (see photo at right). Sealing is more important than perfect folds. (You can freeze the dumplings at this point.) Steam dumplings on cheesecloth in a bamboo or metal steamer over a wok half-filled with boiling water for 10 minutes.Yields about 30 dumplings, serving 8 Note: Onion oil can be hard to find, even in Asian markets. It's easily made by cutting one yellow onion into eighths and simmering it in 1/2 cup of corn oil for about 20 minutes, or until the onion is caramelized. Strain onion pieces out of the oil before use. PER DUMPLING: 60 calories, 1 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat (0 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 96 mg sodium, 0 g fiber. Print This Recipe | Review This Recipe Parmesan Budini With Warm Asparagus & Pea Sprouts This dish has been served as an appetizer at Acquerello. Add a crisp salad of mixed greens, watercress or arugula to the budino and you have the perfect light lunch. INGREDIENTS: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3/4 cup half-and-half 1/4 cup milk 3/4 cup heavy cream 1 whole egg 2 egg yolks 3/4 cup grated Grana Padano cheese Dash nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper The Garnish 18 stalks of asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch segments 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken stock 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter Kosher salt and white pepper to taste 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 2 to 3 ounces pea sprouts Dash extra virgin olive oil Dash lemon juice Grated Grana Padano cheese INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins with vegetable spray coating. Melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium- low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture takes on a "nutty" aroma. This should take a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat. Slowly whisk in the half-and-half, milk and cream, mixing well after each addition. Add the egg and egg yolks, one at a time, whisking well. Stir in the cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper; mix until fully incorporated. Ladle the budino mixture evenly into the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large baking pan; pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until set, or until the tops are lightly browned and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. The garnish: While the custards are baking, blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 30 seconds; drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain. Pour the chicken stock into a saute pan; reduce slightly over high heat. Add the butter and asparagus; toss to coat in the liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the parsley. Set aside in a warm spot. Gently dress the pea sprouts with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. When the budinos are done, remove from the oven. Loosen the sides with a paring knife, then turn them out onto a warmed plate. Arrange the asparagus around the budinos. Top with pea sprouts and grated cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 6. PER SERVING: 310 calories, 11 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 27 g fat (16 g saturated), 182 mg cholesterol, 322 mg sodium, 1 g fiber. Print This Recipe | Review This Recipe Fish-Stuffed Chiles in Cream By Jay Harlow, Chronicle contributor One of Mexico's more elegant fish dishes consists of fish fillets smothered with lightly soured cream and rajas (strips of roasted and peeled green chiles). Turning it inside out and reversing the proportions, a relatively small amount of fish can become a stuffing for chiles rellenos. Chiles rellenos may bring to mind images of a chile buried in a lot of deep-fried batter, but all the name means is stuffed chiles, and they can be cooked in various ways. Here, the unadorned peppers are baked in a creamy sauce that gets extra color from strips of sweet red bell pepper. In another departure from tradition, I like to garnish the dish with pea shoots, the tender tips of pea vines, which are used as greens in Chinese cooking. Look for them in Asian markets or well-stocked produce markets, often near the bean sprouts. INGREDIENTS: 8 Anaheim or poblano chiles 1 large red bell pepper, seeded, thinly sliced 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon plain yogurt 1 pound fillets of mild white fish Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 pound pea shoots INSTRUCTIONS: Broil the chiles and bell pepper, turning occasionally, until skins are blistered and blackening all over. Place peppers in a bowl, cover and let stand 15 minutes. Slowly saute onion in oil with a pinch of salt until soft and golden. Add cream and yogurt, bring to a boil and reduce by a third. Season with salt and pepper. Peel peppers. Make a slit in the side of each chile; remove seeds and ribs. Cut red pepper into strips, combine with onion in skillet. Spread a little of the mixture in a shallow bake-and-serve dish, along with any pepper juices that have collected in the bowl. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut fish into 8 long, narrow strips that will fit inside the chiles. Season fish with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stuff each chile with a portion of fish, close with a toothpick, and place in the dish. Pour remaining cream mixture over all. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, steam pea shoots just until tender. Serve chiles from baking dish, spooning a little of the cream and onion mixture over each serving and scattering pea shoots around the outside. Serves 4. PER SERVING: 410 calories, 28 g protein, 15 g carbohydrate, 27 g fat (15 g saturated), 124 mg cholesterol, 110 mg sodium, 3 g fiber. Print This Recipe

sponsor APPETEASE Laguiole By Janet Fletcher, Chronicle contributor The ancient cheese known as Laguiole (lai-yol) comes from a region of France that even French people don't know well: a high plateau called the Aubrac, in the south-central part of the country. Cahors is the closest wine town; Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand the nearest cities, with the Aubrac almost midway between them. he cheese takes its name from the village of Laguiole - source of the famous Laguiole knives - but in almost every way it resembles other cheeses made nearby, such as Salers and the much better known and more abundant Cantal. Unlike Cantal, Laguiole is always made with raw milk, part of the definition of the cheese spelled out in its appellation rules. Minimum maturity is four months, considerably longer than the 30 days required for Cantal, but the recipe for the two cheeses is roughly the same. Both undergo procedures similar to those used for cheddar, with the fresh curds repeatedly cut and pressed to drive off whey. As with cheddar, the pressed Laguiole curds are milled before being packed into cloth-lined molds that yield a cylinder weighing 60 pounds or more. All this manipulation produces a texture more loose and crumbly than cohesive.. The interior, or paste, was the color of butter, with a pleasant cultured-milk or sour milk smell. Given the aroma, I wasn't surprised by the cheese's tartness on the tongue. Laguiole has a handsome natural rind blanketed with white and brown molds, a coating you will want to cut away. Serve it after dinner on a cheese board with a generous red wine, such as Malbec-based Cahors. Alternatively, savor a chunk for lunch with good bread, a green salad and an India pale ale.

PAIRINGS Kalua Pig With Butter Lettuce Cups & Hoisin Barbecue Dipping Sauce — Pinot Noir By Lynne Char Bennett, Chronicle staff writer Both sides of my family -- three generations back -- are from Hawaii. I remember the Hawaiian dishes my father occasionally prepared in Oklahoma, when he craved a taste of home or when a visiting relative brought him island delicacies. A typical Hawaiian luau offers a variety of foods, like lomi lomi salmon, poi and kalua pig, all of which go well with Pinot Noir. Lomi lomi salmon -- salted salmon -- is cut into small pieces and mixed with diced tomatoes, green onion, ice and often a touch of lime juice. Lomi lomi is a Hawaiian style or term for massage -- reminiscent of the preparation of the salted salmon, which gives it its name. Laulau is pork belly or pork butt and salted butterfish enclosed in taro leaves or spinach, then wrapped inside ti leaves and steamed. The taro leaves must be cooked for at least 45 minutes to destroy the substance calcium oxalate, which can irritate the mouth and mucus membranes. A more approachable dish with Hawaiian roots is kalua pig, traditionally a whole, small pig wrapped in ti leaves and roasted in an underground oven or imu, often with sweet potatoes alongside. Chef Robert Lam of Butterfly restaurant in San Francisco shared his recipe for kalua pig that can easily be made in a home kitchen. While my dad usually had a beer with his Hawaiian dishes, Pinot Noir - one of the most versatile red wines to pair with food - is a perfect partner for Lam's Kalua Pig With Butter Lettuce Cups & Hoisin Barbeque Dipping Sauce. Hints of smoke in the pork -- from the dash of liquid smoke -- echo the smoky quality found in some of the wines. Cold, crunchy butter lettuce -- a foil for the warm tender pork -- adds a contrast in textures and temperatures. The red and black fruit in the wine is similar in flavor and intensity to the hoisin in the dipping sauce. Soy sauce, used in the braising liquid, supports the mushroom and earth character of the wines; soy and mushrooms provide a large dose of the savory "fifth taste," or umami. Home luaus were the rage in the 1950s and '60s. Capture a bit of that nostalgia with Kalua Pig With Butter Lettuce Cups & Hoisin Barbeque Dipping Sauce -- and serve a delicious Pinot Noir and a hula alongside. Kalua Pig With Butter Lettuce Cups & Hoisin Barbecue Dipping Sauce This recipe, from chef Robert Lam of Butterfly restaurant in San Francisco, has been slightly revised for home kitchens. Ti leaves can sometimes be found at florists, but banana leaves or corn husks can be substituted. Otherwise, just leave the pork unwrapped and braise, covered. INGREDIENTS: Pork & Cabbage 3 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste 6 to 8 ti leaves, trimmed of any hard woody parts, or banana leaves 1 cup Aloha brand shoyu, or 3/4 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup mirin 1/2 cup chicken stock, or water 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke 1/2 head green cabbage 2 teaspoons olive oil + olive oil as needed Hoisin Dipping Sauce 1/2 cup hoisin sauce 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (Lam uses KC Masterpiece) 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce 2 tablespoons honey To Serve 3 heads butter lettuce 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted cashews 1 or 2 green onions (green parts only), thinly sliced 3 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper INSTRUCTIONS: To prepare the pork: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Trim any large amounts of fat from the pork but leave a thin covering of fat. (It's easier to trim the remaining fat once the pork is cooked.) Rub in the sea salt and a few grinds of pepper. Wrap the pork in ti leaves and place in a large pot with a lid. Add the shoyu, mirin, chicken stock and garlic. Cover and slow roast for 4-5 hours, or until the pork shreds easily. Check and turn the meat occasionally. Add water if needed so that the liquid remains about halfway up on the meat. While the pork is cooking, separate the leaves of butter lettuce and chill in the refrigerator. When the pork is ready, remove it from the liquid. Discard the ti leaves and trim off any remaining fat on the meat. Add the liquid smoke to the cooking liquid. Shred the pork, adding small amounts of the cooking liquid as you shred. The liquid will moisten and flavor the meat and help hold it together. You probably won't use all of the liquid. Season to taste. The sauce: Mix together the hoisin and barbeque sauces. Add sriracha and honey. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. To finish: Cut the cabbage into fine shreds and saute it in the olive oil. Once the cabbage starts to brown, add a little more olive oil and the shredded pork, giving the pork a second sear to rewarm. Taste the pork-cabbage mixture and adjust seasoning. To serve: Spoon the pork-cabbage mixture into the chilled lettuce cups. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped cashews, green onions and bell pepper. Serve the dipping sauce on the side. Yields about 20 lettuce cups PER CUP: 220 calories, 16 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 13 g fat (5 g saturated), 56 mg cholesterol, 454 mg sodium, 1 g fiber. Print This Recipe | Review This Recipe

QUICK WEEKNIGHT DISHES Fried Rice With Rotisserie Chicken, Shiitake & Bok Choy Dressing By Tara Duggan, Chronicle contributor If you can hold back from eating the whole thing while it's still warm from the supermarket heat lamp, leftover rotisserie chicken is perfect for using in quick recipes a day or two later. Stuff bite-size pieces into quesadillas or add them to a simple soup with vegetables simmered in broth, or toss with greens for a main-course salad dressed with a mustardy vinaigrette. Here is one more idea for using rotisserie chicken in a recipe that takes around 30-40 minutes to prepare. Fried rice is a perfect let's-clean-out-the-fridge dinner toward the end of the week, when there are likely to be cartons of takeout rice and scraps of rotisserie chicken. This recipe calls for bok choy or cabbage and fresh shiitake mushrooms for extra flavor and nutrition. You can substitute other vegetables you might have -- bell peppers, Japanese eggplant, zucchini. Just dice and stir-fry them until tender. If you don't have any leftover takeout rice, cook 3/4 to 1 cup of medium- grain rice, spread it out on a baking sheet to cool, and refrigerate it as long as possible before frying it. (If the rice is hot and freshly cooked, it will become mushy when you stir-fry it.) This dish actually doesn't have a whole lot of rice, which makes it more of a main course than a side dish, but feel free to add more rice to stretch it out. Fried Rice With Rotisserie Chicken, Shiitake & Bok Choy It's important to use cold, cooked rice in this recipe. INGREDIENTS: 1 egg 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup diced leftover rotisserie chicken meat 1/3 cup chicken stock 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 small dried red chile 1/2 pound bok choy or napa cabbage, trimmed and diced 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and diced 3 green onions, trimmed and sliced 2 cups cold, leftover cooked rice 1 tablespoon soy sauce Small red chiles, for garnish (optional) INSTRUCTIONS: Beat egg with sesame oil, salt and pepper. Put the chicken in a bowl and cover with stock. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet. Add chile; stir for a few moments, then add bok choy. Stir-fry a minute or two. Add mushrooms, season with salt and stir-fry until dense part of bok choy is tender and mushroom pieces are moist and reduced in size, about 2 to 4 minutes. Add green onions. Stir-fry for a minute or two. Remove vegetables from wok. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to wok. When hot, add rice, breaking it up in the pan. Stir-fry until grains are separate. Clear an area in the middle of the wok. Add egg. Let it set for a minute or so, then turn it and let the other side set. Stir-fry until egg is dry and broken up into the rice. Season with salt. Add chicken and stock; stir-fry until chicken is warm and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add vegetables and soy sauce. Stir to incorporate and adjust seasoning. If desired, garnish with a few chiles before serving. Serves 2 or 3 PER SERVING: 370 calories, 21 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 16 g fat (3 g saturated), 112 mg cholesterol, 457 mg sodium, 2 g fiber. Print This Recipe | Review This Recipe

WINE OF THE WEEK By Jon Bonné, Chronicle Wine Editor Returning next week

QUESTION OF THE WEEK May I use aluminum foil instead of parchment paper for cooking en papillote and for paper-wrapped chicken? Foil-wrapped chicken - sometimes offered as an appetizer on Chinese menus - can be sticky so a sturdier wrapping than parchment fills the bill. En papillote is a moisture-retaining technique for quickly cooking more delicate things like fish, and which often calls for an acid such as lemon juice or white wine. Acids will react with aluminum, which is why parchment is used. Send your culinary questions to questionoftheweek@sfchronicle.com