I mentioned I bought these beautiful, fat sugar snap peas at Costco the other day. They are so sweet and perfect just by themselves in their raw state. However, I wanted to do something different with them that wasn’t the same old stir-fry and dunking them into dip…not that I am opposed to those options.
I came across this recipe from Food and Wine and then I saw this recipe over at For the Love of Cooking. I did a little combining of the recipes and added a bunch of other ingredients. This resulted in a very yummy, very nicely-textured salad….the perfect marriage of two unrelated ideas. I love when that happens.
It’s savory, it’s sweet, it’s crunchy….overall it turned out to be a real winner and something very different and unexpected. I think you will like it.
Bacon-Quinoa-Snap Pea Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing
Serves 4-5
Salad:
4 strips of thick-cut smoked bacon, diced
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
1-1/2 cups quinoa, dry
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1/3 cup pepitas
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
2 cloves of garlic, crushed through garlic press
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Blanch peas for one minute in water. Remove and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process and allow the peas to keep their beautiful green color. Remove from ice water after two minutes, and place peas on paper towels to dry. Cut the peas into 1″ pieces.
In another pot, bring 2 cups chicken stock or broth to a boil. Add quinoa and stir. Cover and cook over low heat until all the stock has evaporated and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff the quinoa, then transfer to another bowl so it can cool to room temperature.
In a small nonstick pan, add pepitas and sesame seeds. Cook over low heat to roast them until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat and add stir in oil and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine all dressing ingredients, whisk to combine.
Here is my ever-present kitchen assistant. She is not allowed in the “kitchen cooking” area. However, she has decided if she slides on her side or belly crawls into the “no-dog” zone, somehow this voids the rule. She hopes ANYTHING will fall to the ground so she can gobble up a little taste, even if it’s an onion.
In a large bowl, add the peas to the quinoa, along with the pepita mixture. Give the dressing one more stir and add to the quinoa. Mix to combine. Sprinkle bacon over the top.
Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
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