On a day when time is scarce and you need to shop in your freezer for a quick dinner, a box of high quality, organic frozen peas is the beginning of an impromptu gourmet dinner of pea blinis or savory pancakes topped with creme fraiche or sour cream and add a few slices of smoked salmon right out of the package.
Ingredients
1 cup of organic frozen peas, thawed
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
3 large eggs
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup of flour of choice
2 tablespoons EVOO oil plus more for skillet
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, melted
Thaw and drain frozen peas, rough mash, and set aside
Purée eggs, cottage cheese, flour, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer batter to a medium bowl and stir in peas and 4 scallions. (Batter should be thick but pourable; stir in water by tablespoonfuls if too thick).
Heat a lightly oiled large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add batter to skillet by 1/4-cupfuls, spreading out to 3-inch-4-inch rounds with a spoon. Cook pancakes until bubbles form on top, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until pancakes are browned on bottom and the centers are just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.
Serve pancakes warm or at room temperature and top with sour cream, fresh herbs and with or without smoked fish.
