I am not Italian, but I really think I’d like to be. This recipe for peas sott’olio serves as a small reminder why. Italians have a knack with vegetables – it’s innate in their cookery to put vegetables centre stage, rather than as something of an afterthought. So, if you haven’t come across this dish before, it is a simple one: boiling peas with whole garlic and sprigs of mint, then draining and dressing the lot with a good amount of olive oil (sott’olio means ‘under oil’). It is also very easy, which should give you time to make the chubby little fritters, light and fluffy with ricotta, like small clouds. Serve with lemon wedges for a quick family tea.

Method:

• Make the peas sott’olio. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the peas, garlic, mint sprigs and spring onions, and boil for 2 minutes, then drain everything, tip it into a bowl and stir through the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper, then put to one side while you make the pancakes.
• Put the flour in a bowl. Whisk in the eggs, milk and spring onions. Stir in the ricotta and season with salt and black pepper.
• Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the batter, a tablespoon at a time.
• Space well apart and fry for about 2 minutes, then flip the fritter and fry it for 2 minutes on the other side, until golden all over. Work quickly in batches, until you’ve used up all the batter – you should get about 12–16 fritters altogether.
• Keep each batch warm on the side while you cook the remainder.
• Season the cooked fritters with a pinch more salt and serve them at the table with the peas.

Extracted from Veggie Family Cookbook (Quadrille)