Pea and Mint Burgers

Mr Pea. You impress me. You look all small and humble but you're so versatile. You're so green. You're good for me. I can eat you au naturale. I can mix you with my mash or get all fancy and whizz you into a puree. I could even eat you frozen straight out of the freezer. OK, maybe that's just me.

Or, I could mix you with mint and other bits and bobs and make you into a pea-licious burger. OK OK, ignoring my bad word play, these were really yummy wee things, perfect for the summer. My carnivorous boyfriend even said that if he were a vegetarian, he'd be happy to eat these for a main course instead of the usual tart or risotto that vegetarians quite often get lumbered with. Was I shocked? Yes, I was.

I was actually searching for a recipe for a cauliflower cheese burger. I used to have them as a child, fresh from the frozen food section of the local supermarket. I used to really like them but I'd feel like I'd committed a sin if I was to be quite so kitchen lazy nowadays. I didn't find a recipe for the cauliflower burgers but I did stumble across these courtesy of Yotam Ottolenghi. It's made me want to buy his book but I'm not sure I'd be allowed to add another to my ever expanding collection. Sad.

Pea, Mint & Goats' Cheese Tart

It seems I have a thing for baking tarts. You'd think I didn't eat anything else. Out of 14 posts, four of them are tarts but hey, they taste good and I wanted to makes something springlike that I could take along to a picnic at the weekend. I love, love, love the minty pea layer and what could be better than topping it off with goats' cheese? My slicing and photography skills don't show it off to it's best but I was totally taken in by how pretty it looks when you cut into it. A lovely bright green stripe topped off with the goats' cheese loveliness. It went down swell and was perfect spring picnic fare. And if you need another reason to give it a go then think of how much your wallet will love you. Frozen peas are as purse friendly as it gets and when your tart needs to be half filled with them then you're onto a money saving winner. Just don't tell your friends how little you spent on them or how easy it was to make. Just revel in the compliments.

Make it.