Little green things

"Petits pois à la française"... or peas the french way. In a pan, add olive oil & butter and gently fry a few chopped spring onions and stripes of bacon. I must pause here because in France, we use "lard fumé" or "poitrine de porc fumée" which translates as smoked pork breast. Unfortunately, you can't find that in Helsinki. The closest thing is the italian "Pancetta affumicata" (can be found @ Casa Italia or the italian stall @ Hakaniemen tori). So, back to the recipe, I used english bacon by default. Once the onions & bacon have been in the pan for a few minutes, add half of a green salad finely chopped (lettuce is a good choice), then fresh or frozen peas. Mix well, add half a tea spoon of caster sugar, black pepper, salt, and cover with a little bit of water (just for the peas to be submerged). Let them cook for 10min. approx. lid on. At the end, add a few cubes of cold butter and chopped parsley. Can be eaten on its own, or with a roasted chicken, or with any white meat. Needs a good white or a light red wine from the Loire Valley (Anjou, Bourgueil, Chinon, Touraine, Saumur Champigny or Saint-Pourçain to name a few) to be truly enjoyed.