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Petits Pois à la Française — Peas Braised with Lettuce and Small Onions
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Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/snacks/petits-pois-a-la-francaise-peas-braised-with-lettuce-and-small-onions
About this recipe
Petits pois à la française are green peas braised with butterhead lettuce and small onions in a light butter sauce. In this French side dish, the delicate lettuce softens and brings the vegetables together, while the whole onions keep their mild, slightly sweet flavor. This version uses small frozen peas, added without thawing only after the onions are tender. The peas therefore do not spend a long time in the hot sauce and keep their shape. A small amount of water forms the sauce base, finished with butter after the pot comes off the heat. These quantities make four side servings; serve immediately after cooking.
Ingredients
Peas, lettuce and buttery onions
600 g small frozen green peas without added ingredients, weighed before thawing
150 g raw fresh white pearl onions, 1.5–2 cm in diameter, weighed after peeling and trimming the ends; not pickled onions
150 g raw butterhead lettuce leaves, weighed after removing the core and damaged outer leaves
40 g unsalted butter, 82% fat, divided: 20 g for the onions and 20 g to finish the sauce
150 ml plain drinking water, divided: 100 ml for the onions and 50 ml for the peas; do not drain the liquid
5 g fine white granulated sugar
3 g fine salt
0.5 g ground black pepper
Steps
Peel the onions and trim their dry ends, leaving the firm base intact so the layers stay together. Weigh out 150 g peeled onions and leave them whole. Thoroughly wash and dry the lettuce leaves and cut into wide strips about 2 cm across. Keep the peas in the freezer until ready to add to the pot, and divide the butter into two 20 g portions.
Melt 20 g butter over low heat in a wide, shallow pot with a lid. Add the onions and heat for about 3 minutes, turning gently without browning. Pour in 100 ml water, add the sugar, salt and pepper, cover and braise at a gentle simmer for about 15–20 minutes. The onions should be tender in the center too: a thin knife should enter easily; only then move to the next stage.
Remove the lid and cook over medium-low heat for about 3–5 minutes, until just a few spoonfuls of liquid remain around the onions. Add all the lettuce and stir gently for about 1–2 minutes, until the leaves wilt, visibly shrink and soften. Keep the onions pale; the liquid should reduce, but do not let the pot dry out.
AI-generated Add the peas straight from the freezer and pour in the remaining 50 ml water. Stir gently and heat over medium heat until the liquid returns to a gentle simmer, then cover and lower the heat. Braise for about 6–8 minutes from the return to a simmer, until the peas are hot throughout, tender in the center and still keep their shape. Stir gently halfway through; stop cooking once they reach this texture rather than leaving them on the heat for a long time.
Take the pot off the burner and add the remaining 20 g butter in small pieces. Gently move the pot or stir with a wide spoon until the butter combines with the vegetable juices into a light, glossy sauce. Do not drain the liquid: the sauce should stay fluid and coat the vegetables, without reducing it to a dry glaze.
Divide the peas, lettuce and onions into four side portions. Spoon the butter sauce from the bottom of the pot over each portion too. Serve immediately after cooking, while the peas are tender but still whole.
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