Diana Chan's Smashed Peas are the way to start your day

Spring is all about celebrating greens and now is the perfect time to brighten up your winter diet. We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day and this really will set you up for the day – this simple smashed peas recipe is so easy to make at home and can easily look like a cafe dish. Peas often get forgotten, and used as an accompaniment to the main act, here, I’ve jazzed them up a little by using one of my favourite cheeses from Emerald Deli at South Melbourne Market: this French basque sheep’s milk blue cheese is absolutely to die for if you are a cheese lover like me. The owner Maria, has sold cheese for 30 years so it’s safe to say she knows her cheeses. Check out the deli’s cheese room the next time you are at the market. They also have a big selection of sweet treats that I guarantee will tempt you.

Smashed Peas with Basque Blue cheese topped with fried quail’s eggs 

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

250g frozen peas

4 quail’s eggs

50g basque blue cheese (optional and can be easily substituted)

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil for frying

A couple of pieces of freshly baked sourdough bread

Method

• Bring 1 litre of water to boil.
• Add frozen peas and cook for approximately 2 mins. Remove and strain.
• Place peas in a large mixing bowl and smash the peas. You want a few whole pieces in there as well. Season with a pinch of salt. Set aside in a warm place.
• Place oil in a small frying pan on medium heat. Crack quail’s eggs into pan. Be careful not to break the shell too hard them as they are very delicate. They should take approximately 2-3 mins to cook.
• In the meantime, grill the sourdough pieces on a grill to get some grill marks. Butter the bread and place 2 heaped tablespoons of smashed peas on top.
• Crumble some blue cheese onto smashed peas and top with 2 quail’s eggs. Season with some salt and pepper.

Instagram: @diana.chan.au