Pea, Mint & Feta Dip

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g frozen peas
• 100 g feta
• 10 g fresh mint (about 1 large handful of leaves)
• ½ lemon (juice)
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp olive oil (1 for blending, 1 for serving)
• 1 bunch of radishes (about 200 g without the leaves)
• 4 celery sticks (about 200 g)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Saucepan
• Mixing bowl
• Colander
• Blender
• Paring knife
• Peeler

📖 Steps

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, fill a bowl with very cold water and a few ice cubes: this ice bath will stop the cooking and keep the peas bright green.
2. Drop the peas, still frozen, into the boiling water and cook for 3 min from when it returns to the boil: they should be tender but not floury. Overcooked, they turn khaki and the dip loses its lovely colour.
3. Drain the peas immediately and plunge them into the iced water for 2 min, then drain very thoroughly, shaking the sieve. Set aside 2 tbsp whole peas for garnish.
4. Pick the mint leaves, discarding the tough stalks, and keep a few small leaves for garnish. Peel the garlic and remove the green shoot if there is one. Squeeze the half lemon. Crumble the feta, keeping 1 tbsp for garnish.
5. Put the peas, feta, mint, garlic, lemon juice and 1 tbsp oil in the blender. Blend for 30 s, scrape down the sides, then blend for another 30 s: the texture should be almost smooth, with a slight graininess. If it's too thick, loosen it with cold water, a spoonful at a time.
6. Taste and add pepper, then salt only if needed: the feta is already salty. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and keep it in the fridge while you prepare the crudités.
7. Wash the radishes, cut off the leaves leaving 1 cm of stalk to hold them by, then halve them. Remove the strings from the celery with a vegetable peeler and cut it into sticks of about 8 cm.
8. When ready to serve, make a swirl in the dip with the back of a spoon, pour in the last spoonful of oil, then scatter with the reserved peas, feta and mint leaves. Serve well chilled with the crudités.