The combination of peas and pistachios began with the alliteration, which rolled off my tongue. Then I wanted to figure out a few ways to combine the flavors because they taste really good together. I started off by soaking shelled pistachios in water flavored with honey, salt and lovage. After 24 hours we drained the pistachios and peeled off the skin, and there was more than you think, trust me on that. We pureed the pistachio water with frozen peas and spun the mixture in our centrifuge. The result was pea-pistachio water (which we thickened with xanthan gum) and several layers of pea solids. The top layer is bright green and silky in texture with a fatty mouth-feel. It is a rich, decadent expression of peas. We used this layer to coat the peeled pistachios and then warmed them up in some of the pea-pistachio water. We finished the stew with a knob of sweet butter and accented the dish with fronds of sweet cicely. We served it alongside our blistered pea pods, coming tomorrow.
