Pea Salad with Unexpected Dressing

 https://smittenkitchen.com/2023/06/summer-pea-salad-with-unexpected-dressing/

We changed this recipe quite a bit-using figs instead of raisins (though I think dried cherries or craisins would be good too), adding lettuce & radishes, subbing tarragon for mint, goat cheese for ricotta salads, and pistachios for almonds. I made the dressing in the morning & stored it in the fridge until dinner-it was a lovely thick consistency (vs a thinner vinaigrette). Very yummy with grilled pork or chicken to top.

• 1/3 cup chopped dried figs
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, warmed
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, warmed
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1/2 pound fresh summer peas, such as sugar snaps, snow peas, shelling peas, and/or favas
• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 6 radishes, sliced
• salt, to taste 
• 1 Tbs dijon mustard (optional)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup toasted pistachios
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 3 Tbs chopped fresh tarragon

Make the dressing: Chop the figs into rough bits and place in a bowl with shallots. Pour vinegars over and stir to combine. Let sit, cool, and infuse while you prepare the remaining parts of the salad.

Note: It is completely up to you whether you wish to cook sugar snaps and/or snow peas; both are delicious raw. For this salad, I cook the sugar snaps for 30 seconds to 1 minute but leave the snow peas raw.]

Cook your peas: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. If using favas or shelling peas, remove them from and discard their pods. Cook favas in the water for 3 minutes; shelling peas for 1 minute, and sugar snaps and/or snow peas for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scoop each out immediately with a slotted spoon and drop in the ice bath. If you choose to not cook your sugar snaps or snow peas, skip the pot and put them directly in ice water for 10 minutes for the best juicy crunch.

One peas are fully cold, drain and pat dry on a large towel. If you’ve used favas, they have one final step of preparation: You’ll need to make a small slit with a sharp paring knife in the outer light green pod so that the inner dark green enjoyable part of the fava can slip out.

Finish the dressing: Add dijon, if using, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt (about 1/2 teaspoon Diamond kosher), freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes to dressing and whisk to combine, tasting for seasoning and adjusting as needed. If you’d like it less kicky, add remaining tablespoon olive oil.

Assemble and finish: Transfer peas to a large salad bowl with romaine and radishes and toss with dressing to taste; you may not need it all. Add more seasoning, if needed. Add pistachios, cheese, and tarragon and toss once again. Eat right away.

Do ahead: Vegetables and dressing can be prepared and kept cool, separately, up to a day in advance. Mix only before serving.