These spring pea fritters with whipped feta, from Jeanine Donofrio’s new cookbook, Love & Lemons Simple Feel Good Food, are our ideal late-spring-to-early-summer (or really anytime) meal: They’re light and fresh, bursting with herbs and lemony flavor, and come together in one bowl.
As Donofrio explains, if you have frozen peas and eggs on hand, you’re essentially already halfway there. (Pro tip: Frozen peas are a freezer must-have.) Serve the bites with dollops of the tangy whipped feta and a simple green salad for a dreamy dinner that’s way more exciting than chicken and broccoli (again).
Excerpted with permission from Love & Lemons Simple Feel Good Food by Jeanine Donofrio © Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2023. Photography © Eva Kolenko.
Double Pea, Prosciutto and Burrata Platter
Ingredients
Whipped Feta
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons water
Spring Pea Fritters
3 large eggs
3 cups frozen peas, thawed and patted dry
1½ cups chopped scallions (about 1 bunch)
⅓ cup finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¾ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Avocado oil, as needed
Directions
1. Make the Whipped Feta: In a small food processor, add the feta, olive oil, lemon juice and water and pulse until creamy.
2. Make the Fritters: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the peas, scallions, dill, garlic, lemon zest, salt and several grinds of pepper. Use a potato masher to mash the mixture, keeping a decent amount of pea pieces intact. Add the panko, sprinkle in the flour and fold to combine.
3. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Use a ¼-cup measuring cup to form the pea mixture into 14 to 16 patties. The mixture might seem loose at this point, but the patties will firm up as they cook. Coat the skillet generously with oil. Cook the patties for about 4 minutes on the first side, flip and cook until firm and lightly browned, about 3 minutes more, working in batches as necessary.
4. Garnish with fresh dill and serve with the whipped feta.