Samuel Goldsmith – a UK-based food editor and writer – is all about kitchen staples. His first cookbook was dedicated to tinned tomatoes. The one he’s just released? It harnesses the power of frozen peas.
The book stars a string of recipes underpinned by the little green orbs, from the obvious – spring pea soup – to the inventive likes of chicken and bean stew, and this colourful galette, where the peas are blended with cheese and olive oil to create a sort of paste. It’s a rustic centrepiece for a dinner party, and one your guests won’t believe rests on an ingredient scrounged from the bottom of your freezer.
“There’s something satisfying about a galette; it’s much simpler to make than a regular pastry tart as there’s no lining of tins or blind baking,” writes Goldsmith. “Galettes are a bit rough around the edges, but that is all part of their charm. I love how the peas are hidden here until you cut through and see the lovely contrast between the green and the red.”
This recipe is vegetarian – just be sure to use a vegetarian cheese. The pea pesto, which is optional, makes more than you need; store the rest in the fridge for up to five days.
Samuel Goldsmith’s tomato and pea galette
Serves 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus 30 minutes draining
Cooking time: 40–50 minutes
Ingredients
350g ripe tomatoes, halved if small or sliced if large (a mix of sizes and colours is nice)
Handful of basil leaves, torn, plus a few extra to garnish
1 garlic clove, crushed or finely grated
1 tsp salt
500g block shortcrust pastry
100g frozen peas, defrosted according to the packet instructions
40g gruyere, manchego or other vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
1 tsp olive oil
1 egg, beaten
Freshly ground black pepper, to season
Pea pesto (optional)
300g frozen peas
Zest and juice of ½ lemon (around 1 tbsp juice)
Handful of parsley (around 15g)
75g pine nuts
50g parmesan or vegetarian Italian hard cheese, grated
3 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6–8 tbsp olive oil
Method
If you’re making the pea pesto, place the frozen peas in a heatproof bowl and cover with freshly boiled water to defrost. Leave for a few minutes, then drain well. (Alternatively, microwave the peas for 2 minutes.) Put the peas and all the remaining ingredients (except the oil) into a food processor, season with salt and pepper, and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Drizzle in the oil while blending to make a thick paste. Spoon into a sterilised jar or reusable container and chill until needed. The oil will rise a little, so give the pesto a good mix before using.
For the galette, combine the sliced tomatoes with the torn basil, garlic and 1 tsp salt. Tip everything into a colander set over a bowl, then leave for 30 minutes to allow the juices to drain.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry into a round that is 6mm thick and slightly larger than 30cm; you can use a large dinner plate as a template for the circle. Transfer the pastry circle to a lined baking tray.
Blitz the peas, cheese, olive oil and a good grinding of black pepper until the peas are roughly chopped. Spread this mixture over the base of the pastry, keeping a clear border around the edges as you’ll be folding the sides of the galette up and over the filling. Lay the tomato mixture on top of the peas so that the tomato slices are flat, then fold the edges up and over the filling to create a border around 4–5cm wide. Glaze the exposed pastry with the beaten egg and drizzle over 2–3 tbsp pesto, if using.
Bake the galette in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Turn down the oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and bake for a further 30–40 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the tomatoes have softened. Scatter over a few extra basil leaves immediately before slicing and serving.
This is a lightly edited extract from The Frozen Peas Cookbook by Samuel Goldsmith, released on March 18, 2025 by Murdoch Books. RRP$39.99.
