It’s so easy to gobble up a big bowl of guacamole. Just mash a dozen avocados, add some spiced-up tomatoes, garlic and citrus juice. When surrounded by a pile of fresh tortilla chips, nothing disappears faster in our house when it comes to party starters.

But what to do when you don’t happen to have an avocado tree in your backyard and the price of out-of-season green globes starts climbing into the stratosphere? Sweet peas, fresh or frozen, provide an amazingly tasty alternative when made a little creamier with extra virgin olive oil. If you blindfolded your guests, they would be hard pressed to name the main ingredient, but they’d be just as happy with the flavor.

Best of all, sweet pea guacamole doesn’t turn that nasty brownish gray color over time like avocados do as they oxidize. You can even make it a day or two before the party and it will look and taste just as fresh as the moment you created it.

I have Michelin-starred chef María José San Román to thank for my first introduction to this simple swap when I joined her at Nancy Harmon Jenkins’ Amorolio event in Tuscany. As English shelling pea season kicks into high gear this spring, I’m going to be digging into my own riff with this nonclassical composition.

Sweet Pea Guacamole

Jalapeños can be very hot or mild, so test the level of spice before adding to your dish, according to your preference.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 pound fresh sweet peas, shelled

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 jalapeño peppers or to taste, chopped

Juice of 2 limes

2 ripe avocados (optional)

2 teaspoons salt

¼ cup cilantro, minced

Directions

1. Steam peas until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cool.

2. In a blender or food processor, purée peas, olive oil, shallot, garlic, jalapeños and lime juice until almost smooth but still a bit chunky.

3. In a medium bowl, combine mashed avocado, if using, with pea mixture, leaving chunky. Add salt to taste. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

Copyright 2016 Caroline J. Beck via Zester Daily and Reuters Media Express

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