Petits Pois à La Française (Baby Green Peas)

1. Set a sauté pan over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until the fat begins to melt. Then add the shallots and carrots and cook for 1 minute.

2. Stir in the peas and chicken stock and cook until the stock is reduced by half.

3. Reduce the heat to simmer, add the butter and stir to evenly distribute.

4. Remove the pan from the heat, top the contents with the shredded lettuce and fold the hot peas over the lettuce until it just begins to wilt. Serve immediately.

If you are using very fresh peas from the pod, you have the opportunity to deepen the flavor of the chicken stock by adding the empty pea pods to the stock and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat. Put the lid on the pot and let the pods steep until you’re ready to use the hot stock in step 2 above; then strain it as you measure.

As an alternative serving method, instead shredding and folding the lettuce into the peas, plate a few whole leaves of the lettuce to form a cup and spoon the buttery pea mixture into the center and in between the leaves.