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Smashed pea, feta and mint crostini

by Jeanne Horak on August 20, 2015 20 Comments in Canapés, Vegetarian

Easy peasy 3-ingredient smashed pea, feta and mint crostini - add a touch of glamour to any dinner party with these fresh, delicious bites! | www.cooksister.com

Familiarity breeds contempt – so goes the well-known saying.  And it is true: things which we find terrifying or awe-inspiring or in any other way remarkable, quickly lose that remarkableness the more time we spend in close proximity to them.  When I visited London as a tourist, I thought the Tube was the most astonishing, cutting-edge and wonderful invention ever.  Imagine – a train that can whisk you from Oxford Street to King’s Road to the Tower of London, all without getting stuck in traffic! Astonishing! But of course now that I have lived in London for years, I forget what an amazing feat of engineering it is (and what a privilege safe, reliable public transport is!) and I complain and moan about it with contempt just like my fellow-Londoners.

I think you could also easily and quite correctly substitute the word complacency for contempt in the saying.  I recently, after some rather pointed prodding from two good friends, finally went to the doctor to ask about a spot on my shoulder that had been quietly enlarging for a few years now. I have always been blessed (or cursed!) with numerous “beauty spots” as I used to call them as a child, so I am pretty familiar with most of mine.  So familiar, in fact, that observing the slow growth of this spot filled me not with alarm but with complacency. It was just a spot, right, not a mole – it was almost perfectly flat – and seeing as I have far more spots now than when I was born, it stands to reason that every spot has to start somewhere, so maybe this one was just another one establishing itself.

Over the past four years or so, I did periodically frown at the spot on my shoulder in the mirror after a shower.  Was it getting bigger?  Or was I imagining it?  It wasn’t really raised; it wasn’t itching and it wasn’t scaly or bleeding – surely it was just a familiar spot with ambition. After all, my serious sunbathing days are behind me and living in London the opportunity to see the sun seldom presents itself (!).  I have a shelf full of high factor suncreams that I use when I travel to sunnier climes; I never use sunbeds; and I avoid the sun at midday.  And so both my familiarity with the spot and my complacency grew, as did the spot. But after two people in the space of a couple of months wrinkled their noses in distaste at the Damned Spot and suggested I get it checked, I reluctantly admitted that I probably should at least have a doctor look at it. I say reluctantly because I am ridiculously phobic about needles, scalpels and the possibility of pain – which is probably a large part of the reason that I had so carefully cultivated my complacency.

 

Raw peas

 

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I found myself on a table in the dermatology clinic of a London hospital, blood pressure off the scale and heart racing in a blind panic as a junior doctor administered local anaesthetic to my shoulder. This was not part of my complacent plan. Four dermatologists had looked through their dermascopes, scratched their chins, conferred and finally said “that’s coming out – today”. Thirty minutes later I was on the Tube home with seven stitches in my shoulder and a feeling of dazed, surreal bewilderment. For the next month, I got on with my life, I went to work, I saw friends and I went travelling, confident in the knowledge and the assurances of dozens of friends that moles are removed as a precaution every day and that the vast majority turn out to be benign. Mine, however, was melanoma, and two weeks later I was back in the hospital, this time with some sedation, to have a further 5mm of healthy skin each side of spot removed as a further precaution, leaving me with a 10cm scar on my shoulder as a reminder of where complacency gets you.

 

PeaFetaMintCrostini2

 

Melanoma is the skin cancer that you don’t really want. Unlike basal or squamous cell carcinomas that can be cut our or bunt off and almost never spread anywhere, melanoma has a yearning to travel and establish itself in distant parts of your body like the brain, the lungs or the breasts.  Some melanomas grow so fast that by the time anybody notices them, they have already penetrated deep into the skin into the lymph and blood vessels – and once they get there those cancer cells can travel anywhere in your body and create a new tumour. Mine, however, was the the lazy variety that spreads slowly across the surface of the skin rather than downwards.  Surgical excision is considered a complete cure.  After an initial period of shock and anger, I have realised that I am incredibly lucky.  Lucky that I have friends who cared enough to tell me what I refused to tell myself; lucky that I got a lazy, slow melanoma; lucky that I live in a country where I received prompt and free medical care; lucky that I am planning my next holiday, not my next session of chemotherapy.

Why am I telling you this?

  1. If you notice a new mole or spot or ANY of your existing ones getting bigger or changing shape, do not delay going to the doctor to get it checked. I am utterly mortified to admit that I first noticed that spot growing a teensy bit larger four years ago and did nothing. My Damned Spot did not crust, bleed or itch; I don’t have a history of cancer in my family; I use sunscreen religiously; and I don’t use sunbeds, so I reasoned that it was not cancer. Don’t try to guesstimate your risk based on a balance of factors – get ANYTHING unusual checked out as soon as you can by a dermatologist.
  2. You will not meet anybody more phobic of needles, scalpels, hospitals and the possibility of pain than me. But if you are honest with your doctor about your anxiety levels, there is so much that they can do to help.  Over my two procedures, NHS doctors went out of their way to accommodate my fears by making sure I saw no surgical instruments; by playing Mozart while they operated; and by giving me conscious sedation drugs to help manage my fear.  I can promise you without reservation that any discomfort is not nearly as bad as the fearful anticipation, and a lot better than dying. If I can do this, anybody can.
  3. If you notice a funny freckle or mole on a partner or friend that is changing or just looks “wrong”, please tell them! I went to the doctor based largely on the comments and encouragement of two good friends, and they may well have saved my life.  It is difficult sometimes to say to somebody: “You know, that mole of yours does not look right to me” but you may be saving their life by speaking up. Please, please, please do not ignore the symptoms of potential skin cancer until it is too late – early detection is the single best thing you can do to improve your chances of survival. There’s nothing glamorous about dying of complacency.

 

PeaFetaMintCrostini4

 

The saying of familiarity breeds contempt also holds true with ingredients.  Every time a new superfood comes on the market, everybody fawns over it like a movie star (yes, quinoa and chia seeds, I am looking at you!) – they are so exotic and so endlessly fascinating and more exciting than the old familiar ingredients. The stuff we grew up on seems desperately dull by comparison – worthy of contempt, in fact.  Take peas for example, one of the very few vegetables that I would willingly eat as a child, and surely a feature of most of my readers’ childhoods. What could be less pulse-racingly exciting than peas, especially in their very English incarnation as mushy peas? But maybe it’s time to shake off our contempt for the old favourites of childhood and reimagine them in a new more glamorous light. Podding fresh peas is one of my favourite summer culinary activities, both relaxing and rewarding.  The crunchy texture and sweet flavour of the peas straight from their pods is a million miles removed from the tinned petit pois that I grew up on and as an added benefit, they are packed with Vitamin C and K, as well as being a good source of folates. Here, I boiled d the peas briefly until just crushable with a fork and mixed them with feta and mint to make a glamorous crostini topping – nothing at all to be contemptuous about and perfect for adding a note of glamour to any drinks party.

 

PeaFetaMintCrostini3

 

4.8 from 4 reviews
Smashed pea, feta and mint crostini
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
4 mins
Total time
19 mins
 
These smashed pea, feta and mint crostini will make you see the humble garden pea in a whole new glamorous light. With only four ingredients they are a breeze to whip up and your guests will love them!
Author: Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Recipe type: Canapé
Serves: 20-24
Ingredients
  • 250g fresh shelled peas (or defrosted frozen peas)
  • 75 g feta, crumbled
  • 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 1 Tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Crackers or slices of toasted baguette
Instructions
  1. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil.  Add the peas and boil vigorously for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and transfer to a bowl.  Use a fork to lightly crush the peas - remember, you are not looking to mash them: you want them to retain some bigger bits and texture.
  2. Add the feta, yoghurt and mint to the peas and mix well.  Check for seasoning and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  3. Spread a generous dollop of the pea mixture on crackers (I used my favourite Peter's Yard crackers) or slices of toasted baguette and serve with Champagne or a dry white wine.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe
3.3.3077

 

If you enjoyed this recipe you might also want to have a look at my other recipes.  And here are some more blogger recipes featuring peas as the star of the show:

  • My pea, feta and basil frittata
  • Meeta’s mutter paneer with peas
  • Nazima’s spiced potato and pea hash
  • Simone’s green peas with feta
  • Sarah’s pea soup with cheese and chives
  • Ren’s cod, chorizo and pea puree bites
  • Kate’s pea and vanilla cake with lemon icing and peashoots

 

Let’s keep in touch!
You can also find me tweeting at @cooksisterblog, snapping away on Instagram, or pinning like a pro on Pinterest.  To keep up with my latest posts, you can subscribe to my free e-mail alerts, like Cooksister on Facebook, or follow me on Bloglovin.

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  • Pea, feta cheese and basil frittataPea, feta cheese and basil frittata
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  1. kate @veggie desserts says

    August 20, 2015 at 1:49 pm

    Thank goodness everything turned out okay, Jeanne. What an awful situation. It’s so easy to ignore that nagging suspicion but luckily you have good friends who made you get checked out.

    Reply
  2. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

    August 20, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    Oh wow. I am so glad that yours was the lazy kind and that you are okay. being completely honest, I really need to go to the doctors. I have ALWAYS had a lot of moles and I have had a couple of them checked and the doctor referred me to a specialist at the hospital, but I cancelled my appointment because I was scared. I have had the “suspicious” mole for a while and just thought if it was anything bad, then I would know by now.
    But what am I scared of? Scared of getting better (if needed). Thanks for posting this – I am going to go back to the doctor.

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    August 20, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    Oh my goodness Jeanne, I’m so glad you’re ok and it was caught in time! How utterly terrifiying! As a ginger with a mother who (I’m quite convinced) never once bought a bottle of sunscreen while I was a child I have a terrible fear of any skin changes. I’m constantly obsessing over anything unfamiliar and, as I grow older, these unfamiliarities are appearing more and more! So glad you’ve got observant friends, and oh my this pea recipe looks fantastic!

    Reply
  4. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

    August 20, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    Glad you are OK. My mum went through a scare a few years ago and although everything turned out alright it was a pretty fraught few weeks.

    Reply
  5. Jenna @ butter loves company says

    August 20, 2015 at 11:06 pm

    Wow, I’m so sorry to hear about that situation! Thank you for reminding us all to be aware of our moles and spots – sometimes we do forget to keep an eye on them. I hope everything is okay!

    Reply
  6. kellie@foodtoglow says

    August 21, 2015 at 8:20 am

    Wow, Jeanne. What a time you have had. Coming from a hot place like you (Florida in my case) I have had a lot of accrued sun damage from early years of unprotected exposure. My father had melanoma diagnosed when I was very small and his life was saved by the fact that he was being mentored in his medical residency by a renowned oncologist. He himself was complacent about his own skin and the outcome would have been different if his colleague hadn’t been so aware. Good for your friends and good for you for confronting what is a very scary event. I get bits of me lopped off all the time (bcc’s mainly) but the last one was a bit more advanced and on my face. I blithely submitted to twice-yearly checks and excisions but your story makes me feel a bit less complacent. Take care. And thanks for sharing your story. Beautiful, crostini too (peas and feta are always yummy!)

    Reply
  7. Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says

    August 21, 2015 at 9:50 am

    These pea feta and mint crostini look delicious and intriguing. Lovely share!

    Reply
  8. Krista says

    August 21, 2015 at 10:02 am

    I’m so very, very glad that you are OK. XO And thankful for your post. Your words challenged me to take another look at a “funny” spot and I will be getting it checked out soon. XO

    Reply
  9. Okkie says

    August 21, 2015 at 11:06 am

    Glad your episode with the BIG C went off well. My better half went the breast variety some years back and thanks to a timeous mastectomy has been Cancer free for 20 years.

    As far as peas goes Raw is the favourite way to eat them (Sprinkled with sugar olive oil and balsamic

    Reply
  10. peter @feedyoursoultoo says

    August 21, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    Looks great. i have been looking to make a recipe just like this one.

    Reply
  11. Camilla says

    August 21, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    Oh Jeanne I had no idea you had been going through all this and can relate in part to the extreme stress you have gone through. I had a basal cell carcenoma on my nose and went through hell and back! I’m so very glad that you were dealt with quickly and that you braved it out! Lots of hugs Jeanne!Forgive me I’m not a pea and mint fan, I’m just glad you’re alive a well as that’s all that matters!

    Reply
  12. Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says

    August 22, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    I am so glad that you are OK Jeanne, and have made Ed get an appointment to get some moles looked at. I am fairly aware of my own moles and usually noticed them on other people.

    Lovely recipe, perfect now the sun has finally come out!

    Reply
  13. Carolina da Cucina Carolina says

    August 22, 2015 at 2:36 pm

    Dear Jeanne,

    Thank you for sharing and I am happy that you are all well again.

    With love and a hug,

    Carolina

    Reply
  14. Barbara says

    August 23, 2015 at 9:13 am

    Good grief, Jeanne, you had my chin dropping and I was petrified reading your post. What a way to combine a lovely, cheerful summer recipe with your own life scaring experiences. Brilliant!

    All is well that ends well! I am very happy for you and thanks for great friends who will keep pestering us to go see a doctor!

    Reply
  15. Rosana @ Hot&CHilli Food and Travel Blog says

    August 23, 2015 at 11:51 pm

    I always loved peas, still do. I remember sitting with my mother at the kitchen table pea shelling. when I first arrived in the UK I thought what an incredible idea of mushy peas! Love this refreshing post thanks for sharing your journey. R

    Reply
  16. Catherine says

    August 24, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    I love the color and freshness of these crostini…what a wonderful take on a classic. Perfectly cool and refreshing for summer. xo, Catherine

    Reply
  17. Asha says

    September 1, 2015 at 2:29 am

    Jeanne, read about your ordeal on FB. So sorry you had to go through it and thanks for speaking up about it. I think most of us do not want to have a confirmation of something not nice and do our utmost to avoid it. I know I do. But, it certainly is a wake up call when it happens to someone you know and you realise that it is not a good thing to avoid and much better dealt head on! I have an ultrasound booked for later this year coz they found some random lump. I hate it and would rather not go but know it is better to go than not. Still.. Sigh!!
    *HUGS*

    Reply
  18. Meeta says

    September 2, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    Baby I am just so glad that the spook is over. When you emailed me I was just in shock – but this post and the way you handled it on FB is just what is needed to shake people who do not take that step.
    WIsh I could enjoy these crostinis with a glass of wine to celebrate!

    Reply
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I think we can all agree that 2020 was not the year that we ordered and was a really difficult year for almost everyone (other than maybe Jeff Bezos...).

I could so easily dwell on all the things I have found hard this year - being separated from my family in South Africa and no realistic hope of seeing them anytime soon; no travel since Oct 2019; the social isolation of living alone in a pandemic; having friends fall ill with Covid; and the huge anxiety brought on by the uncertainty of everything and the complete inability to plan anything (hard for a planner and control freak!).

But as the quote says, think dark thoughts and your soul ends up dark. So I have chosen to dye my soul in the bright colours of things I am grateful for instead: a rewarding job that i can do remotely; amazing friends to Zoom or call around the world; a house of my own that I love; a beautiful running route minutes from my door; and a strong, healthy body.

What colour are you dyeing your soul in this Christmas?

🎄🎄🎄
If you've visited London in the last 7 years then If you've visited London in the last 7 years then you cannot have failed to see The Shard - a striking assymetrical architectural "shard of glass" building dominating the skyline south of London Bridge. 

At 800ft and 95 floors, it is the tallest building in the UK and western Europe and houses 26 floors of office space, 3 floors of restaurants, 19 floors of 5-star Shangri-La hotel, 13 floors of residential apartments, and London's highest public viewing gallery, @shardview, comprising the 68th, 69th and 72nd floors.

The viewing gallery has now reopened after the Covid-19 lockdown and here are my 6 top tips for visitors:

🏙 Book in advance via the View From The Shard website. Walk-ins are not currently accepted. Although you can make a same day booking via the website, tickets are up to 35%  cheaper if you book 14 or more days in advance. For example, a standard adult ticket costs an eye-watering £34, but can go down to £22 if booked in advance.

🏙 Entry is timed and you have 30 mins after your allocated time to arrive or risk losing your slot. Security procedures take a while, so arrive 15 mins or so before your allocated slot.

🏙 Once you are at the top there is no time limit so take your time! Savour the views in all directions, as far as 40 miles away on a clear day. Use the enhanced reality interactive telescopes to learn more about London landmarks.

🏙 You can buy a £5 "weather guarantee" per ticket - and then if visibility is so bad you cannot see at least three of: the London Eye the Walkie Talkie, Tower Bridge,  One Canada Square, and St Paul’s Cathedral - then you can come back for free within 3 months.

🏙 No cash payments are accepted, so make sure you have a card to pay for souvenirs and refreshments.

🏙 Make sure you visit the restrooms while you are there - it's the best view from a loo you have ever experienced!
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
Plum upside down cake
plum flapjack crumble
Sesame ginger Brussels sprouts
Jersey-royals-salmon-salad2 © Jeanne Horak 2019
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