Every feast needs a vegetable for balance, roughage, and in this case, a new beginning. You could cook it with sultanas and pine nuts as they do, but such detail is not worth flapping over.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 pink shallots, peeled and finely sliced
A pinch of sugar
2 medium courgette, quartered lengthways, diagonally cut at 1cm intervals
2 bundles of asparagus, diagonally cut at 1cm intervals
2 handfuls of green peas
Approximately 175ml white wine
Salt, pepper
Finely grated zest of a lemon
A handful of basil, torn
A small bunch of mint, finely chopped
Method
Use a wide frying pan for this. Fry the sliced shallots in the olive oil over a medium heat till golden. Add the sugar and cook a minute longer.
Raise the heat, throw the courgette slices into the pan. Fry until their exteriors soften to a riper, fuller jade, caught brown in places. Then add the asparagus, toss around and the peas. Pour in the white wine, sprinkle in salt and pepper. Knock in the lemon zest and toss in the basil leaves. Cover with a lid and leave to cook for 4 - 6 minutes, or till the veg is tender and the wine dramatically reduced. If they are a little beyond al dente, don't fret.
Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle over the finely chopped mint and extra virgin olive oil.
You could, if you wanted something that hits closer to home, simply fry some hacked-up peck chye with spring onions and peas and a sluicing of vermouth or even rice wine. Sprinkle in a teeny bit of sesame oil, too.
