What a happy zingy book for summer documenting the delightful recipes created by Jane. In 2009, she joined the crew of Eos, Barry Diller and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg’s sailing yacht – a position that has taken her throughout Southeast Asia, New Zealand,Australia, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, the Caribbean and Central America.
Her specialty is fresh, healthy meals that celebrate flavours from around the globe, without the food being extravagant or ornamental. Above all, Jane believes in a low-key approach with the most delicious dishes being a result of fresh food that is thoughtfully prepared.
In Fresh Happy Tasty, she shares her cooking philosophy and offers dozens ofhealthy, accessible and appealing recipes that have become yacht favourites, including: Bright Green Pea Salad with Lemon and Mint; Herb, Lemon, and Caper Stuffed Trout; Honey poached Pineapple; Cape Malay Lamb Curry; Brussels Sprouts and Oyster Mushrooms with Pine Nuts; Israeli Couscous with Shrimp and Zucchini; Lobster Quinoa; and Middle Eastern Watermelon Salad.
Here is a recipe for you to sample:
Bright green pea salad with lemon and mint:
{ Serves 4 to 6 }
This salad is like a pea family reunion. It’s very simple, but the goat cheese makes it a bit more substantial and luxurious. The inspiration for this recipe was a request for a bright, all-green salad. You can stick with using peas, or add whatever other green vegetables you find at the market.
Ingredients:
1⁄4 pound haricots verts, ends trimmed (green beans are fine if you can’t find haricots verts)
1⁄4 pound snap peas, halved
1⁄4 pound snow peas, halved
1⁄4 pound fresh peas, shelled
1⁄4 pound fava beans, shelled and peeled
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Maldon or other flaky salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 handful yellow pea shoots, optional
1 handful green pea shoots, optional
1 handful fresh mint leaves, roughly torn, optional
1⁄4 pound good-quality goat cheese, optional
Method:
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Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat and prepare a large bowl of ice water.
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Throw the haricots verts (which take the longest to cook) into the pot of boiling water. After 30 seconds, add the snap peas and snow peas. Add the fresh peas and fava beans after another 30 seconds—these will cook fastest. (Adding the beans in intervals of 30 seconds will save you the time of boiling multiple pots of water and cooking each vegetable individually.)
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When the beans turn bright green and tender but are still very crisp, transfer the peas and beans to the ice water to stop the cooking. When they are cold, drain and transfer to a large glass bowl; add the celery.
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Just when you’re ready to serve the salad, add the lemon juice, some olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste and give the salad a good toss with your hands. Mix in the pea shoots and mint, if using. If using the goat cheese, gently crumble it in with your hands. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
NOTE : Don’t be tempted to dress the salad too far in advance. The lemon can discolor the greens
and ruin the aesthetic of the dish, which, in my opinion, is half the pleasure of it.
More about Jane Coxwell
She grew up in the Cape wine region of South Africa. She trained under Chef David Higgs, whose restaurant
Rust en Vrede was rated one of the best restaurants in the world and who now heads up Five Hundred, The
Saxon’s signature restaurant in Johannesburg. She served as chef for former Ambassador Kathryn Hall, cooked
for fundraisers for Hillary Clinton, and later became executive chef at Hall Wines in Napa Valley, California. In
2009, Jane joined the crew of Eos and divides her time between New York City and the rest of the world.
