Braised Lettuce and Peas

From the garden

• 2 heads lettuce hearts (romaine or butterhead), quartered lengthwise through the core
• 2 cups shelled peas · from about 2 lb of pods, or frozen
• 1 lb small new potatoes, halved if larger than a walnut
• 6 spring onions or green onions, trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley or chervil, chopped

From the pantry

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1½ cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp granulated sugar · the traditional pinch that lifts the peas
• 4 slices crusty bread · for serving
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Warm the olive oil in a wide, lidded pan over medium heat and turn the spring onions in it for 2 minutes, until they soften and smell sweet. Keep the heat gentle so nothing colors.
2. Add the potatoes, the stock, the sugar, and a good pinch of salt. Cover and simmer 12–15 minutes, until a knife slides into a potato with only slight resistance.
3. Lay the lettuce quarters on top, cut sides down, cover again, and braise 5 minutes. They collapse to a third of their size and turn silky, which is the whole point of cooking lettuce.
4. Scatter in the peas, cover, and cook 3–4 minutes more, until they are tender and still vividly green. Peas picked that morning may need only 2 minutes, so taste one before you stop.
5. Season with salt and black pepper, fold the parsley through, and serve in shallow bowls with the broth spooned over and bread alongside for the last of it.