A quick sauté brings out the natural sweetness and crunch of peas. Fresh basil, tart lemon zest, and tangy pecorino cheese are sprinkled on top for a delicious and fast dish.

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 lb sugar snap peas, strings removed
• 1 lb English peas, shelled
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 lemon
• leaves from 4 fresh basil sprigs, torn
• about 1 oz chunk pecorino Romano cheese

in a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add both kinds of peas and 1/4 cup water. Add a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated, about 2 minutes. The peas should be tender-crisp and still bright green.

grate 2 teaspoons zest from the lemon, then halve the lemon. Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze the juice from 1 lemon half over the peas. Add the lemon zest, basil, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the pan. Grate the cheese over the top to taste, and stir to mix well. Transfer the peas to a warmed serving dish and serve right away.

serves 4