Oriental Openers

Fresh snow peas split open and piped full of a tangy ricotta and cream cheese filling flecked with shredded radish and snipped chives. These bite-sized appetizers are cold, crunchy, and surprisingly elegant for something this easy to make. No cooking involved at all.

The filling is a quick stir of low-fat ricotta, reduced-fat cream cheese, finely shredded radish, fresh chives, and a dash of onion salt. The radish adds a peppery crunch that cuts through the creamy cheese, and it’s what makes these taste fresh rather than heavy. Mix everything until smooth and well combined.

Split each snow pea pod open lengthwise with a sharp knife along the straight seam. The piping bag trick from the directions is worth following: spoon the filling into a plastic bag, snip off one corner, and squeeze it directly into each pod. This gives you clean, even filling without the mess of trying to spoon it in. You’ll get a neat stripe of white filling visible through the green pod.

Chill until serving. The filling firms up in the fridge and the pea pods stay crisp and snappy.

Kitchen Tips

• Choose the largest, freshest snow peas you can find; limp or small pods are hard to fill
• Shred the radish on the finest grater holes so it blends smoothly into the filling
• Fill just before chilling, not too far ahead; filled pods can get soggy after several hours
• Arrange on a platter seam-side up so the filling shows

Variations

• Wasabi kick: Add a tiny smear of wasabi paste to the filling for heat
• Smoked salmon: Tuck a small strip of smoked salmon into each pod alongside the cheese
• Herb garden: Mix in finely chopped dill or mint with the chives