Ärtsallad

I have an ongoing love affair with ärtsoppa, or yellow pea soup. Laced with cozy flavors of clove and ginger and served with pork, the ritual is completed with a dessert of Swedish pancakes and lingonberries. Sweden's national dish is typically served on cold winter Thursday nights, although modern Swedes don't necessarily embrace this ancient tradition. Their updated versions are as appealing to me as the traditional.

Here is my own modern spin. I'll serve this salad regardless of the weather. Its perfect companion is pork ribs dry rubbed with clove, ginger, cinnamon, mustard, allspice, and cumin, then slow roasted at a low temp and topped with a bit of prepared mustard scented with more clove. 

Ärtsallad (a.k.a. Swedish Tabouli)
2 cups whole yellow peas, cooked*
1/2 cup strained yoghurt
Good handful chopped fresh dill
Juice and zest from one lemon
1 cucumber, chopped
7 cherry tomatoes, quartered
5 radishes, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper

Stir together yoghurt, dill, lemon juice and zest, mustard, sugar; season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with peas, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, and onion.

*Soak dried peas overnight; strain. Add peas to pot of water flavored heavily with cloves, ginger, garlic, mustard, allspice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until peas are just tender. Remove peas from water.