Rice and Peas - Venice Style!

This delicately flavoured combination of rice and fresh peas is probably one of the oldest and most traditional specialities of the Veneto. Some very old recipes I have come across include fennel seeds amongst the ingredients, stirred in as the rice cooks. In times gone by, cooks used peas so fresh and tender in this recipe that their pods would be cooked and puréed, then added to the dish. This was intended to give the dish more flavour and a brilliant green colour. If you use canned or fr