Baby peas, ricotta and spring onion salad
A stunning, fresh and pretty salad to serve as a starter or light lunch in the summer, when young peas can be popped straight from the pod into the pan. Serves 4-6
Ingredients
500g very fresh baby peas or frozen petits pois
2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
10–12 spring onions, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal
200g ricotta or other soft, fresh cheese
1 teaspoon chopped thyme (optional)
For the dressing:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive or rapeseed oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil, drop in the peas, cook for a maximum of 2 minutes, then drain.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the spring onions and cook gently for 4–5 minutes, until soft. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the still-warm peas.
To make the dressing, whisk the lemon juice and oil together in a bowl with plenty of seasoning, or shake the ingredients in a screw-top jar to combine. Trickle this dressing over the spring onions and peas and stir gently until well coated.
Spoon the salad on to plates or dishes. Crumble the cheese over the top, scatter on the thyme if using, and serve immediately.