Pea, mint and salted ricotta salad

Name: Pea, mint and salted ricotta salad
Cook time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 500g fresh peas, shelled; 1 small red onion, sliced finely; 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 tsp white-wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 16 mint leaves; 10 green or purple basil leaves; 80g salted ricotta, grated roughly

Tobie Puttock

October 19, 2011

Pea, mint and salted ricotta saladJourney ... Tobie Puttock has a genuine love of Italian food.

Time:< 30 mins

This is for my wife, Georgia. We often go to a restaurant in Melbourne that serves a similar salad to this, and she loves it. I use salted ricotta but if you have trouble finding this, pecorino or parmigiano-reggiano can be used. I try to use fresh peas when they are in season but there are some good-quality frozen peas available that will work just as well.

Ingredients

500g fresh peas, shelled
1 small red onion, sliced finely
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp white-wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 mint leaves
10 green or purple basil leaves
80g salted ricotta, grated roughly

Method

Blanch the peas in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes, then drain and refresh in iced water. Remove the cold peas from the water and place in a large bowl. Add the onion, olive oil and vinegar — you should just be able to taste the vinegar but it shouldn't be too strong. Season with salt and pepper. Toss through the mint, basil and ricotta and serve immediately.