I love this dish – it’s so light, but at the same time so full of flavour. Spring brings lots of lovely, colourful ingredients to cook with, none more so than peas and broad beans. Continental peas and beans come quite early in the year, but if you can hang around a few more months for the English ones the flavour will be noticeably better. Marjoram is absolutely my favourite herb. It works in so many different dishes and has a wonderful aroma.
I use ricotta from Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire; it manages somehow to be light as air, but rich and creamy at the same time. I can’t get enough of it.
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 mins
250g buffalo ricotta cheese
500g fresh peas, shelled
500g broad beans, shelled
1 bunch of marjoram, leaves picked
1 large shallot, finely chopped
25ml cabernet sauvignon vinegar
50ml olive oil
50g pine nuts, toasted
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Place the shallot, oil and vinegar into a bowl, whisk well and season with salt and pepper to make a dressing.
Blanch the fresh peas and broad beans in salted water for two minutes. Then, mix with half of the marjoram leaves and combine with half of the dressing. Divide evenly between four bowls, flattening the mound slightly in the middle.
Place a large spoon of ricotta on top of each mound of peas and broad beans. Sprinkle the pine nuts and the remainder of the dressing on top of the ricotta. To finish, garnish the dish with the remainder of the marjoram leaves and a little grated lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Dom Robinson is the chef and owner of the Blackbird Restaurant and Public House, Berkshire
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