Homemade ricotta, pea and smoked-salmon duck-egg ravioli

The delicate flavours in this week’s main recipe make it a perfect starter for summer dining.

Homemade ricotta, pea and smoked-salmon duck-egg ravioli, with citrus jam, pea shoots and extra-virgin olive oil

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the ricotta

• 1 litre whole milk
• 1tspn lemon juice
• 1tspn white-wine vinegar

For the citrus jam

• 1 lemon
• 4tbspn olive oil
• 1tbspn caster sugar

For the pasta

• 400g 00 flour
• 5 duck eggs
• 1tbspn olive oil

For the filling

• 80g cooked peas
• 75g finely chopped smoked salmon
• 8 basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons

To serve

• Pea shoots and tendrils
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Borage flowers

More ways with peas

A side of peas

Finely dice a small brown onion and fry in a splash of olive oil until translucent, but not browned. Add a crushed clove of garlic, 500g of frozen or fresh peas and 100ml of chicken stock. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Stir in a splash of single cream and serve.

Pea gnudi

Make ricotta as in the main recipe, but using 2 litres of whole milk and 1tbspn each of lemon juice and white-wine vinegar (add a little more acid if clumps don’t form within 10 minutes). In a bowl, combine the ricotta with one beaten egg plus an extra beaten yolk, 75g of cooked, mashed peas, 75g of grated Parmesan, 50g of plain flour and seasoning. Shape spoonfuls into footballs and cook in a pan of gently boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss in olive oil, fresh basil and grated Parmesan. Serve with salad leaves.

Stuffed courgette flowers

Gently wash 6 courgette flowers. In a small bowl, mix together 150g of burrata (or buffalo mozzarella), 100g of frozen peas and 8 chopped basil leaves. Stuff each courgette flower with the filling and refrigerate until ready to cook. Make a batter using 1 egg, 100g of plain flour, half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and 200ml of sparkling water. Heat 4cm of vegetable oil in a pan until a cube of bread browns gently in it. Coat the stuffed flowers in batter, drop them into the hot oil and cook until browned all over. Blot them on kitchen roll and serve with capers and aioli.

Credit: Jason Lowe

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A creamy tarragon dressing is the perfect accompaniment to this chicken and pea-shoot salad.

Credit: Melanie Johnson

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