The ultimate in side dish recipes, this pea salad with whipped ricotta takes minutes to whip up and packs a healthy dose of greens.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Thanks to this pea salad recipe, peas and ricotta will soon be your new favourite side salad, that’s for sure. For this recipe, the ricotta does taste best when fresh, so we suggest that you only buy up to one day ahead. If using fresh peas, you’ll need to blanch them first in boiling salted water until bright green (2 minutes), then drain, refresh in iced water and drain again. 700g unpodded peas will give you about 200g podded.
These carrots make the perfect side dish for our Baked Snapper Recipe and our Recipe For Roasted Carrots with Burnt Butter and Honey.
Ingredients
- 240g podded peas (fresh and blanched – see note – or frozen and defrosted)
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthways on a mandolin
- A few leaves, such as snow pea shoots and 1-2 zucchini flowers, torn, to serve (optional)
Whipped Ricotta
- 220g fresh firm ricotta
- 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
Whipped Ricotta
- 220g fresh firm ricotta
- ¼ preserved lemon, rind only, finely chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste 60ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
Method
- For the whipped ricotta, beat ricotta in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment with parmesan and a large pinch of salt until light and fluffy. Check seasoning, transfer to a container and refrigerate until required.
- For the preserved lemon dressing, whisk ingredients in a bowl to combine and season to taste.
- To serve, spread ricotta over a platter or a shallow bowl. Toss peas and zucchini in a little preserved lemon dressing and place on top, then garnish with flowers and leaves, if using, and drizzle with remaining dressing.