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Springtime pasta

 

Ingredients

• 400g penne
• 200g bag shredded kale
• 100g streaky bacon, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, finely sliced
• 100g soft mild goat's cheese
• grated parmesan, to serve (optional)
• Prep: 10 mins Cook: 10 mins
  Easy
  
  Serves 4 
   
   

  Method

  1. Boil the pasta in salted water. Add the kale for the final 2 mins, then drain, reserving a little of the cooking liquid.
  2. Meanwhile, dry-fry the bacon in a nonstick pan until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain off most of the fat, leaving behind about 1 tsp. Gently fry the onion in the fat for 2-3 mins until soft.
  3. Tip the cooked pasta and kale into the pan, then stir through the bacon and goat’s cheese. Add a little of the pasta cooking water if the mixture seems a bit dry. Serve in bowls scattered with grated Parmesan, if you like.

Risotto of spring vegetables

Ingredients

• 300g carnaroli rice (risotto rice)
• 150g parmesan, in a wedge
• 20g fresh chives, finely snipped
• 150g shelled broad beans (about 600g in their pods)
• 150g asparagus spears
• 200g shelled small peas (about 800g in their pods)
• fistfuls of ice cubes
• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder, such as Marigold
• 1 large shallot or 2 smaller ones, finely chopped
• 3 large spring onions, trimmed and chopped
• 1 fat garlic clove, lightly crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 50g butter
• 125ml dry white wine
• 2 tbsp mascarpone
•  Ready in 50 minutes - 1 hour
  Moderately easy
  Serves 4 
   

  Method

  1. Tip the rice into a pan of boiling, lightly salted water. Boil gently for 6 minutes then drain in a sieve. There should still be a white core in the centre of the grains. Spread the part-cooked rice on a clean tray, cool, then chill until you are ready to finish the risotto. If covered with cling film, the rice can be kept for up to 24 hours. Shave about 25g off the parmesan wedge and set aside for later. Finely grate the rest and save for use in Step 8.
  2. Blanch the broad beans for 1 minute in boiling water then drain and rinse them in a colander under cold water. Using your fingers, pop each bean from its skin. (Thawed frozen beans can be popped without blanching.)
  3. Trim the asparagus and cut the spears at an angle into lozenge shapes. Bring 1 litre of water to the boil in a large pan, add 1 tsp of sea salt, then the asparagus, shelled peas and beans. Return to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, put lots of ice cubes into a large bowl half filled with cold water.
  4. Drain the vegetables in a colander set over a bowl to catch and save the cooking water, then tip them straight into the bowl of iced water. When cold, drain again and set aside.
  5. Pour the saved vegetable water into a pan and whisk in the stock powder. When ready to finish the risotto, bring the stock to the boil and keep it on a simmer.
  6. In another large pan, gently sauté the shallot, spring onions and garlic in the 2 tablespoons of oil and half the butter for 3-5 minutes until softened. Stir in the wine and cook until reduced by half.
  7. Tip in the rice. Now add a ladle of boiling stock and stir until it is absorbed. Add the remaining stock, a ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed before you add more. This takes about 8 minutes, by which time the mixture should be slightly sloppy, not dry. You may not need all the stock. The rice is cooked when it is just softened and has a nice shiny glaze. Remove the garlic clove.
  8. Gently stir in the vegetables and remaining chives and return to a gentle simmer, adding a little extra stock if needed. Stir in the last of the butter, the grated parmesan and the mascarpone. Check the seasoning. Divide immediately between four warmed shallow bowls, drizzle over a little oil and scatter the parmesan shavings onto each serving.

Spring salad with watercress dressing

 

Ingredients

• 550g new potatoes, scrubbed
• 800g young broad beans in the pod (to give about 200g/8oz shelled beans)
• 200g fresh young asparagus
• 400g young peas in the pod (to give about 100g/4oz shelled peas)
• 90g pack prosciutto, sliced into ribbons
• 125g bag mixed salad leaves
• 100g pecorino cheese, shaved

For the dressing

• 50g fresh watercress, roughly chopped
• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• pinch sugar
•  Ready in 35-40 minutes
  Easy
  Serves 4 
   

  Method

  1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain and halve when cool enough to handle; set aside. Blanch the shelled broad beans and the asparagus in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes. Drain in a sieve and cool under running cold water. Drain again, fish out the asparagus, then peel off the hard outer skins from the beans – make a nick in the tops and pop the beans out. Blanch the shelled peas in a separate pan for 1 minute. Toss the asparagus, beans, peas, potatoes and prosciutto together.
  2. For the dressing, put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz until really smooth and bright green. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, toss the salad leaves with a spoonful or two of dressing and arrange on plates. Pile the vegetable mixture on top, season, then drizzle over the remaining dressing and scatter with the pecorino.

Springtime pasta

 

Ingredients

• 250g pack frozen ricotta and spinach tortellini
• 50g frozen peas
• 50g frozen broad beans
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• zest 1 lemon
• 50g ricotta
•   Prep: 5 mins Cook: 5 mins
  Easy
   

  Method

  Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Tip in the pasta, cook for 3-4 mins. Add the frozen peas and broad beans, then cook for 1 min more to heat through. Drain well, then toss through the olive oil and lemon zest. Place on plates, dollop over the ricotta