142 bbcgoodfood.com APRIL 2020
Spring pea & vegetable
ragu, scamorza
& toasted spelt
SERVES 4 PREP45 mins plus cooling
COOK 1 hr 30 minsMORE EFFORTV
500g fresh peas, or use frozen
3 4 tbsp olive oil
150g pearled spelt
1 carrot, halved
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
(^1) / 2 onion, quartered
1 tsp nigella seeds
handful of pea shoots and edible
lowers, to decorate
For the pea stock
3 celery sticks, chopped
handful of pea husks, or the stalks
from a large bunch of parsley
2 onions, unpeeled, quartered
3 peppercorns
For the ragu
200g mixed veg (we used broad
and bobby beans, and fresh peas)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, inely chopped
250ml white wine
1 Little Gem lettuce, inely sliced
100g scamorza or smoked
mozzarella, torn
(^1) / 2 -1 lemon, juiced
1 Bring a pan of salted water to the
boil and tip in the peas. Return to
the boil, drain and run under very
cold water to stop the cooking
process. Drain again. Tip into a
blender with 1-2 tbsp oil and blitz
until smooth. Season, then set aside.
2 For the stock, put everything in a
pan, cover with 1.5 litres cold water
and bring to the boil. Reduce the
heat and simmer for 30 mins, then
strain into a clean pan and set aside.
3 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/
gas 6. Put the spelt on a large baking
tray, drizzle with the remaining oil
and bake for 7-10 mins to toast. Put
in a pan with 1 litre of the stock, the
carrot, thyme, bay and onion, and
cook until the spelt is tender but
still retains some bite, about
20 mins. Remove the veg and herbs,
season and chill until ready to use.
4 Meanwhile, make the ragu. Cook
the veg separately in boiling salted
water for 2 mins each, then rinse in
very cold water to stop the cooking
process. Heat the oil in a large frying
pan over a low heat and fry the
shallots with a little salt until
translucent. Add the spelt and turn
the heat up until it just begins to fry.
Pour in the wine and reduce until
there’s just a little left in the pan.
Add the lettuce and blanched veg,
reduce the heat and gently heat
through. Stir in the pea purée
and scamorza.
5 Season with the lemon juice, salt
and pepper. Divide between bowls
or put in one serving bowl, scatter
with nigella seeds and garnish with
the pea shoots and flowers.
GOOD TO KNOWhealthy•low cal•folate• ibre
- iron•2 of 5-a-day
PER SERVING476 kcals•fat 19g•saturates 5g - carbs 41g•sugars 11g• ibre 14g• protein 19g•
salt 0.3g