Virgin Caesar

Here's a recipe I created back in May but forgot about it. Sadly the hawthorn flowers are no longer in season, but you can substitute with raw almonds.
This is a fresh nutty salad with plenty of bite and peppery undertones, easy to prepare and wonderfully healthy.

1 stale baguette
500g asparagus
150g fresh peas
200g parmesan
40g hawthorn flowers
2 baby gem lettuce
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper for seasoning

Method:
Slice baguette into 5mm thick pieces and lay out over baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven set at 160oC for 30 minutes, once cooked leave croutons out to dry for 3 hours. Place a medium pot of water on to boil, snap the coarse bottoms of asparagus off and slice in half lengthways. Once water is boiling add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes till just tender, drain and cool under cold running water. Slice parmesan into thin wedges and separate the gem leaves and wash.
To make the salad you can either make 4 individual salads or one large platter. First lay down torn pieces of gem and evenly distribute the asparagus, followed by breaking croutons and parmesan over salad. Scatter the fresh pea's over salad, then garnish with hawthorn flowers. Lastly season with desired amount of salt and pepper then drizzle over a little extra olive oil and serve.

Lemon, Mint and Poppy Tofu Salad

Here's a easy and almost fat free vegan salad. Generally I use a firm chalky tofu for salads as it gives bite and texture, silken tofu is nice but better for dessert making.
This is also the time of the year for excellent cucumbers and peas. Cucumbers are more fragrant than earlier crops and pea's are sweeter and juicer fresh from the pod. I highly recommend you shell your own pea's, this may be more laborious but definitely worth the reward.

500g firm smoked tofu
300g fresh peas
1 cucumber
70g washed rocket
4 lemons
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
6 springs of mint
1 green chilli
1 clove garlic
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt

Method:
Slice tofu into 2cm cubes and lay over baking tray. Juice the lemons and strain out the seeds, sprinkle tofu generously with salt then drizzle over the lemon juice and half the olive oil. Lastly sprinkle over poppy seeds and bake tofu in pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 20 minutes.
Finely dice chilli and garlic together, place a small pot over medium heat and add the remainder olive oil. Once oil is hot add, garlic, chilli, peas and a teaspoon salt, saute the peas till just tender then remove from heat. Using a potato masher very roughly mash the peas for a few seconds just to break the skin's a little.
Slice cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds, then cut into 2mm slice's. Once the tofu is cooked roughly chop the mint and sprinkle over tofu, when tofu has cooled down enough mix the mint and tofu together. To make the salad you can either make 4 individual portions or a large platter. First lay down rocket, sprinkle over cucumber and peas and lastly top with tofu and serve.

Fresh Prawn, Crushed Peas Salad with Blackberries, Fennel and Sea Arrow Grass

A lovely little mixed salad of random pairings, nevertheless it definitely works. I've been experimenting with sea arrow grass which grows in sand dunes and has a surprisingly sweet grassy taste with a hint of sea air. I know my description sounds pretentious but if you manage to get the chance do try some and correct me if I'm wrong.
Mixed with some other simple super-food ingredients you have a very tasty and healthy salad. Totally appropriate for this time of year!
Once again Etienne has taken a stunning vivid shot and I must eternally thank him for his time and skills!

600g raw prawns
1kg fresh pea's in the pod
2 fennel
250g blackberries
100g sea arrow grass
50ml extra virgin olive oil
1 small brown onion
1 large red chilli
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sea salt

METHOD:
First shell the peas, once shelled place a large pot onto a high heat and add half the olive oil, peas and 1 teaspoon salt. Saute the pea's for 4-5 minutes just to soften them then remove from heat, using the back of a rolling pin of a potato masher roughly bash the pea's for 30 seconds to break them up. Place peas to once side for cooling.
Peel and dice the onion, thinly slice the chilli and peel and crush the garlic. Place a sauce pan over a high heat and add the remainder olive oil, once hot add the onions, garlic and chilli, cook for 2 minutes then add the prawns. Cook the prawn till just pink and slightly under cooked then remove from heat.
Cut the tops off the fennel, slice in half and remove the core then slice very thinly. Wash the sea arrow grass and cut into match stick sized piece's.
Its now time to construct the salad, you can either make individual portions or one large platter. On the base lay down crushed pea's followed by slice's of fennel, prawns and cooking juices. Lastly garnish with blackberries and sea arrow grass and serve.

Eat Your Greens, Leek and Pea Tart

Distinct and vibrant in appearance and incredibly edible even if you hate your vegetables. Took a couple of goes to master and to create the right texture, half way between soft cheese and souffle.  

600g garden pea's
600g leeks
300g cream cheese
4 eggs
4 cloves garlic
1 green jalapeno
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Parsley to garnish

METHOD:
Fill a large pot with water and place on high heat and bring to the boil. In the mean time trim the deep green stalks off the tops of leeks and remove the base, cut whats left of leeks into 2cm circles. Lay each piece of leek down flat on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, season with salt and pepper, cover with foil and place in pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 20 minutes.
Once the water starts to boil pour in peas and cook for 3-4 minutes then drain and cool with cold water. Place pea's in food processor with cream cheese, eggs, garlic, jalapeno, tablespoon of olive oil, teaspoon of salt and a good cracking of pepper, blend together for 2 minutes. Using oil spray or butter grease a 30cm fluted flan dish with removable base followed by a good dusting of flour.
Pour the puree pea mixture into flan dish and evenly distribute pieces of leek around the tart (sit the leeks flat in pea puree). Fill a baking tray with hot water and place on bottom shelf of oven, place tart on the shelf directly above tray of water. Cook at 160oC for 30 minutes, once cooked leave to cool for 30 minutes before removing from outer casing. Cut the tart into 8 pieces and garnish with chopped parsley and extra cracked pepper.