Marinated Ricotta with Peas, Courgettes & Honest Toil

Bright, fresh and full of summer, a simple dish that invites everyone to help themselves.

This recipe is from our At Home With series featuring Morgana of @food.relics.

For Morgana, food is never just food – it’s memory, ritual and a way of gathering people together. Inspired by long shared meals growing up in an Italian-Spanish household, her cooking is thoughtful, seasonal and centred around beautiful ingredients.

This marinated ricotta is exactly that kind of dish: simple, generous and designed to be shared around the table with good bread and good company.

Fried courgettes are marinated in lemon, honey, herbs and generous amounts of Honest Toil olive oil, then spooned over fresh ricotta with peas, pea shoots and toasted pine nuts. 

Ingredients

• 1–2 courgettes
• 1 handful freshly podded peas, or frozen peas
• Pea shoots
• 1 pot fresh ricotta
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Dash of white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp chilli flakes, optional
• Olive oil
• Mint and/or basil
• Pine nuts
• Salt and pepper
• Bread, to serve

Method

1. Thinly slice the courgettes and fry them in olive oil until golden and soft. Once browned, transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen roll to drain off any excess oil.
2. Make a marinade with the lemon juice and zest, honey, chilli flakes, a generous amount of olive oil, a dash of white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the warm courgettes and leave them to sit for around 10 minutes.
3. If using fresh peas, boil them in salted water for 1–3 minutes, depending on how young they are, tasting as you go until they are soft and sweet. Add them to the marinade with torn mint and basil.
4. Put the ricotta on a plate and make a shallow well in the middle. Spoon the courgette and pea mixture over the top, along with the dressing. Finish with pea shoots, toasted pine nuts, a little more olive oil, and some extra salt and pepper. Serve with bread as part of a slow lunch, alongside good wine and plenty of bread for scooping up every last bit of the dressing.

Note: If using frozen peas, pour boiling water over them and let them sit for a minute or two, refreshing the hot water if needed. Don’t boil them — this avoids overcooking and keeps them fresh, green and squeaky.