salads and sides:

spring pea and broad bean salad

Now that spring is well and truly here, fresh salads are back on the menu. Our veggie garden is also ripe for the picking, with the main vegetables being broad beans and snow peas, so it made sense to make this super easy and delicious Spring Pea and Broad Bean Salad.

If you haven’t tried broad beans before, I highly recommend trying them. They are great in a salad, with pasta or made into a dip. They do take a little bit of work to peel but are worth it. If you grow broad beans at home and have a lot of them, you can shell them, blanch them and then freeze them for later.

I have used Meredith dairy marinated goat’s feta for this salad, mainly because i love it, but you can use any goats cheese or feta you like. The combination of this cheese with the mint and lemon juice really compliments the beans and peas and lifts this salad.

My kids love snow peas and normal peas, so adding broad beans and feta (another one of their favourites) meant this was a great one for them also.  Mark and Claire helped me to shell the broad beans as well, which they enjoyed and were much more proficient at than this time last year 

Enjoy xx.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 2 cups shelled broad beans

• 1 cup shelled peas or frozen peas

• 2 cups snow peas

• 5-6 spears of asparagus, cut into thirds (optional)

• 1 baby gem lettuce, roughly chopped

• 50g Meredith Dairy marinated goats feta or Danish feta

• 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves

• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1. Place broad beans, snow peas, asparagus (if using) and peas into a bowl and blanch by covering with boiling water and allow them to sit for 2-3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to refresh.

2. Place into a large bowl and add lettuce, olive oil and lemon juice and toss to combine.

3. Add feta and mint and carefully toss to combine.

4. Serve with fish, meat or as a side to your favourite main.