Name: Spring salad with watercress dressing
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 550g new potato 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; 50g fresh watercress roughly chopped; 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp cider vinegar; pinch sugar

550g new potato
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

Method

step 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.
step 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.