"Only make this salad when fresh peas are in season – frozen peas are delicious in other preparations but won't work that well in this salad" advises Ana Sortun, co-owner and executive chef at Oleana (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA).

Pea salad, radish, hazelnuts, halloumi cheese

By Ana Sortun

Serves 4 people

• 3 cups shucked English peas
• ½ cup finely grated halloumi cheese (use a microplane)
• 1 cup julienned radish
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped dill
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp sugar
• Zest and juice of half lemon
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 pound baby greens, washed and dried well
• 4 tbsp lightly toasted hazelnuts, skins removed and coarsely ground
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper

Bring a small saucepot of water (about 8 cups) to a boil and add 1 tbsp of salt.

Have a bowl of ice water ready and a strainer that can rest in the ice bath.

Add the peas and simmer for 3 minutes until they are just tender. Drain them with the strainer and rest the peas in the strainer in the ice bath until they are cool.

Remove them from the ice and pulse them until they are crushed but not pureed in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Place them in a mixing bowl and add a little salt so they are lightly seasoned and set aside – you should have about 2 cups of crushed peas. Add radish, halloumi cheese, herbs and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the lemon vinaigrette in a small mixing bowl.

Whisk the mustard, lemon juice, zest, sugar, vinegar and a little salt until combined. Whisk the oil in slowly until emulsified.

Add approximately half of this vinaigrette to the pea mixture and stir until everything is coated.

It should be well dressed but not soaked. If it seems a little dry, add a spoon of extra virgin olive oil. Spoon the peas on the bottom of a shallow salad bowl and using the same bowl, toss the greens with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat them and season very lightly with salt.

Pour the greens around and on top of the peas. Sprinkle with hazelnuts and maras pepper and serve.

Fresh ingredients for the salad