Name: Ross Lusted’s pea salad, curd, pine nuts, blossoms, white asparagus and carrot juice dressing
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 8 spring onions, trimmed; 1 tsp olive oil, plus extra for dressing; 8 white asparagus spears, peeled, shaved into thin strips with a peeler; 400 gm podded peas (about 1kg unpodded); 8 zucchini flowers, stamens removed, torn; ½ cup torn flat-leaf parsley (loosely packed); 60 gm roasted pine nuts, finely chopped; Sheep’s milk curd; 250 gm sheep's milk yoghurt (see note); Juice of ½ small lemon; 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil; Carrot juice dressing; 200 ml carrot juice (about 2 carrots); ½ tsp cumin seeds; 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Ross Lusted’s pea salad, curd, pine nuts, blossoms, white asparagus and carrot juice dressing

Recipe for pea salad, curd, pine nuts, blossoms, white asparagus and carrot juice dressing by Ross Lusted from Sydney's The Bridge Room restaurant.

Serves 8

Prep

35M

Cook

15M

Total

50M

You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

8 spring onions, trimmed

1 tsp olive oil, plus extra for dressing

8 white asparagus spears, peeled, shaved into thin strips with a peeler

400 gm podded peas (about 1kg unpodded)

8 zucchini flowers, stamens removed, torn

½ cup torn flat-leaf parsley (loosely packed)

60 gm roasted pine nuts, finely chopped

Sheep’s milk curd

250 gm sheep's milk yoghurt (see note)

Juice of ½ small lemon

50 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Carrot juice dressing

200 ml carrot juice (about 2 carrots)

½ tsp cumin seeds

100 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Main

1.For sheep’s milk curd, combine yoghurt and ½ tsp sea salt flakes and mix well. Line a bowl with damp muslin, spoon mixture into muslin, gather edges and tie with string. Hang muslin in refrigerator over a bowl to drain (8 hours). Transfer curd to a bowl, add lemon juice and olive oil, season to taste and mix to combine. Refrigerate until required.

2.Preheat a char-grill pan over high heat, brush spring onion with oil, char-grill, turning occasionally, until just tender (4-5 minutes).

3.For carrot juice dressing, strain juice through a fine sieve into saucepan, bring to the boil over medium heat with cumin seeds, simmer until juice is reduced to 100ml (5-7 minutes). Remove from heat, whisk in oil, season with salt, strain through a fine sieve, set aside.

4.Blanch asparagus and peas separately in batches (10-20 seconds for asparagus; 2-4 minutes for peas), drain, refresh and drain again.

5.To serve, divide sheep’s milk curd among plates. Toss vegetables separately in a little olive oil, twist asparagus with a fork to make nests, place on curd with peas, top with spring onion, zucchini flowers, parsley and pine nuts and serve drizzled with carrot juice dressing.

Note Sheep’s milk yoghurt is available from health-food shops.
Drink Suggestion: Martínsancho Verdejo, Rueda, Spain. Drink suggestion by Joshua Renshaw
Notes