Dante’s Smashed Spring Pea and Halloumi Salad
Smashed avocadoes might be all the rage, but have you tried smashed peas? Now that Spring has sprung Down Under, it’s easy to assemble this sensational salad using smashed peas as the base topped by fresh sugar snaps, asparagus and watercress created by Mary Bartel, former executive chef at Dante West Village, NYC.
Inroduction
About this Recipe
- By: Sheridan Rogers
Make sure to dry the haloumi with paper towels then lightly spray with olive oil on both sides before grilling.
Ravida al Limone is made with Sicilian organic lemons and Biancolilla olives and is perfect for drizzling over salads and seafoods and used to enhance many dishes at Dante NYC.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- Halloumi, 3 slices
- Sugar snap peas, 2 cups, strings removed
- Asparagus, 2 bunches, woody ends trimmed
- Watercress, 1 cup
- Sunflower seeds, toasted
Crushed Peas and mint:
- Frozen peas, 350g
- Fresh mint leaves, 25g
- Garlic, 10g, finely chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil, 100ml
- Lemon juice, 5 tablespoons
- Salt, to taste
- Ravida al Limone (or a lemon-flavoured olive oil)
Trim and blanch the sugar snap peas and asparagus. Cut the asparagus into small pieces. Leave the sugar snaps whole.
For the crushed peas: blanch the peas in boiling salted water until al dente. Cool in iced water. Drain.
Meanwhile saute the garlic in a little olive oil until aromatic, being careful not to let it burn.
Blend the peas, mint and garlic in a food processor or blender, gradually adding the olive oil and lemon juice as you blend.
The peas should be crushed but not pureed. Add salt to taste.
Heat a char-grill plate, lightly spray the haloumi with olive oil and grill on both sides.
To plate: spread the pea smash on the bottom of a serving platter.
Mix all other ingredients except halloumi and sunflower seeds with salt and lemon vinaigrette, made by mixing together 2 tablespoons each extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
Serve topped with toasted sunflower seeds and grilled halloumi. Finish with Ravida al Limone.
Disclaimer: my son Linden Pride and his partner, Nathalie Hudson, run Dante which makes me one very proud mum.