Pea Pesto, Chicken and Asparagus Pizza

After a long day at work, we started home only to realise we had nothing planned for tea. We felt like being creative and after a quick turn around the food hall we were armed with fresh, extra fine British asparagus (it's asparagus time again!) and a bunch of fragrant basil leaves, remembering that we had some fresh garden peas in the fridge at home. After a brief bouncing around of ideas, this pizza was created in our minds. The result was fresh and delicious.

Pea Pesto, Chicken and Asparagus Pizza

Makes 2 pizzas

Ingredients

For the pesto
200 g fresh (or frozen and defrosted) peas  
1 garlic clove, peeled
25 g basil leaves
50 g cashew nuts, lightly toasted
50 g cheddar cheese, grated
125 ml olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

For the pizza dough
125 g strong white bread flour
125 g plain flour
3 g fast action yeast
5 g salt
1 tbsp olive oil
approx 150 ml water

Toppings
asparagus spears, blanched
cooked chicken
a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar, grated
freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Begin by making the pizza dough. Mix all of the dry ingredients together and then add the oil and water. Combine to form a ball of dough and knead for 5-10 minutes to work the gluten until you have a nice smooth consistency. Leave to prove in an oiled bowl for around an hour or until doubled in size.

2. Whilst the dough is proving, prepare the pesto. Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blitz into a fine paste. Add more olive oil if the mixture is too thick. Season to taste. This pesto will store for a few days in the fridge - cover with olive oil to prevent it from browning.

3. When you are ready to cook, preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius (fan oven). To assemble the pizza first knock the dough back to expel any air. Cut the dough into two and roll each one out into a thin rectangle/round/whatever you fancy. Spread liberally with a dollop of pesto and sprinkle with grated cheese and your toppings as you see fit. Season with pepper and olive oil and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Serve with salad and savour the vibrant flavours of the season.

 

Pan Fried Duck Breast with a Green Bean and New Potato Salad

It's started to get a bit warmer now (finally!) and with that comes the salad season where a delightful salad will suffice without needing to delve into heavier foods to keep warm throughout the winter. We came by some succulent duck breasts and we wanted to keep it simple without over complicating the dish. What better way to serve a duck breast than to pan fry it, ensuring a perfectly crisp skin and blushing pink centre? We were very loosely inspired by salad niçoise, which eventually turned into something nothing like the inspirational dish at all... anyhow this is what we ended up with and it was delicious.

Pan Fried Duck Breast with a Green Bean and New Potato Salad 

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 small duck breasts, skin on
10 small new potatoes
a handful of green beans
2 eggs
a good bunch of mixed salad leaves
butter
salt and pepper


Method

1. Boil or steam the potatoes until tender and hard boil your eggs (approx 7 minutes). Drain and cool the eggs under cold water and peel the shell off. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile score the skin of the duck breasts and season with salt and pepper. Place them skin side down into a cold frying pan (see Note). Turn the heat on. Cook the breast most of the time on the skin side and flip to seal the other side and cook to your preference. We cooked ours to medium-rare, blushing pink in the centre (roughly 7-8 minutes - this obviously depends on the size of your duck breasts. It is a bit like cooking a steak and feeling for when they are ready - have some confidence and get in touch with your food - never rely on timings from anyone! Prod, touch, poke - just get to know how to gauge your cooking times). Remove from the pan and set aside to rest.

3. Whilst the breasts are resting, boil some beans for about 4-5 minutes to ensure they don't squeak when you eat them! In the same pan you used for the duck breasts melt a knob of butter and pour in the drained beans and potatoes, season with a little salt and pepper to taste and toss to dress them.

4. Dress your plates with a nice bed of your favourite salad leaves and decorate with your beans and potatoes. Slice your breasts into diagonal slices and cut your eggs into wedges. Place on top of your salad as you desire and drizzle with the juices from the frying pan or a little olive oil if that takes your fancy.

Enjoy!

Note: Bringing the pan up from cold is important to ensure the fat is rendered from underneath the skin, making it perfectly crispy. If you place your duck into a searingly hot pan, it crisps the skin without rendering any of the fat which can be unpleasant when you have a thick white layer of fat under the skin when served.