Spring Recipe: Radicchio, Carlin Peas, Blood Orange & Manchego Salad

The new Kew Gardens Salad Book is quietly vegetarian. But you’ll barely notice – Jenny Linford has packed it full of fresh ideas and zesty recipes to liven up any summertime supper. Here’s one of our favourite recipes from the book: a fresh, colourful radicchio salad that’s perfect for warmer days.

Recipe: Radicchio, Carlin Peas, Blood Orange & Manchego Salad

Fragrant blood oranges and bitter radicchio leaves are combined here with nutty-tasting carlin peas and salty Manchego cheese to excellent effect. Carlin peas, also known as black peas or maple peas, are a traditional but now littleknown British pulse grown and championed by innovative British bean suppliers Hodmedod’s. 

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 2 blood oranges
• 150g cooked carlin peas, rinsed if jarred or canned
• 8 radicchio leaves, roughly torn
• 50g vegetarian Manchego cheese, shaved or finely sliced 

For the dressing: 

• Juice of ½ blood orange, grated or zested 
• Skin of 1 blood orange
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Grate or zest one of the blood oranges. Slice this orange in half and squeeze the juice from one half.
2. Peel the remaining one-and-a-half blood oranges. Cut them into slices, then into chunks, removing any pith. Set aside.
3. Make the dressing. Place the blood orange juice and zest in a jar. Add the olive oil, garlic and mustard. Put the lid on the jar and shake well until combined. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. In a bowl, toss the carlin peas with the dressing and set aside.
4. Place the radicchio in a serving bowl. Add the carlin peas together with the dressing and toss well. Add in the blood orange chunks and lightly toss. Scatter over the Manchego cheese and serve. 

The Kew Gardens Salad Book is out 15 May, £22, shop.kew.org