VIGNAROLA: ROMAN SPRING RATATOUILLE

Recipe by Fulvio Pierangelini, Creative Director of Food - Hotel de Russie, Rome

Ingredients:

1kg fresh beans

1kg fresh peas

4 violet artichokes

4 cherry tomatoes

1 Romaine lettuce

2 fresh spring onions

50g butter

6 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Basil

Mint

Thyme

Preparation:

1)     Peel the peas and broad beans, blanching the beans for a couple of seconds to make removing the second skin easier.

2)     Clean the artichokes well, then cut them into four wedges and place them in water with a little lemon juice. This prevents the enzymatic reaction that causes browning.

3)     Split the lettuce into leaves, wash it well and by hand, tear the leaves into pieces of more or less the same size.

4)     For the pea cream, boil two thirds of the peas for 5 minutes. Drain them, and blend them in a mixer with two mint leaves and one basil leaf. When the mixture is smooth, whip it well with oil and butter. Cover this with film to prevent a crust from forming.

5)     In a pan, lightly fry chopped spring onion together with a sprig of thyme. Add the artichoke wedges, then in succession, the remaining peas, the beans, the chopped tomatoes, the salad and leave for a few minutes.

6)     Season with hand-cut basil and turn off the heat.

Plating:

1)     Serve on a hot plate with pea cream at the base, the vignarola on top; garnish if necessary with pea sprouts. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.