Spelt is just another type of wheat and it’s easier to digest and better for you than regular wheat. It’s used to make flour, but you can also buy packets of pre-cooked wholegrain spelt in supermarkets and it’s a great ingredient to have on hand for a quick salad like this one. The little grains have a nice firm texture and a slightly sweet flavour that goes beautifully with the pesto. The blue cheese makes the perfect finishing touch. Love it.
Ingredients
- 100 g peas (frozen or fresh)
- 250 g ready-cooked spelt
- handful of fresh mint leaves
- 100 g salad leaves, such as rocket and watercress, or a bag of mixed leaves
- 100 g Gorgonzola, Dolcelatte or other blue cheese, roughly cubed (optional)
- salt and black pepper
Pesto
- 50 g fresh basil leaves
- 25 g pine nuts
- 40 g Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
How to Make It
- First make the pesto, by blitzing all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the peas in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain them and set aside.
- Put half the pesto in a mixing bowl and add the spelt, peas and mint leaves and mix. Gently stir in the salad leaves and crumble over the blue cheese, if using. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over more olive oil and lemon juice if you like. You could also add more of the pesto, or save it for another dish.