Spring Greens, Wild Garlic Pesto Spaghetti + Peanut Salsa

I’ve gone full green with this one. Freshly picked wild garlic gives the pesto a proper punch, and the Peanut Salsa brings everything to life with a little heat and lots of depth. If you can’t get your hands on wild garlic, don’t panic — just use all basil and add a small clove of garlic. Still delicious, still full of zing.

Serves: 2 | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Total Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

For the pesto (makes 390g):

• 70g wild garlic leaves
• 60g fresh basil
• 70ml extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 100g Grana Padano, grated
• 50g nuts or seeds (pumpkin seeds work well – soak in boiling water for 5 mins to soften)
• Salt and pepper

For the greens + pasta:

• 1.5 medium courgettes, thinly sliced with a mandoline
• A handful of broccoli spears, blanched for 1 min
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp Peanut Salsa (for serving)
• Extra cheese for grating
• 160g spaghetti (or pasta of choice)

Method

1. Make the pesto: Add all pesto ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Set aside.
2. Fry the courgettes: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium to high heat. Add a layer of courgette slices, season with salt and pepper, and fry until golden on both sides. Set aside and repeat with remaining courgettes.
3. Cook the pasta: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until 3 minutes before the packet says it's done. Reserve a mugful of pasta water before draining.
4. Bring it all together: In a large pan, combine the drained pasta with 2 large spoonfuls of pesto, a splash of pasta water, a good grating of cheese, half the courgettes and all the broccoli. Stir everything over medium heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen.
5. Serve: Divide between two plates, top with the remaining courgettes, an extra grating of cheese, and a spoonful of Peanut Salsa each.