Serves 4

No asparagus in this one, but it’s packed full of beautiful spring flavours.

300ml olive oil
100ml white wine vinegar
1 sprig fresh thyme
3-4 sprigs fresh basil
25 coriander seeds
5 star anise
Freshly ground salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, cut in half
100g pancetta, finely chopped
250g shelled baby peas
250g shelled baby broad beans
8 baby courgettes
1 sprig mint, to garnish

1 Whisk the oil, vinegar, herbs, seasonings and garlic together in a small pan. Warm through but don’t boil. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, cover and leave for 12 hours for the flavours to infuse. Strain through a sieve and discard the herbs, seasoning and garlic.

2 Place the pancetta in a cast-iron or heavy-based pan and cook slowly until dry and crisp. Remove from the pan and allow to drain on paper towel.

3 Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the peas, beans and courgettes for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat,
drain and refresh in ice-cold water. This will help the vegetables keep their lovely green colour.

4 Transfer to a serving dish. Whisk the dressing and pour over the vegetables. Scatter over the pancetta, garnish with the mint and serve immediately.

Times Recommends

• How to season a wok
• Chicago Rib Shack hits back at its critics
• Gordon Ramsay: Indian barbecue