Jess says: “I would like to have an origin story set in the French countryside, or a medieval town outside of Tuscany with an ancient little grandmother who spoke no English who taught me everything she knew. I would have liked to have grown up spending summers by the shore somewhere in Spain, drinking fine wine since I could hold a stemmed glass. Even somewhere along the California coast would do, where fish jumped out of the sea into my lap, where I would run through my orchard and fill my baskets with lemons every morning. But that’s not how I grew up, nor is it how many of us really live. The most beautiful heirloom produce from the farmers’ market is special and a luxury for when we have the time and access to that, which is not all the time. This is a salad I grew up eating. My mom made it in the summers with Italian dressing out of the bottle and diced raw peppers while I popped black olives onto my fingers and picked basil on the back porch. Most things come from the grocery store or cans or jars, and that is okay. Bring it to a barbecue and everyone will be really, really happy, choosing it over that fancy dish right next to it every time.”

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 pints (560g) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 lemons
• 2 cups (60g) fresh parsley leaves
• 2 cups (60g) fresh basil leaves
• ¼ pound (115g) Genoa salami, thinly sliced and cut into matchsticks
• 2 ounces (55g) Calabrese salami (or spicy pepperoni), thinly sliced and halved
• 2 (10-ounce/280g) bags cheese tortellini
• 1 cup (225g) fresh bocconcini mozzarella, halved
• ¼ pound (115g) provolone cheese, thinly sliced and cut into matchsticks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup (55g) sliced pepperoncini peppers
• ½ cup (125g) chopped grilled artichokes in oil
• ⅓ cup (45g) sliced black olives
• ⅓ cup (45g) sliced green olives

Method

Get a big pot of salted water boiling.

Make the homemade Italian dressing: Grate 2 cloves garlic into a large bowl, add 2 teaspoons chopped oregano, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, the juice of 1⁄2 lemon, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and ¼ cup (60ml) oil and whisk to combine; you’ll toss everything else in here later.

Add 2 bags tortellini to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions (it’s usually about 3 minutes for fresh/refrigerated pasta). Drain and set aside to cool.

Cut 2 pints (560g) cherry tomatoes in half.

Once it’s cool, add the tortellini to the dressing, along with the tomatoes, 1 cup (225 g) bocconcini (cut in half), ¼ pound (115g) julienned provolone, ¼ pound (115g) julienned Genoa salami, 2 ounces thinly sliced and halved Calabrese salami, ½ cup (55g) sliced pepperoncini, ½ cup (125g) chopped grilled artichokes, ⅓ cup (45g) sliced black olives, and ⅓ cup (45g) sliced green olives. Zest 1 lemon into the bowl and toss everything to combine. If you’re serving right away, toss in 2 cups each of parsley and basil; if you’re not, wait—toss them in right before serving to keep them looking fresh and beautiful. Serve with lemon wedges.     

From Salad Freak: Recipes to Feed a Healthy Obsession by Jess Damuck (£21.99, Abrams), out now

Georgia says: “This is a plate of pure spring-like joy. I’ve thrown in almost every spring vegetable I can name here, so don’t worry if you’re missing something. I’d also declare it completely acceptable to make it any time of year you want. I’m a huge fan of frozen broad beans and peas and what they might lack in fresh flavour they make up for in convenience.”

Tip: Vegetarians, you can just use a veggie hard cheese for this or omit the cheese altogether. Vegans, leave off the ricotta and parmesan, it’s just the icing on the cake anyway. This is the perfect salad for picnics or lunchboxes.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 175g/6 oz/1 cup dried orzo
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• A bunch of spring onions, sliced, whites and greens separated
• 40g/1½ oz/⅓ cup pine kernels
• 125g/4½ oz/1 cup fresh or frozen broad beans (podded weight)
• 125g/4½ oz/1 cup fresh or frozen peas (podded weight)
• 125g/4½ oz/1 cup green beans, topped and cut into 2.5 cm/1in lengths
• 175g/6oz asparagus, tough ends discarded, cut into 2.5 cm/1in lengths
• 2 handfuls of mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 25g/1 oz basil leaves, roughly chopped
• Zest of 1 and juice of ½ lemon, plus extra zest to serve
• Salt and pepper

For the whipped ricotta: 

• 150g/5½oz/¾ cup ricotta
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 30g/1oz/⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Bring a large (because you’ll be cooking all the veg in it) pan of salted water to the boil and add the orzo. Cook according to the packet instructions until al dente, then scoop out into a sieve (keep the cooking water) and rinse briefly in cold water. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, stir through a tablespoon of oil to prevent it sticking and leave to cool further.

While the orzo is cooking, warm 3 tablespoons of oil in a wide frying pan and fry the spring onion whites and the pine kernels with a pinch of salt for 3–4 minutes until the onions are soft and the pine kernels are beginning to colour. Keep the heat very low while you cook the veg.

Return the orzo water to the boil (you may want to top up the pan with boiling water) and add the broad beans, peas, green beans and asparagus. Cook for 4–5 minutes (more if using frozen) until tender (best to test a green bean as they take the longest), then drain and immediately stir into the warm spring onion pan. Turn up the heat to medium and add half the herbs and the spring onion greens and keep cooking, stirring, for a minute or two to give the veg a chance to absorb the flavours.

Scrape the veg into the orzo bowl, stir in the remaining herbs, add the lemon zest and squeeze in the juice. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning. Put to one side for a moment. (You may want to add more lemon juice once it’s cooled a little.)

In a separate bowl, whip the ricotta with 2 tablespoons of water and the oil and keep whipping until it’s fluffy. Add the Parmesan and some seasoning and whip until combined.

Transfer the salad to plates and dollop over the whipped ricotta. Grate over some extra lemon zest just before serving.

From Let’s Do Lunch: Quick and easy recipes to brighten up your week by Georgia Levy (£16.99, Pavilion, HarperCollins Publishers), out now

“A lovely fresh-tasting, vibrant pasta lunch full of the colours of spring. If you don’t have a spiralizer, simply grate the courgette instead. Making pesto from scratch is so worth it – leftovers can be used for dinner.”

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

• 100g fusilli pasta
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 75g podded fresh or frozen peas
• a small handful of mangetout, trimmed
• ½ courgette, trimmed
• a small handful of rocket
• 50g pistachio nuts
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped mint leaves
• ½ small garlic clove, crushed
• freshly squeezed juice of 1⁄2 lemon
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a 1-litre/34-fl oz mason jar with a lid

Method

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet until al dente. Drain well and immediately refresh under cold water. Drain again and dry well. Combine with a little of the olive oil.

Blanch the peas in lightly salted, boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and refresh under cold water and drain again. Shake dry.

Thinly shred the mangetout and use a spiralizer (or grater) to spiralize or shred the courgette.

Place the rocket, pistachio nuts, mint leaves, garlic, salt and pepper and half the remaining olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Combine the remaining oil with the lemon juice and season to taste.

Arrange the pasta, vegetables and half the pesto in layers in the mason jar. Pour in the lemon dressing, cover the top with a round of baking parchment and seal the jar. Chill in the refrigerator until required.

Tip
This recipe makes twice the quantity of pesto needed, so use half and store the remaining half in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

From Lunch to Go (£14.99, Ryland Peters & Small), out now