adapted from Julius Roberts’ The Farm Table

Blanch the fava beans in a pot of water.
Pour the olive oil into a wide pan, add the onion and garlic, season well with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes or so, being careful not to color the garlic, until the onion is sweet and tender. Add the asparagus with a little splash of wine. Keep stirring and cooking for a few minutes, until the asparagus is nearly tender, then add the peas. Season as you go and add a splash of wine here and there to keep the pan juicy.
The peas won't take long, so keep trying until they're ready. At this point, add the lettuce - you want it to gently collapse but still retain a nice crunch. Turn the heat off just before the lettuce is ready, as the residual heat will continue to cook things further.
Add the fava beans and most of the herbs (holding some back for serving). Grate in the zest of one lemon, stir, then have a taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Put the ricotta into a bowl and whisk well until it becomes light and fluffy. Grate in the zest of the second lemon, add a pinch of salt and the juice of half a lemon. Whisk to combine, then taste to check the seasoning.
Spoon a bit of the ricotta on to each plate and spread it slightly, then top with the warm vegetables and finish with a drizzle of olive oil, some more herbs and a squeeze of lemon.
Serve with toast, fish, or lamb, or use in an omelet.

1 lbs fava beans, shelled to yield about 10½ oz

5 tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

10-12 stalks asparagus, tips left whole, woody ends removed and stalks cut into chunky rounds a bottle of white wine (you won't need all of it)

1 cup frozen peas

1 head of gem lettuce, roughly chopped

1 bunch fresh mint and basil, finely chopped

2 unwaxed lemons

10½ oz ricotta

Preheat the oven to 350F. Fill cupcake tins with liners.
In a large bowl, mix sugars, oil, and eggs. Add in carrot, pineapple and raisins and mix until combined.
In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients until well blended. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just blended. Do not over-mix.
Divide your batter between your muffin tins and bake for 15-18 minutes in the center of the oven. Test with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cupcakes have finished baking.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack.
For the Icing:
As your cupcakes cool, mix your icing in a large bowl with an electric mixer. If your butter hasn’t fully softened, whip it first alone to avoid chunks.
Mix in cream cheese and lemon juice on medium speed until softened and creamy. Add your sugar and mix on low so that you don’t have a puff of sugar fly up in your face.
Ice to your liking. You can simply use a rubber spatula and swirl the icing around or get a little fancier with a pastry bag and even marzipan baby carrots to top if you’re feeling crafty. Either way, these taste delicious. Refrigerate overnight.

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

¾ cup melted butter

3 eggs

1 packed cup grated carrot

¼ cup crushed pineapple, drained

½ cup golden raisins

1 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon Garam Masala, plus extra for dusting

For Icing:

6 tablespoons salted butter, softened

10 oz. cream cheese softened

Juice of ½ lemon

2 cups powdered sugar