Fried artichoke, anchovy and ricotta salad makes for a delicious light starter to a summer supper. Philippa Davis recommends serving this piled high on the plate, topped with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan.

Salads may not seem macho enough for the guns’ lunch, but get it right and they’ll go down as well as a stew or a pie. Read The Field’s 7 best salads for shooting lunches for some inspiration ahead of the start of the season.

FRIED ARTICHOKE, ANCHOVY AND RICOTTA SALAD

The dressing for this salad uses the oil and juices from cooking the artichoke, which makes it extra delicious and interesting.

Serves 2

• 4 globe artichokes
• Juice from half a lemon (use the other half for artichoke prep)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 100ml white wine
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 6 tbsp finely chopped basil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
• A pinch of chilli flakes
• 3 anchovies, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan plus 2 tbsp of shavings
• 125g ricotta
• Salt and pepper to season
• 2 handfuls of salad leaves
• 80g sugar snap peas, sliced

To prep the artichokes: slice off the tough outer leaves and trim the top. Spoon out the choke and peel the stem down to get rid of the tough outer layer. You’ll be left with a “champagne coupe”. Place in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon while you prep the rest. Then, place all four stem up in a small saucepan, add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the wine and season. Cook on a medium heat with a lid on for about 10 minutes. The artichokes should be soft and most of the liquid evaporated.

Remove the lid and add the garlic, herbs, chilli flakes and anchovies. Fry so the bottoms of the artichokes are just golden then remove from the heat. Add the final tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.
In a bowl, mix the grated Parmesan with the ricotta and season with salt and pepper.

To serve: carefully scrape the contents of the pan and the artichoke into a bowl. Add the salad leaves and peas and toss. Pile onto a plate and dot around spoonfuls of the ricotta. Top with Parmesan shavings and serve.