This time of the year is such a gratifying time to cook, full of verdant life as the seasons shift firmly away from stark and subdued to lively and energetic.

If the arrival of asparagus at the end of April marks the beginning of this change, then peas and broad beans signify a gear shift towards even brighter times, with summer – hopefully – just around the corner.

At my London restaurants Salon and Levan, we are heavily guided by the seasons and look forward to the arrival of the first boxes of peas; pearls of emerald sweetness, encased in a crisp, juicy shell. When they’re really fresh it’s almost impossible to resist eating them immediately, although such behaviour will slow down your mise en place considerably if, like me, you eat two for every five that are podded.

Broad beans, meanwhile, come across like the pea’s older brother; bigger, tougher and, well, broader. They can be more hit and miss in the early season, but when they’re ripe, nothing can compare to their subtle, earthy minerality – one of the defining flavours of early summer.

I’m a big fan of the mantra “what grows together, goes together”, but occasionally we have been known to bend the rules slightly. Now and again we happily look farther afield when it comes to pairing ingredients and flavours as we continually develop our ever-evolving menus.

When working on a recipe with my former head chef at Salon, Mr Paolo Lancini, we combined peas and broad beans with creamy burrata and a hit of citrus juice – so far, so simple – but the dish was lacking some excitement. “Fusion” has become a bit of a dirty word in culinary circles over the last decade or so, but the addition of kafir lime combined perfectly with the natural sugars of the peas and beans and lactic tang of the cheese. It was Mr Lancini’s suggestion, not mine! I often wonder if there’s another Italian chef out there who would so readily bastardise his native cuisine…

Mr Lancini has now moved back to his home town but I’m sure the two events aren’t connected. I do wonder if his pairing of peas and broad beans with kaffir would be as well received in Liguria? I doubt it.

• 100ml neutral oil such as rapeseed or vegetable oil
• 10 kaffir lime leaves (available in Asian supermarkets)
• 500g fresh peas in the pod
• 500g fresh broad beans in the pod
• 30ml olive oil
• Sea salt
• One lime
• A handful of radishes, washed and thinly sliced
• A handful of pea shoots (alternatively, use baby watercress)
• One burrata (or mozzarella)
• Pepper

First, make the kaffir lime oil. In a small sauce pan, gently warm the neutral oil with six of the kaffir lime leaves over a very low heat. It should barely shimmer. Remove from the heat and allow to infuse in a warm place for at least an hour, or overnight. Blend in a food processor for two minutes on full speed, then pass through a fine sieve.

Next, pod the peas and broad beans. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Boil the broad beans for two minutes and immediately refresh in ice water. Boil the peas for one minute and immediately refresh in ice water. Remove the outer shell of the broad beans by pinching the skin with your nails to reveal the bright-green inner part. This might seem laborious, but the end result is worth it.

Slice the remaining four kaffir lime leaves as finely as you possibly can. Dress the peas and broad beans with olive oil, salt, and the zest and juice of the lime. Gently toss together with the radishes and pea shoots.

Season the burrata with more salt and pepper and spoon the peas and broad beans on top along with the leaves. Finish with a drizzle of the kaffir lime oil and very finely shredded kaffir lime leaves.

Serve immediately.