Madeleine Shaw’s summer pitta recipe is our new go-to WFH lunch

Adding fruit to a savoury dish gives any meal a summer-twist (watermelon and feta salad, anyone?) and the combination of cherries with pesto, courgette and tomato in this recipe, dreamed up by nutritional therapist and chef Madeleine Shaw is a dream to behold.

"Not only do cherries taste great, I’d say they are one of the secret superfruits for women that are bursting with so many health benefits,” says Madeleine. Cherries contain anti-inflammatory properties which can help reduce post-workout muscle damage, potassium to help support energy levels during pregnancy and polyphenol to help fight brain fog making them magnificent for aiding peri and menopausal symptoms.

Flatbreads with a pesto base, cherry tomatoes, courgette, cherries roasted in the oven topped with feta and rocket

Serves 1

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp of olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

100g of cherry tomatoes

1 cup of fresh cherries, halved

½ courgette finely sliced

1 flatbread

Pesto:

50g of basil

20g of cashews

75ml of olive oil

½ lemon

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp of nutritional yeast

1 large pinch of salt

Toppings:

1 handful of rocket

30g of feta (or vegan feta alternative)

Method

1. Before cooking, preheat the oven to 200°c. Then place the cherry tomatoes and finely sliced courgette onto a roasting tray. Drizzle the tomatoes and courgette with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then roast for 20 minutes.

2. Whilst the vegetables are roasting, pour all the pesto ingredients into a blender and blitz this mixture for 30 seconds. Then place the flat bread on a roasting tray and evenly spread over 2 tbsp of the pesto mixture.

3. Add the roasted vegetables on top of the flatbread along with the cherries, scattered out evenly. Season with salt and pepper, then continue to roast everything for a further 5 minutes in the oven until golden.

4. Sprinkle on the feta and rocket on top of the flatbread, and serve.

Madeleine is working with Love Fresh Cherries. Love Fresh Cherries is the UK’s national cherry association, promoting the latest cherry recipes, health updates and news. Put the fresh, tasty goodness in with cherries, available from all major retailers.