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Posts Tagged ‘Salad’

Haloumi & Lentil salad

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 24 June 2014| Leave a Comment »

Haloumi & Lentil salad

This is a super simple dish that has a great balance and play between textures and flavours – salty halloumi, earthy lentils and sweet, juicy tomatoes.

Warm Puy lentil, cherry tomato and halloumi salad – serves 4

  • 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ red onion, finely sliced
  • ½ garlic clove, crushed
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 150g Puy lentils
  • 250g halloumi, cut into big chunks
  • small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

Toss the tomatoes, red onions, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl.

Cook the Puy lentils until just tender, then drain and add to the bowl. Season well and toss.

Grill or barbecue the halloumi until golden.

Stir the coriander through the lentils and serve with the grilled halloumi.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, May 2008.)

 

 

 

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Marinated Pepper Salad with Pecorino

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 15 May 2014| Leave a Comment »

Marinated Pepper Salad with Pecorino & Capers

This salad is really versatile and can be served on it’s own as a starter, with a good variety of barbecued meats like the sirloin steak we had here or grilled mushrooms. It has a great balance of earthiness, sweetness and a salty freshness from the peppers and capers which match the pecorino cheese really well.

Marinated Pepper Salad with Pecorino – serves 2 as a starter or more as a side

  • 1 red pepper, quartered
  • 1 yellow pepper, quartered
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • ½ tsp muscovado sugar
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 10g flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
  • 15g basil leaves
  • 30g watercress
  • 50g mature pecorino shaved
  • 1 tbsp capers, drained

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas Mark 5.

Toss the peppers with 1 tbsp of the oil and a little salt. Scatter in a roasting tin and roast for 35 minutes, or until soft and starting to colour. Remove to a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to cool, then peel and cut into thick strips.

Whisk together the marinade ingredients: 2 tbsp of the oil, the balsamic vinegar, water, sugar, thyme, garlic, and some salt and pepper. Pour this over the peppers and leave aside for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.

When ready to serve, toss the herbs, watercress, drained peppers, pecorino and capers together. Add the last tbsp of olive oil and 1tbsp of the marinade. Season to taste.

(Original recipe from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2010.)

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Tomato Salad with a Basil Cream Dressing

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 3 August 2013| Leave a Comment »

This salad is a twist on the classic  tomatoes with basil. The creamy dressing works surprisingly well and gives the salad a cool and luxurious feel.

Tomato Salad with a Basil Cream Dressing – serves 2

  • 1½ tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp warm water
  • 75ml whipping cream
  • 50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus some extra
  • pinch of sugar
  • 7-8 basil leaves, torn or chopped
  • 4 ripe, medium tomatoes, cored and sliced

In a mixing bowl, whisk the wine vinegar, water and some salt and pepper.

Whisk in the cream, olive oil and sugar ,then stir in the basil.

Arrange the tomatoes on a large plate, very lightly season and spoon over the dressing. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil.

(Original recipe from Simon Hopkinson’s The Vegetarian Option, Quadrille 2009.)

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Summer Chickpea & Tomato Salad

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 29 July 2013| 2 Comments »

We’ve eaten this as a side salad, and on it’s own with crusty bread –  a summery meal in its own right! As always the quality of the tomatoes will really make this dish sing.

You should assemble most of this dish a bit in advance to allow the flavours to develop, then add the herbs and feta cheese just before serving.

Wine Suggestion: Try to find a youthful Italian red that echo’s the sunshine of this dish. We drank a Dolcetto d’Alba from Pira Luigi that had a joy and vitality, but reds from the Marche, Abruzzo and other central Italian regions should be a delight too. If you’re pushing the boat out go for a Rosso di Montalcino.

Summer Chickpea Salad – to serve 4

  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 1-2 small red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
  • 2 handfuls of ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 2 lemons
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 x 410g tin of chickpeas, drained
  • a handful of fresh mint, chopped
  • a handful of  basil, finely torn
  • 200g feta cheese

Mix the tomatoes (including any juice) with the onion and chillies in a large bowl. Dress with the juice of 1½ lemons and lots of good olive oil. Season to taste.

Heat the chickpeas in a pan, then add almost all of them to the bowl. Mush up the remaining chickpeas before adding them as well. Allow to marinate for a while at room temperature.

Add the herbs and check the seasoning just before serving – you can add a bit more lemon juice if necessary. Put the salad in a serving dish and crumble the feta cheese over the top.

(Original recipe from Jamie’s Dinners by Jamie Oliver, Penguin Books, 2004.)

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Nigel’s Five-spice Chicken and Pea Shoot Salad

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , , on 10 June 2013| 3 Comments »

A really quick and tasty dish from Nigel Slater to add a bit of excitement to a pack of chicken thighs.

Five-spice Chicken and Pea Shoot Salad – to serve 2

For the salad: 

  • A few handfuls of young salad leaves

For the chicken: 

  • 40g fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 small red chilli, finely sliced
  • 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp groundnut or other flavourless oil
  • 400g diced raw chicken meat (we used thighs)
  • ½ tsp caster sugar
  • juice of a lime

Stir the ginger, chilli and 5-spice powder together in a large bowl. Crush in the garlic, pour in the oil, and mix well. Add the chicken and toss together.

Heat a wok to very hot. Add the chicken and dressing and fry over a high heat for 6-7 minutes or until cooked through (put a lid on to ensure the chicken cooks through). Add the sugar, stir-fry for another minute, then add the lime juice and a generous amount of salt.

Add the salad leaves to the wok, and toss for a few seconds, or until starting to wilt, then tip everything out onto plates.

Nigel suggests scattering with sprouting seeds or cress before serving (we didn’t have any).

Wine Suggestion: To balance the 5-spice but not overwhelm the flavours, we’d suggest a New World Pinot Noir from a good area, like California or Oregon. You’ll get lots of juicy fruit and a wine that’s not too heavy for this light dish.

(Original recipe from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries II, Fourth Estate, 2012.)

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Lebanese Giant Couscous & Chickpea Salad

Posted in Food, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 11 February 2013| 1 Comment »

One of those dishes that was even better than expected.We served this with lamb chops with seven spices but it would make a nice mezze dish or a side for any grilled fish or meat.

Giant Couscous & Chickpea Salad – to serve between 4 & 6

  • 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 120g giant couscous
  • 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 3 tbsp chopped coriander
  • 3 tbsp chopped parsley
  • juice of ½ a lemon

Heat the oven to 200ºC/Fan 180ºC/Gas 6.

Put the tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes or until soft.

Pour the vegetable stock into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the couscous and simmer for about 10 minutes or until tender (check it as it may not take the full 10 minutes). Strain, tip into a bowl and add the chickpeas.

Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in the spices and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and stir the spiced onion into the couscous and chickpea mixture.

Add the coriander, parsley, and roasted tomatoes, and season well with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

(Original recipe from The Lebanese Kitchen by Salma Hage, Phaidon, 2012.)

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Sausage Salad

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , on 22 January 2013| Leave a Comment »

We wouldn’t normally think of putting sausages in our salad but this worked surprisingly well.

Sausage Salad – to serve 4

  • 1 tbsp olive oil 
  • 400g good-quality sausages, snipped with scissors into bite-size chunks
  • 1 red onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 heaped tbsp grainy mustard
  • 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
  • 16 cherry tomatoes
  • 2 little gem lettuces
  • 1 large avocado
  • ¼ cucumber
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. Add the sausages and onion and fry for a couple of minutes or until browned.

Add the mustard, sugar and tomatoes and cook for another few minutes or until the tomatoes are starting to split and everything is well coated.

Meanwhile, separate the lettuce leaves, slice the avocado and the cucumber. Toss together in a salad bowl. Spoon the hot sausages over the top.

Add the vinegar and 1 tbsp water to the hot pan and stir over the heat, scraping all the sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Spoon the pan juices over the salad and serve with some crusty bread.

Wine Suggestion: This is definitely a week-night dish so no need to blow the budget on the wine. A red Côtes du Rhône or a Languedoc would do nicely.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Crushed Olive Salad

Posted in Food, Italian, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 3 December 2012| 2 Comments »

Green Olive Salad

We can’t encourage you enough to try this salad. The list of ingredients is not instantly inspiring but the result is fabulous!

You will have far too much dressing left over but it will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months and can be used on any salad (it will separate but just give it a good shake each time before serving).

Crushed olive salad – Insalata di olive verdi schiacciate – to serve 4-6

  • 450g good quality green olives in brine
  • 6 celery stalks, with leaves, all finely chopped
  • the leaves from 10-12 stalks of mint, finely chopped
  • 40ml dressing (see below)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE DRESSING (makes approx. 375ml): 

  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 300ml extra virgin olive oil

First make the dressing:

Put the salt into a bowl, then add the vinegars and leave aside for a minute or two to allow the salt to dissolve. Whisk in the olive oil and 2 tbsp of water until it emulsifies. Pour into a clean bottle and keep in the fridge (it should last for about 6 months); it will separate but just give the bottle a good shake before serving.

Drain the olives and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut the flesh away from the stone (try slicing 3-4 times from end to end then carefully cutting away each segment). Put the olive pieces into a bowl and add the celery, celery leaves, and mint. Toss with 40ml of the dressing, season and serve.

(Original recipe from Georgio Locatelli’s Made In Sicily, Fourth Estate, 2011.)

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Irish Buffalo Mozzarella Salad

Posted in Cheese, Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 4 July 2012| 1 Comment »

Some industrious fellow has imported real live Water Buffalos and is making proper Irish Buffalo mozzarella in Macroom. Well done him! This stuff is truly delicious and deserves to be the star of the show so we suggest serving it generously with some complementary bits (instead of putting it on a pizza!). Here’s what we tried first and we’ll defo be back for more. If you’re in Dublin you can pick some up in Fallon & Byrne on Exchequer Street or at any Real Olive Company stall at your local market.

Real Live Irish Buffalo Mozzarella Salad (with beetroot, capers & tomatoes) – to serve 4

  • 4 balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella (don’t substitute the cheaper cows milk stuff for this recipe)
  • 4 medium-sized beetroot
  • 4 ripe plum tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and drained
  • 1tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp top-quality extra virgin olive oil
  • handful of torn basil leaves
Cook the beetroot in boiling water for about an hour or until tender (the cooking time will vary slightly with different beetroot sizes so best to cook them earlier in the day and leave to cool). Peel and cut into chunky slices. Slice the tomatoes into chunky slices too.
Make a dressing with the vinegar and olive oil and pour into a bowl. Add the beetroot, tomatoes and capers, season well and toss gently.
Serve the salad with the mozzarella and scatter over the basil leaves.
Drink with: a northern Italian red. Try Dolcetto for freshness, Barbera for a bit of earthiness or Teroldego for freshness and gentle pepper spices.

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Beautiful Bean and Bacon Salad

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , on 12 June 2012| Leave a Comment »

This simple salad makes a tasty main meal.

Bean, Bacon & Spinach Salad – to serve 4

  • 12 rashers streaky bacon
  • 4 tbsp Sherry vinegar
  • few handfuls of roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and sliced
  • 2 cans of borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
  • bag of baby spinach leaves

Heat a large frying pan and fry the bacon, without adding any extra oil, until brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. If there is a lot of fat pour some off but leave a tablespoon or so. Tear the bacon into bite-size pieces.

Add the Sherry vinegar to the pan and let it bubble for a few seconds. scraping any crispy bits form the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the beans and peppers and season, then stir gently until heated through. Take off the heat and stir through the spinach and bacon.

Drink with: a nice dry but fruity rosé from Provence or a rosé made from Syrah from the northern Rhône.

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Panzanella

Posted in Food, Healthy, Italian, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 31 May 2012| 2 Comments »

A delicious Tuscan salad which is usually made with stale bread – we think the bread in Tuscany may contain less preservative as our bread rarely gets a chance to go stale. This version uses baked croutons for a similar effect. Make sure you leave the salad for about 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to mingle.

Panzanella – to serve 6

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 large mild red chilli
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • pinch of sugar
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 600g ripe tomatoes
  • 1 red pepper
  • ½ large cucumber
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • ½ red onion
  • 4 thick slices from a country-style loaf
  • a small bunch of basil

Crush the garlic with a little bit of salt in a mortar, then deseed and chop up the chilli and crush with the salt and garlic until you have a coarse paste.

Add the vinegar and sugar and mix then tip into a large salad bowl. Add the olive oil and beat together.

Chop the rest of the salad ingredients into bite-size chunks or slices.

Tear the bread into small chunks and bake in a moderate oven until golden and crispy, then add the salad bowl.

Tear over the basil and add to the bowl with a bit of salt and pepper, then toss lightly and leave to stand for about 30 minutes. Toss again before serving.

Wine Suggestion: Wines from a region tend to complement the foods from that region (kind of like a chicken and egg thing). A glass of straightforward Chianti will have the right sort of acidity and rusticity to complement this perfectly.

(Original recipe by Alastair Hendry in Olive, June 2010.)

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Steak, Beetroot and Asparagus Salad

Posted in Beef, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 10 May 2012| 1 Comment »

Who says you can’t eat steak on a diet? This is a delicious midweek salad which is low fat and less than 300 calories. Perfect for a sunny evening (here’s hoping we see one soon!).

Steak, beetroot and asparagus salad – to serve 2

  • 250g rump steak, all fat removed
  • 6 asparagus spears
  • 50g wild rocket
  • 4 small cooked beetroot, cut into wedges

DRESSING:

  • 1 tbsp horseradish cream
  • 2 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zested

Season the meat well. You can cook it either in a non-stick frying pan for about 3-4 mintues each side (depending on how thick it is) or cook it on a barbecue as we did for even more favour. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly.

Blanch or barbecue the asparagus spears.

Whisk the horseradish, crème fraîche and lemon juice together and season.

Assemble the plates with the beef slices, asparagus, rocket and beetroot and spoon over the dressing. Sprinkle the lemon zest over to serve.

Wine Suggestion: A a nice, young, uncomplicated Syrah from the northern Rhône went really well here. We had Pierre Gaillard’s Syrah 2011 (just arrived at Mitchell & Son) which was delicious.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Salata Horiatiki (aka Greek salad)

Posted in Food, Greek, tagged , , , , on 24 April 2012| 3 Comments »

We hadn’t thought of using Pernod or ouzo in a salad until Rick Stein inspired us in his Mediterranean Escapes book. Good enough to make twice in two weeks.

Salata Horiatiki (Greek salad with tomato, cucumber, olives, dill and feta cheese) – to serve 4

  • 450g ripe, red, tasty tomatoes
  • ½ cucumber
  • 1 red onion
  • 200g Greek feta cheese
  • 4½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a bit extra to serve
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp ouzo or Pernod
  • 2 tbsp chopped dill
  • 20 small black olives
  • Large pinch of dried oregano
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Crusty fresh bread, to serve

Cut the tomatoes into chunks, and cut the cucumber in half lengthways and then across into thick slices. Very thinly slice the red onion. Crumble the feta cheese into small chunks.

Put the olive oil, ½ tsp salt, the red wine vinegar, ouzo and some black pepper into a large salad bowl and whisk. Add the tomatoes, cucumber and onions and toss gently. Add the feta, dill and olives and mix briefly, then divide onto plates.

Drizzle the salad with a bit more oil, sprinkle with the dried oregano and a little coarsely ground pepper, and serve with crusty bread.

Wine Suggestion: If you were on a Greek island you would be sipping ouzo or retsina… not sure that we’d recommend either. Maybe try a Vermentino, which is still from the Mediterranean (Sardinia or the Italian coast), a fresh white wine that has a bit of texture to it.

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Waldorf Salad

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , on 22 January 2012| Leave a Comment »

Remember this? It made a fab lunch with some bacon and onion bread and lettuce.

Waldorf Salad – a big bowl

  • 1 apple, cut into bite-size chunks
  • 1 large orange, cut into segments
  • 2 sticks celery, chopped
  • a handful of walnuts
  • mayonnaise

Throw all of the above into a big bowl and give it a stir! Serve in a cos lettuce leaf with some nice bread.

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Spiced haloumi on a warm Beluga lentil, spinach & caramelised beetroot salad

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 7 November 2011| Leave a Comment »

We’ve admired Denis Cotter from afar and when we got his new cookbook devoured it as usual. What we found was that each recipe had loads of component which built up a brilliant spectrum of flavours, and yet appeared so complex that unless you have time and patience (and sometimes the ingredients too) you’d rarely make the dishes. This one is an exception as it really comes together quite easily and the flavours are superb. We are definitely encouraged and will try more!

Spiced haloumi on a warm Puy lentil, spinach & beetroot salad – to serve 4

  • 2 medium beetroot, washed, cooked and peeled (we boiled ours for about 25 minutes)
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • olive oil
  • 200ml vegetable stock
  • 100ml red wine
  • 100g Puy  lentils (we used Beluga)
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 dried bird’s eye chillies, ground (or less if you prefer)
  • 2 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, ground
  • finely grated zest of 1 lime and juice of 2
  • 200g haloumi cheese, cut into 8 slices
  • 100g baby spinach leaves

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4.

Slice the beetroot into thin wedges, toss with the balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until starting to caramelise.

Meanwhile, bring the vegetable stock and red wine to the boil in a large pan. Add the lentils, thyme and garlic, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, until the lentils are just tender but still firm. If there is any liquid left, turn the heat up and boil until it is almost gone. Stir in the roast beetroot and scallions, and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix the chillies, cumin and lime zest together. Halve the haloumi slices diagonally.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the haloumi until browned on both sides. Sprinkle the spice mix and juice of 1 of the limes over the cheese and toss to coat.

Place some spinach on each plate and scatter some of the lentil mix over. Arrange the haloumi slices on top and finish with the remaining lime juice.

(Original recipe from Denis Cotter’s For the love of Food, Collins, 2011.)

Wine Suggestion: You need something that’s earthy for the beetroot and lentils but also fruity and juicy to balance the heat of the spices. Try a Chilean red made from the Carmenere grape which is an emerging match for spicy food (including Indian curry!).

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Ottolenghi Roasted Beetroot salad

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 25 October 2011| 5 Comments »

This is a masterful demonstration of how to balance sweet, nutty, peppery and sharp flavours and the soft, creamy, crunchy and slippery textures. If you want to really show off you can use a mixture of golden and red beetroot, but this dish is just as nice using the regular red beetroot. We wish we could claim it as our own but it’s another gem from Yotam Ottolenghi.

Roasted beetroot – to serve 4

  • 500g golden beetroot
  • 500g red beetroot
  • 80g sunflower seeds
  • 90ml maple syrup
  • 4 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 20g chervil leaves
  • 60g baby chard, baby spinach or rocket
  • coarse sea salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6. Wash the beetroot and wrap them individually in foil. Bake for anything between 40 and 90 minute. Ours came in a bag of all different sizes so we gradually took them out of the oven as they felt tender when pierced with a sharp knife.

Spread the sunflower seeds out on in an ovenproof dish and toast along with the beetroot for 8 minutes or until lightly coloured.

Let the beetroot cool a little before peeling with a sharp knife (gloves are highly recommended!). Cut them into halves, quarters or dice. Mix with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well and then taste: Yotam advises that you should get a clear sweetness balanced by enough salt. Adjust the seasoning as required and serve.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi: the cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, Ebury Press, 2008.)

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Woohoo it’s sunny! An Irish/Italian Salad

Posted in Food, Italian, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 10 September 2011| 1 Comment »

Irish SaladThis caprese salad is made from all Irish ingredients – even the mozzarella (fellow Dubliners can pick some up in Fallon & Byrne). Perfect for what will probably be one of our last sunny lunches for this year.

Caprese di Mozzarella – serves 2

  • mozzarella cheese
  • 2-3 tomatoes, sliced
  • basil leaves
  • olive oil
  • salt
Drain the cheese and cut into thin slices. Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices in concentric rings on a nice plate. Sprinkle with basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt (salt is a necessity here!).

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Here’s what to do with your pesto

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , on 4 September 2011| 2 Comments »

Yum yum yum yum! Throw this together after work and you won’t be disappointed. Try and get salad potatoes – we could only find floury new potatoes in the village and they sort of went to mush. A great way to use up pesto.

Warm potato and tuna salad with pesto dressing – to serve 4

  • 650g new potatoes, halved lengthways (try and get waxy/salad potatoes)
  • 2 tbsp pesto (fresh is best – see recipe below)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 cherry tomatoes
  • 175g can tuna (we like to use the tuna in oil that comes in jars)
  • 200g runner beans, sliced finely on the diagonal (or you can use halved green beans)
  • couple of handfuls of spinach
Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling water, bring back to the boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, mix the pesto and oil together. Halve the tomatoes, drain and flake the tuna. Add the beans to the potatoes for the last 3 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and beans and tip into a salad bowl. Stir in the spinach so it starts to wilt. Season well. Scatter the tomatoes and tuna over the top and drizzle over the pesto. Give it a final toss and you’re ready to go.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Spicy chicken with a cucumber and cashew nut salad

Posted in Asian, Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 1 September 2011| 1 Comment »

We’re determined to cram in as many salads as we can before it turns properly autumnal. Chicken thighs are the way forward for flavour and moisture – breasts have their purposes but they dry out terribly so get thighs for this dish. Nice fresh flavours.

Spicy Chicken Thighs with Cucumber and Cashew Salad – to serve 4

  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 large red chillies, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 8 bonesless skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the cucumber and cashew salad:
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar
  • 200g vermicelli noodles
  • 2 cucumbers, halved and thinly sliced
  • small handful fresh mint leaves
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp cashew nuts, crushed
Whisk the fish sauce, pepper, garlic, chillies and sugar in a bowl. Put the chicken in another bowl and pour half the marinade over. Cover and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, in two batches, and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

While the chicken cooks, add the lime juice and sugar to the remaining marinade. Stir until the sugar dissolves to make a dressing.

Pour boiling water over the vermicelli and leave for a minute or two until soft. Drain under cold water, put in a large bowl and add the cucumber, mint, scallions and cashews. Add the dressing, toss well and serve with the chicken.

(Original recipe from ‘Bill Granger Every Day’ published by Murdoch Books, 2006)

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Chargrilled Cauliflower salad

Posted in Food, Side dish, Uncategorized, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 30 August 2011| 4 Comments »

This salad from ‘Ottolenghi: the cookbook’ has just a few fresh ingredients and tastes fantastic! Really good with some grilled meat off the barbecue.

Chargrilled cauliflower with tomatoes, dill and capers – to serve 2-4

  • 2 tbsp capers, drained and roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 120ml olive oil
  • 1 small cauliflower, divided into florets
  • 1 tbsp chopped dill
  • 50g baby spinach leaves
  • 20 cherry tomatoes, halved

You can make the dressing in a food processor or by hand (we used the processor). Mix together the capers, mustard, garlic, vinegar and some salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously or run the machine while adding half the oil in a slow trickle. You should get a thick, creamy dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add the cauliflower to a large pan of boiling salted water and simmer for just 3 minutes. Drain and run under a cold tap to stop it cooking further. Leave in the colander to dry well, then put it in a mixing bowl with the rest of the olive oil and some seasoning. Toss well.

Heat a ridged griddle pan over the highest possible heat and leave it for 5 minutes or until it is really hot. Grill the cauliflower in batches – don’t over-crowd the pan. Keep turning until they are nicely charred all over and transfer to a bowl. While the cauliflower is still hot, add the dressing, dill, spinach and tomatoes. Stir together, taste and adjust seasoning again.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi The Cookbook published by The Random House Group).

 

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