British and delicious from the 17th-century
Learn to make the broccolini and halloumi salad in the new Salmagundi cookbook
Salmagundi is a grand, plated, multi-ingredient salad from 17th-century England.
A new British cookbook by the same name includes an ancient recipe for it with lettuce, chicken, anchovies, lemon, eggs, onions, scalded grapes and edible flowers. The recipe is in the introduction though, so you’re probably just supposed to enjoy the prose.
The rest of the book skips from Indonesian gado gado and Turkish bulgur and tomato salad, to patacas bravas salad from Spain and the globally trendy quinoa with garlicky eggplants. The book: Salmagundi: A Celebration of Salads from around the World by Sally Butcher offers 150 “archaic, traditional, staple and funky” recipes. Fourteen chapters include herbs and leaves, cheese, meat and salads for desserts. The author: Sally Butcher runs a Persian food store called Persepolis in London with her Persian husband Jamshid. She has written several cookbooks, and blogs at Veggiestan.com. The recipe: Butcher eats this once or twice a week since shopkeepers like her eat a lot of salads that start out as hot meals and cool to room temperature as they tend to customers.
Warm Halloumi + Broccolini Salad
Star Tested Trendy halloumi, with its squeaky texture and high melting point, shines in this quick lunch or dinner salad. Broccolini is a green vegetable that looks like broccoli, but with longer, thinner stalks and smaller florets.
It’s in most supermarkets, but use broccoli if you can’t find it. Adapted. Splash of olive oil
1/2 bunch broccolini, trimmed
3 slices halloumi, cubed (about 3 oz./85 g)
5 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp (15 mL) balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) mint sauce Freshly ground black pepper In medium, non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high.
Add broccolini. Cook 3 minutes, turning, until lightly browned or charred.
Add halloumi. Cook 30 minutes per side until lightly browned, reducing heat if needed. Add tomatoes. Cook 1 minute. Remove pan from heat. Stir in vinegar and mint sauce. Season with pepper.
Makes 1 serving. jbain@thestar.ca