Food & Drink
These delicious salads are full of flavour and colour. Try them, then experiment by varying the ingredients yourself, writes
Superb salads from Jessica Elliott Dennison, plus Rose Murray Brown on natural wines
In developing these recipes, I’ve tried to strike a balance between attainable and simple, and inspiring and informative. Throughout, I’ve considered my friends who don’t work in the food industry, who might not be as confident in the kitchen or living on the doorstep of food markets and specialist stockists.
You’ll notice vegetables feature heavily in the recipes. It’s not that I don’t enjoy meat or fish, I really do. But I find vegetables, especially when enjoyed in season, are most inspiring to eat and cook with. Plus, I’d rather treat meat and fish as a smaller element or garnish, as that way I can afford to buy the tastiest, very best quality from a supplier I trust.
My hope is for you to keep Salad Feasts on your kitchen counter as an everyday guide, not neatly tucked away on the shelf. I urge you to treat the recipes as a starting point, then have a play using whatever’s already in the fridge or cupboard, as it’s this listening to your instincts that will enhance your cooking and make these recipes your own. More than anything, I want you to enjoy the straightforward process of tossing a few good ingredients onto a platter then placing it down on the table to share with the ones you love. Not much in life tops that feeling. n
Hot smoked salmon, avocado, grapefruit with toasted sunflower seeds and pickled radishes
It must have been while working in Australia that I picked up the inspiration for this dish. It’s exactly the kind of thing that would be served in the bright, airy cafes for which the country has become so renowned. If you have any good bread to hand, this would also make a happy tray of open sandwiches.
Serves four
1 small red onion, finely sliced 100g radishes, finely sliced juice of 1 lemon ¼ tsp sea salt flakes 2 tsp fennel seeds 55g sunflower seeds 120g rocket small bunch (20g) flat-leaf parsley, leaves only 2 preserved lemons (optional) 250g hot smoked salmon 2 ripe avocados, halved and stones removed 2 ruby grapefruits 2½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Place the onion and radishes in a small bowl. Squeeze over the lemon juice, discarding any pips, then stir in the salt and set aside to lightly pickle.
2 Meanwhile, toast the fennel and sunflower seeds in a frying pan over a high heat for 2-3 minutes to release their natural oils. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3 Wash the rocket in a basin of cold water (this will freshen and crisp up the leaves), pat dry then place in a large mixing bowl.
4 Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Cut the skin off the preserved lemons and finely slice, if using (discard the flesh as it’s salty and bitter). Flake the salmon and slice the avocados. Cut off the top and bottom of the grapefruits, and then carefully slice away the peel and white pith. Slice into segments.
5 To assemble: add the parsley, preserved lemons, salmon, avocados and grapefruit to the rocket along with the pickled onion and radishes, including the pickling juice and any grapefruit juice on your chopping board. Drizzle over the oil then, using your hands, gently toss to combine, ensuring the salad is evenly dressed. Crush or roughly chop the cooled sunflower and fennel seeds then scatter over to finish. Serve/eat immediately.
Warm chard, mango, crispy paneer, with mustard seeds, potatoes, coriander chutney and cashews
Chard’s dark green leaves make it ideal for carrying tempered spices like the mustard seeds here. Inspired by the fantastic Indian flavours we got to experience growing up in east London, this chard is tossed through fluffy new potatoes, a spicy coriander and toasted cashew dressing, limedressed mango and fried paneer. It makes for a very happy dinner.
Serves four
400g new potatoes 60g cashews small bunch (20g) mint, leaves only 2 large bunches (60g) coriander 1 green chilli 2 limes pinch of sea salt flakes 1 small ripe mango 300g rainbow chard or silver beet 2½ tbsp vegetable oil 2 tsp mustard seeds 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 220g paneer
1 First, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Carefully add the potatoes then simmer over a medium heat for around 15-18 minutes or until tender all the way through – you can check by inserting a sharp knife. Drain in a colander and allow to steam.
2 Meanwhile, toast the cashews in a large frying pan for 1-2 minutes to release their natural oils. Set aside half (for garnish later) and place the other half in a food processor along with the mint, coriander, chilli, zest and juice of 1 lime and salt until smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
3 Peel the mango and roughly slice (discard the large stone). Transfer to a plate, squeeze over the juice of the remaining lime then set aside.
4 Wash the chard under cold water, pat dry then roughly chop. Put 1 tablespoon of the oil in the frying pan over a medium heat then add the mustard seeds and fry for 1 minute until they begin to pop. Add the garlic, fry for 30 seconds then add the chard. Fry for 2 minutes then remove from the heat.
5 To assemble: roughly chop the warm potatoes into large dice then
toss through the bowl of coriander chutney along with the chard. Put the pan back over a high heat, add the remaining oil then crumble in the paneer. Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy, then spoon onto the dressed chard mixture along with the limey mango and reserved cashews.
Pickled watermelon, halloumi, spelt with sundried tomatoes, sugarsnap peas and mint
Watermelon is good mood food; brilliant eaten outside, somewhere warm and sunny. I go heavy on the herbs here, chopping a mix of parsley, dill and mint. Just use one or two kinds of soft herb if that’s all you have to hand.
Serves four
350g spelt 3 tbsp vinegar 1½ tbsp sugar ½ tsp sea salt flakes 1 small red onion, peeled and halved 150g sugar snap peas 6 jarred sundried tomatoes plus 2½ tbsp infused oil from the jar 250g halloumi 1 small watermelon (450g flesh) 200g radishes, thinly sliced small bunch (20g) flatleaf parsley, leaves only small bunch (20g) dill, leaves only small bunch (20g) mint, leaves only juice of 1 lime 3 tbsp dukkah (optional)
1 First, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the spelt for the time stated on the packet (around 16-18 minutes). Then refresh under cold water, drain and set aside.
2 Meanwhile, stir the vinegar, sugar and half the salt in a large bowl. Slice the onion into half-moons, as finely as you can, and stir through the vinegar mixture to quickly pickle (this will make the onion turn bright pink).
3 Next, fill a frying pan 2cm deep with water. Bring to a rapid boil then blanch the sugar snap peas over a high heat for 1 minute. Refresh under cold water, drain thoroughly then set aside.
4 Wipe out the pan with a few sheets of kitchen paper then heat 1 tablespoon of the sundried tomato oil over a high heat. Crumble in bite-size chunks of the halloumi (discarding any liquid from the packet) and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden. Set aside.
5 Chop the watermelon into large chunks (discarding the seeds and skin) and add to the onion pickle mixture for 5 minutes. Roughly chop the sundried tomatoes and finely chop the herbs.
6 To assemble: place the spelt, onion and pickled watermelon (not the pickling juice), sugar snap peas, remaining tomato oil, radishes, tomatoes, herbs and remaining salt in a large mixing bowl. Squeeze in the lime juice, gently toss with your hands so that everything is evenly distributed then transfer to a platter. Top with the halloumi and dukkah, if using.