Category: salads

A really fresh potato salad side dish – a lot lighter than the regular potato, chives and mayo version I grew up with. really good as a BBQ side salad. The trick here is to get the seasoning right.

500g New potatoes – boiled (slightly nutty/firm) halved
200-300g cherry tomatoes – quartered
1/2 red onion – finely chopped
small handful of basil leaves, chopped/ripped
3tbl capers, drained
Dressing:
2 tbl olive oil
1tbl red wine vinegar
salt, pepper to taste

Basically – mix, dress, serve.

serves 6 as a side

2-3 large oranges
1-2 bulbs fennel
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Olive oil to dress
salt pepper to taste

Using a knife, peal the oranges removing as much white as possible. slice into thin rounds.

Using a mandoline slice rings of fennel and onion.

in a dish, layer fennel then orange then onion slices. Olive oil drizzle, then salt & pepper to taste.

serves 6 – as a side
1 red pepper
150g stale bread, torn into chunks, toasted
8 medium ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 small cucumber – deseeded and sliced
1 small red onion, finely sliced
handful of basil leaves, torn
1 tbl capers

60ml red wine vinegar
60ml olive oil
salt, pepper

skin the pepper -(burn the skin over a flame, and put in a plastic bag to cool – the skin will slide off) – dice and add to a bowl with the other ingredients.

mix the dressing and add to the salad – you might not need all of the dressing depending on how juicy the tomatoes are. turn and mix so that the bread soaks up much of the juice.

Taste and season. Allow it to stand for about 20 minutes before serving – let all those flavours mingle.

An Italian classic that even looks like the flag. I always forget how good this actually is, and how easy it is to make. Gotta be fresh perfect ingredients, or dont bother. Good buffalo mozzarella and ripe tomatoes are a must…

So – 2 versions of the same salad. Either bocconcini (tiny balls of mozzarella) paired with halved cherry tomatoes – mixed in a bowl, or large buffalo mozzarella balls and ripe beef tomatoes sliced ad layered on a plate.

Ingredients:
by eye – roughly equal quantities of tomatoes and mozzarella
fresh basil leaves, sliced or ripped
salt & pepper
olive oil
a little sherry or balsamic vinegar if the tomatoes need it.

Serve with crusty bread – a good sourdough is perfect.

serves 2:

150g halloumi – cut into 1cm slices and fried.
150g tomatoes – chopped (chunky)
1 avocado – sliced
2 little gem lettuce
2 tbl hummus
2 pitta

dressing:
2 tbl nuts – almonds, cashews, pinenuts – whatever you have – chopped
1 chilli (not too hot) finely chopped
1 tbl balsamic vinegar
3 tbl olve oil
1 tbl chopped chives or sping onion
1 tbl pomegranate molasses

cut the lettuces into wedges and griddle them until charred. whisk together the dressing, arrange ingredients on a plate, add dressing and toasted pitta on the side, with a dollop of hummus.

Again – a classic french salad of bacon and egg. Nom.

For 2 people:

100g-ish bacon lardons / pancetta
1 clove garlic
Dry bread, no crusts cut into 10-ish crutons
1tbl olive oil (for frying)
1tbl red wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp dijon mustard
2tbl olive oil (for dressing)
2 eggs
head of frisée lettuce

Fry the lardons and garlic (cracked) in oil, remove the garlic before it browns and cook till brown and crispy. Remove the lardons onto kitchen paper to drain, but keep the fat in the pan to fry the crutons until crispy & golden.

For the dressing, mix the oil, vinegar shallot, mustard (salt, pepper) oil last.

poach the eggs in water with a splash of vinegar – soft poach, 3 minutes.

mix the bacon, croutons frisée and dressing – divide ino 2 bowls and add the poached egg to the top.

This is my go to salad meal in a hurry. You can cut some corners, or tweak depending on whats in the house.

For 2 people (or 1 monster portion)

100g new potatoes, boiled, halved.
100g french/fine beans cooked and blanched in cold water
2 boiled eggs, halved
Cos or baby gem lettuce – chopped
6(ish) cherry tomatoes, halved. (or equivalent larger tomato)
5cm-ish length cucumber – chopped (deseeded, but skin on/off- your choice)
1/2 shallot finely sliced, or equivalent spring onion
1 can tuna steak
12 black olives
1-2 radishes – thin sliced (missable, but a nice crunch)
Artichoke hearts (roasted and from the jar) (again missable)
salt, pepper

Dressing –
French dressing if you’re in a hurry – or if you have the time, and feel the love:
3 tbl olive oil
1 tbl red wine vinegar
1 tbl lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1-2 anchovies
1tsp capers

Blend the dressing ingredients, and mix with salad – hold back the eggs and tuna. plate and add tuna and eggs to the top