Salad days are here - recipes

Egg and cucumber salad from Fresh and Easy

Egg and cucumber salad from Fresh and Easy

Published Dec 2, 2013

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Summer is here again, the season when imaginative cooks transform salads from side dishes into star turns. Not only are supermarket shelves filled with greens and less common veggies, there is also a wide choice of grains and pulses to contemplate with root vegetables.

When time is of the essence, turn to cans of beans, corn and chickpeas to provide a basis of healthy meals.

When salads make the main course, ideally they should contain ingredients that add up to a balanced meal that requires nothing more on the side.

Some, like the egg and cucumber mix below, lack carbohydrate – easily remedied with the addition of wholewheat rolls.

The other three salads are good examples of colourful, nutritious fare: use them to offer inspiration, adding your own twists and variations according to taste and what’s at hand.

 

Beef fillet and potato salad with green goddess dressing

A pricy but appealing main course salad that feeds eight, this creation takes a little time and effort, both of which will be well-rewarded by the lip-smacking reaction from happy diners. The dressing is based on an early American recipe and the recipe comes from Jane-Anne Hobbs’s Scrumptious, published by Random House Struik. If beef fillet is beyond your budget, try a forequarter cut like blade beef which can be sliced thinly, marinated to tenderise if you like, then briefly seared on both sides in a little hot oil. Provided you don’t overcook it, it can be tender and flavourful.

1 whole fillet of beef

Olive oil

1 tbs cracked black pepper

8 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes

500g mixed rocket, watercress and baby spinach

Sunflower oil for roasting

Juice of 1 large lemon

8 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

100g Parmesan or Grana Padano

Dressing:

1 cup home-made mayonnaise or good quality bought

Half cup cultured buttermilk

4 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 anchovy fillet (o ptional)

1½ tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp dried tarragon

1 small clove garlic, peeled and sliced

1 large spring onion

3 tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tbs finely snipped fresh chives

Salt and milled black pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Dressing: Put all ingredients except the garlic clove and seasoning into a blender and whizz until smooth and creamy. Don’t over-blend – it should be lightly flecked with green. Stir in the chives and season to taste. Chill.

Pat the fillet dry, rub with a little olive oil and roll in the cracked black pepper. Heat some oil in a large pan until blazing hot, then sear the fillet on all sides for 4-5 minutes to create a dark caramelised crust. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15-25 minutes, or until done. Rest for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 7 minutes, or until their outer surfaces are just soft. Drain in a colander, then toss them to roughen their surfaces. Chill, uncovered. Forty-five minutes before you are ready to serve, toss the potato cubes in a little sunflower oil and roast at 190°C for 40-50 minutes. When the potatoes are almost done, arrange the salad leaves in a bowl and dress with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the fillet into thin slices and arrange on top of the leaves. Shave the Parmesan over the salad. Scatter over the potatoes and take to the table.

Serves 8.

 

Egg and cucumber salad

A vegetarian salad that’s zings with fresh flavours, tossed in an Asian-style dressing, perfect for a sultry evening or weekend lunch.

It is free of tomatoes, which are still pricy, and other ingredients can be replaced with more affordable alternatives: use lemon instead of lime juice, parsley instead of chervil, and almonds rather than pine nuts.

It comes from Marie Claire’s Fresh and Easy by Michele Cranston, by Murdoch Books.

4 fresh coriander roots, rinsed

1 large clove garlic, crushed

1 small fresh red chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp soft brown sugar

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbs lime juice

½ cup olive oil

4 Lebanese (short) cucumbers

½ red onion, finely diced

1 cup chervil leaves

1 cup fresh coriander (dhunia) leaves

½ cup mint leaves

10 chives, snipped

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

30g pine nuts, toasted

Make the dressing: Finely chop the coriander roots, and combine with the garlic, chilli, sugar and salt. Add the lime juice and olive oil, whisk to combine and set aside.

Chop the cucumbers into chunks and combine with the onion and herbs in a bowl. Pour the dressing over and lightly toss. Arrange the salad on a platter. Roughly chop the eggs and sprinkle over the salad with the toasted pine nuts.

Serves 4.

 

Smoked snoek and avocado tabbouleh

This easy, colourful lunch creation stars our indigenous smoked snoek and other seasonal ingredients, adding up to great holiday fare that is also a well balanced meal. You will find this recipe in Lazy Days by Phillippa Cheifitz, published by Quivertree, which has just released a new revised and expanded edition of the original, published in 2006.

1 cup bulgur or cracked wheat

250g smoked snoek, flaked

3 medium, firm red tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 firm, ripe avocado, skinned and chopped

250g crisp baby cucumbers, chopped

1 bunch spring onions, chopped

1 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as Italian parsley, mint, coriander and dill)

5-6T olive oil

4 tbs fresh lemon juice

Soft butter lettuce leaves

Pour boiling water over the bulgur wheat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Drain well.

Mix the wheat with the flaked snoek, chopped ingredients, oil and lemon juice and season to taste. Spoon into lettuce cups to serve.

Serves 6.

 

Vietnamese chicken and prawn noodle salad

Another fresh, crunchy offering that combines chicken and seafood in an easily prepared salad that lends itself to variation to suit tastes. Replace prawns with filleted chicken breast if preferred. Find the recipe in Modern Classics, Book 1, by Donna Hay, published by Fourth Estate.

4tsp peanut oil

2 chicken breasts, filleted and diced

500g raw prawns, peeled and halved lengthwise

125g bean thread noodles

1 large carrot, cut into thin strips

3 spring onions, sliced

¼ cup Vietnamese mint, shredded

Half cup coriander leaves

Dressing:

Quarter cup lime juice

2 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs brown sugar

Chopped unsalted peanuts (optional)

Heat a pan or wok over high heat. Add half the oil, and stir-fry the chicken for 5-6 minutes until cooked through and golden. Transfer to a bowl.

Add oil to the pan and cook the prawns for 3-4 minutes until cooked and pink. Add to the bowl with the chicken. To make the dressing, combine lime juice, fish sauce and sugar, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Place noodles in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for about 4 minutes or until tender. Drain. Combine chicken, prawns, dressing noodles, carrot, onion, mint and coriander. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Serves 4. - Cape Argus

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