A Salad A Day

We've been eating wonderful salads pretty much every day these past few weeks. But not just lettuce salads. This time of year the veges are in great shape, there's plenty of variety, so it's the perfect time to stretch your salad wings. Here are some easy-to-make and easy-to-love salads that you can have on the table in no time flat.They'll all go with whatever you're putting on the barbeque, or serve up a few for a salad bar feast.

Grated Carrot Salad

So easy, it's not even really a recipe. For two big servings:

• Grate up two or three big carrots, or a bunch of small ones.
• Drizzle in 2 tbs olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and a grind of pepper. 
• Toss that around, then squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. 
• You can sprinkle with chives, as I did here, or use parsley or black sesame seeds for a dramatic colour combo. 

(I know, some people like to put raisins in their carrot salad. In our house that's forbidden, but if you're not phobic about raisins in salad, go for it!)

Beets and Feta Salad

You can make this with grated, uncooked beets if you like. Just make sure they're lovely and fresh. But if your beets are big and perhaps tough, you can cook them. Again, for two people (who love beets).

• 4 medium sized beets. Boiled until tender, cooled and cut into bite-sized chunks.
• 1 red onion, diced small.
• Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, the old salt and pepper routine, but use a sherry vinegar if you have some. Sherry vinegar and beets just seem to love each other. 
• Just before serving, crumble over some feta... or not.

I don't bother with herbs on this one because the colour is so perfect just the way it is.

Greens in Garlic Soy Dressing

This is a warm salad, very moreish, and a great way to use up greens that are going to seed or a bit too ragged around the edges to put in a regular raw green salad. That's not to say they're inferior. They just know where they shine.

• A big handful of radicchio, endive, spinach, lettuce... any or all. Tough is ok. Wash them and chop up roughly, put them in a hot pan and swish them around until they have just wilted, then take off the heat. The idea is that they steam quickly in the drops of water left on them from washing... which is to say don't put them through the salad spinner. They need to be a wee bit wet.

Put into a big salad bowl:

• a grated or minced clove of garlic
• 2 tbs olive oil, and a shake of roasted sesame oil if you have some. 
• 1 tbs tamari sauce or soy sauce. 
• Whisk or swish around to combine.
• Drop the hot greens into the dressing, toss to coat, and serve warm. Delish.  

  

Our House Special -- Smashed Potato Salad

This one's a bit more of a palaver, but totally worth it. (Sorry about the awful photo. Smashed potatoes taste a heck of a lot better than they look.)

You'll need:

New potatoes, if possible; enough to feed your crowd. No need to peel.
White wine vinegar
Olive oil
Green onions, or baby shallot -- roughly one per person
Preserved lemons (fresh, zest and juice, is an OK substitute, but add some salt as well)

• Boil the potatoes until just cooked and drain.
• Use a knife or fork to smash up the potatoes. Just break them up; no mashing. 
• Lace potatoes liberally with vinegar. Use what feels like a bit too much -- the spuds soak up the flavour. 
• Add the finely chopped white ends of the onions or shallots (save the greens for a bit later) and the preserved lemons (about half a lemon per four serves.)
• Give it a good stir, put the lid on, and let it sit while the onions soften up a bit.
• Drizzle in some olive oil -- enough to make a nice creamy texture. 
• Have a taste, and add more vinegar and lemons if you want to.
• Just before you serve, stir in the onion greens. If you wait till now, they'll be bright green and a bit crunchy. If you put them in earlier, they cook and go grey and dull.

Grilled Green Vegetable Salad

This is one for when you've got the barbeque on, and you've got a load of green things in the fridge that aren't quite snappy enough to eat raw.

• Gather a load of green vegetables. Of course, they can be any colour, but all those shades of green are so beautiful. Broccoli, green onions, green beans, asparagus, peas, zucchinis... 
• Grill them on a hot barbeque. Just put them on dry and let them cook through. Some charring on the outside is a good thing.
• When they're cooked, cut into pieces and toss with a dressing of your choice. We usually default to oil, salt, pepper and a balsamic vinegar, which seems to be a nice match for the smokey charred flavour of the grilled veges. But a mayonnaise would be really good too.