Salads

Heirloom Grain Salad February, 2011

This salad is made with freekeh, an uncommon heirloom grain that is actually a green spelt berry.

Here, as with all the grains I cook, I pre soak the freekah. This allows the grain to begin the sprouting process thus increasing the nutritional value and making it more digestible.

I make many variations of this salad, sometimes using wheat berries or Emmer in place of the spelt. You could also try making it with hulled barley too.

Mama Collinsons Famous Caesar Salad October, 2010

Being the bread guy I have added my home made croutons to this recipe made with leftover bread. Simply cut or tear into cubes. Toss with olive oil and a little salt and bake in oven at 180°C (350°F) until golden.

Breadless Panzanella September, 2010

Traditionally panzanella is made with crisp croutons that soak up all the flavorful juices created by tomatoes, cucumbers and the dressing. It is delicious and please don’t get me wrong I love Panzanella, but prefer to eat this salad with bread or a hearty grain on the side. It’s also extremely fast to make this way and since no oven is needed to make the croutons, it won’t heat up your kitchen.

Langoustines de Printemps en Croute de Tobikiri June, 2010

Grilled Radicchio with Xeres Dressing November, 2009

This is a very simple recipe that yields amazing flavors and is a great appetizer or an ideal accompaniment to a pasta dish, or a roast chicken. The Xérès dressing has a deep and rich flavor that complements the bitter red charred leaves.

Frisee Salad with Poached Eggs and Lardons November, 2009

There is nothing quite as wonderful as the combination of a cold and hot, rich and light and salty-yet-acidic salad. Poached farm-fresh eggs compliment this frisée salad and made more delicious with the addition of lardons; pork belly fat. Your local butcher is well stocked with this ingredient. You may substitute with bacon cubes or pancetta.

If you are lucky, you may find baby frisée; small heads of lettuce. The beauty of these is that they become individual portions, otherwise you will need to tear a large one apart.

Asparagus with Creme Fraiche and Truffles November, 2009

Crème fraîche is one of the pillars of French cuisine, rich and creamy yet tangy and light, and an amazing accompaniment to asparagus. These two are made only more glorious with the addition of shaved black truffles. If you are lucky and have access to fresh ones, don’t think twice. As an alternative, jarred truffles from reputable Italian brands like Urbani are delicious and can be just as wonderful. You need not add truffle oil If you are using fresh black truffles.

Asparagus and Lima Bean Salad November, 2009

This salad is fresh and hearty at the same time; the arugula leaf has a slight peppery flavor that is a great base for the lima beans and asparagus, all complimented by the intense and fragrant flavors of Preserved Moroccan Lemons.

Cachumber Salsa-Salad November, 2009

At our home we must have a salad and this is my fallback recipe. It is easy to make and incredibly versatile, try adding other flavours, grated carrot or chopped peppers for more colour, pomegranate or citrus fruit for a burst of flavour, sprouts for nutrition or go so far as adding all of those, it will only get more interesting.

Warm Black Lentil Salad October, 2009

Bluefoot mushrooms add a woodsy, earthy flavour to this warm hearty salad. They are startling in appearance, the stem has a bluish-lilac hue, which soon fades when cooked. A true autumn favourite with a firm yet smooth and velvety texture. (Pied bleu in France) the bluefoot has long been sought after by chefs and gourmets in Europe and is increasingly popular in North Amercia.

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Salads