What are your salad tips?
Discussion
Salad suggestions, everyone. Let's hear them!
The weather is getting better/warmer and we're all getting sick of pasta.
Here is ours, we've done it practically twice a week since having to stay at home.
First - what are your thoughts on pumpkin seeds? Up until recently, I couldn't see the point.
I suspect many here are the same. Do you just walk straight past all the nuts and raisins in Tesco and think, 'are they kidding? Three quid for some pine nuts?'
You are not wrong, but pumpkin seeds are cheaper and - toasted - are just amazing. I'm eating the odd handful now, as a snack.
Here's our salad tip:
All you need is:
Curly kale
Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Pumpkin seeds
Feta cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt/Pepper
(Don't skip the first para! Having the pumpkin seeds toasted makes such a difference.)
Heat the oven to 190. On a medium oven tray, add a large handful of pumpkin seeds in a single layer. Toast for 7-8 minutes, until they're brown.
Allow to cool.
Get yourself a bag of curly kale, preferably not the spikey type. It's going to be raw/uncooked in this salad.
Add half to a big salad bowl, drizzle with extra virgin oil and a smidge of lemon juice. Add a decent bit of coarse ground salt. Tumble it about in the bowl.
Repeat this process with the other half (the kale, not the Mrs). Keep tumbling the lot around. You want all the leaves to be dressed, but not soaked.
Press the kale with a potato masher, just a gentle squeeze. Keep this up for a minute - a gentle squeeze, tumble, repeat.
It (apparently) helps release the peppery flavour of the leaves.
Once you have the leaves ready, add plenty of sliced cherry tomatoes, a whole punnet-full.
Get a pack of feta cheese from the supermarket and chop into small cubes.
Throw 'em in.
Add the toasted pumpkin seeds
Tumble the lot around again season with salt/pepper and lemon juice to taste and you're good to go.
Dead simple and so, so tasty.
It goes so well with salmon fillets, just baked plain in foil with a drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with boiled mini potatoes coated in butter and coarse-ground salt.
Thoroughly recommended. You would not believe just how good this is, with only a few ingredients.
What are your salad-y tips?
Edited for spelling kale wrong, what a numpty. Thank you BigMon.
The weather is getting better/warmer and we're all getting sick of pasta.
Here is ours, we've done it practically twice a week since having to stay at home.
First - what are your thoughts on pumpkin seeds? Up until recently, I couldn't see the point.
I suspect many here are the same. Do you just walk straight past all the nuts and raisins in Tesco and think, 'are they kidding? Three quid for some pine nuts?'
You are not wrong, but pumpkin seeds are cheaper and - toasted - are just amazing. I'm eating the odd handful now, as a snack.
Here's our salad tip:
All you need is:
Curly kale
Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Pumpkin seeds
Feta cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt/Pepper
(Don't skip the first para! Having the pumpkin seeds toasted makes such a difference.)
Heat the oven to 190. On a medium oven tray, add a large handful of pumpkin seeds in a single layer. Toast for 7-8 minutes, until they're brown.
Allow to cool.
Get yourself a bag of curly kale, preferably not the spikey type. It's going to be raw/uncooked in this salad.
Add half to a big salad bowl, drizzle with extra virgin oil and a smidge of lemon juice. Add a decent bit of coarse ground salt. Tumble it about in the bowl.
Repeat this process with the other half (the kale, not the Mrs). Keep tumbling the lot around. You want all the leaves to be dressed, but not soaked.
Press the kale with a potato masher, just a gentle squeeze. Keep this up for a minute - a gentle squeeze, tumble, repeat.
It (apparently) helps release the peppery flavour of the leaves.
Once you have the leaves ready, add plenty of sliced cherry tomatoes, a whole punnet-full.
Get a pack of feta cheese from the supermarket and chop into small cubes.
Throw 'em in.
Add the toasted pumpkin seeds
Tumble the lot around again season with salt/pepper and lemon juice to taste and you're good to go.
Dead simple and so, so tasty.
It goes so well with salmon fillets, just baked plain in foil with a drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with boiled mini potatoes coated in butter and coarse-ground salt.
Thoroughly recommended. You would not believe just how good this is, with only a few ingredients.
What are your salad-y tips?
Edited for spelling kale wrong, what a numpty. Thank you BigMon.
Edited by lemansky on Wednesday 29th April 19:48
Keep it really simple.
3 ingredients - Normal old fashioned plain lettuce - costs about 60p in the supermarket. Curly lettuce also works - but they're about 70p. Avocado and spring onion - the big ones if you can get them. A traditional dressing made from oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and garlic.
Takes minutes to make.
3 ingredients - Normal old fashioned plain lettuce - costs about 60p in the supermarket. Curly lettuce also works - but they're about 70p. Avocado and spring onion - the big ones if you can get them. A traditional dressing made from oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and garlic.
Takes minutes to make.
I prefer mine with a few more ingredients - some form of peppery leaves then sliced sweet red pepper, spring onion, red onion, sweet corn, diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta (loads), hard boiled egg and bacon bits if I've got the time. Lots of salt, lots of pepper & a copious covering of Pizza Express salad dressing when served.
Hardly sophisticated, but a tasty meal on its own or a great accompaniment / side dish..
Hardly sophisticated, but a tasty meal on its own or a great accompaniment / side dish..
Use a variety of leaves. Not the bagged rubbish from supermarkets or at least use a mixture of them if you have to.
Textures. Use croutons, vegetables, nuts anything to add variety.
Strong flavours. Dehydrated tomato, cheese shavings, anchovies.
Seasoning. Use salt and pepper!
Dressings. Make your own, don't use generic "Paul Newman" stuff.
Fruit. orange segments, pomegranate etc
Eggs. Love a soft poached egg on a salad
Textures. Use croutons, vegetables, nuts anything to add variety.
Strong flavours. Dehydrated tomato, cheese shavings, anchovies.
Seasoning. Use salt and pepper!
Dressings. Make your own, don't use generic "Paul Newman" stuff.
Fruit. orange segments, pomegranate etc
Eggs. Love a soft poached egg on a salad
One of my favourite salad dressing recipes:
https://nymag.com/restaurants/recipes/inseason/651...
()Alice Waters runs a superb restaurant in Berkeley CA called Chez Panisse.
There are variations on the above..finely chop a shallot and let it sit in the wine or sherry vinegar for at least five minutes with ground salt and pepper. Only add the olive oil when the shallot is properly macerated. Shake vigorously before serving..
https://nymag.com/restaurants/recipes/inseason/651...
()Alice Waters runs a superb restaurant in Berkeley CA called Chez Panisse.
There are variations on the above..finely chop a shallot and let it sit in the wine or sherry vinegar for at least five minutes with ground salt and pepper. Only add the olive oil when the shallot is properly macerated. Shake vigorously before serving..
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