SALAD HATER'S SALAD

The other day, Dave came in from work and said, "I'm sick of salad! This is, in my opinion, entirely his own fault. I mean, if you ask for a packed lunch made of iceberg lettuce, bargain supermarket chicken off-cuts and coleslaw, what do you expect?

But, along with Courgette Fritters and New Potatoes with Parsley Butter, there should be salad.

Zelda has made it familiar but different to revive his love for it. 

Start with the usual:
lettuce leaves of choice
cucumber slices
1 tomato chopped very thinly
2 radishes sliced

Then top with:
chopped chives, fresh from the garden
Herby Salad Dressing
Cheesy Croutons

What's to hate?

HOUMOUS

Such a handy little dip, and always welcome at parties...

410g can chickpeas

3 - 4 tbsp tahini

Juice of 1½ lemons

1tbsp olive oil 

3 cloves garlic, peeled

½tsp paprika

ground black pepper

Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid.

Put the chickpeas and garlic cloves into a blender or food processor with about half of the liquid and blend to a rough paste. 

Add the lemon juice, olive oil and  black pepper, and blend until thoroughly mixed.

Add more of the chickpea liquid if needed. (You want it to be slightly more 'slushy' than you want as it will thicken over time.)

Leave for about two hours to allow the flavour to develop.

When ready to serve, place in a bowl and sprinkle the paprika over the top.

ORANGE COUS COUS SALAD

½ green pepper

Handful fresh mint

2 satsumas

100g cous cous

Put cous cous in a jug and top up with hot water to cover with about 1cm over. 

Leave for about 5 minutes and then fluff up with a fork. Then transfer to a bowl.

Cut pepper into small chunks.

Peel and segment the oranges.

Leave one sprig of mint intact. Chop the rest.

Mix pepper, orange and mint and add to the cous cous.

Garnish with remaining sprig of mint.

CHEESE AND CHIVE DIP

25g plain flour

1tbsp plain flour

300ml milk

100g cheddar cheese, grated

1tbsp snipped chives

Heat flour, mustard and milk in a pan, whisking until smooth and thick.

Stir in cheese.

Then allow to cool and add chives. 

SAUSAGE SALSA SALAD

3 vegetarian sausages, defrosted if frozen, cut into slices

Handful of basil

1 tomato, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

½ red pepper, chopped

½ red chilli, deseeded and chopped

1tbsp red wine vinegar

2tbsp olive oil

Pinch of caster sugar

Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a pan and fry the sausages.

In a bowl, mix the tomato, onion and peppers. Add the sausages.

In a cup, mix most of the chopped basil with the caster sugar, the remaining oil and vinegar and season well.  Add this to the rest.

Stir well and then garnish with the remaining basil.

HERBY SALAD DRESSING

You will need:
herbs, fresh from the garden/ windowsill (e.g. coriander, basil, parsley, sage, thyme, mint)
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt and black pepper

Wash and chop the herbs very finely.
Place them in a bottle (I used one from a previously bought salad dressing)
Mix red wine vinegar and olive oil in a 3:1 ratio so that you have enough for the bottle.
Season and shake.

INSALATA

The classic Italian salad...

handful of basil leaves
1 ball mozzarella
2 tomatoes
olive oil
black pepper

Slice the mozzarella and the tomatoes.
Place on a plate and drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle over the black pepper and add a handful of basil leaves.

CHEESY CROUTONS

These are like the Cheesy Heart Croutons from a previous  recipe served with soup, but they also make a great addition to a salad when cooked in advance and allowed to cool.

100g cheese, grated very finely
2tbsp olive oil
2 slices thick white bread, toasted on both sides

Chop crusts off the bread and cut into cubes.
Mix the cheese with the olive oil in a bowl.
Top each cube of bread with the cheesy mixture and put on a baking tray.
Place under grill until cheese bubbles and slightly browns.
Allow to cool.

PARSLEY BUTTER

100g butter
handful parsley (about 8g in weight)

Make sure the butter is soft.
Remove any large stalks from the parsley, then chop the rest very finely.
Mix together.

Place on a sheet of cling film and shape into a block or sausage shape.
Fold or roll up.

Place back in the fridge. 
Chop and uncover as needed

DAVE'S SIMPLE SALAD

Every cook knows that sometimes you just have to put pleasure on a plate.

When I make a salad for myself, I try to get fancy and mix up dressings. My sister-in-law made a fabulous one a few weekends ago where she added walnuts and croutons to the leaves.

But, my Dave knows what he likes, and he likes it plain and simple.

This is the one we had today according to his specification, and I have to admit it was rather lovely…

¼ iceberg lettuce, sliced

1 red ripe tomato

¼ cucumber, sliced

½ red onion, peeled and sliced into rounds

Lots of fresh herbs, chopped, ripped or whole, according to size

2 radishes, sliced

½ green pepper, chopped

AND DEFINITELY NO DRESSING!