Category Archives: Salads

Warm salad of bulgur wheat, courgette, spinach and feta

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When I made this salad for lunch this week my expectations were quite low. I used up some veggies I had laying around the fridge and thought I would have an alright lunch, but nothing more.

Although this salad is so simple and easy, it turned out really satisfying. I was actually quite surprised! Never underestimate the power of simple ingredients.

Warm salad of bulgur wheat, courgette, spinach and feta, serves 2

400 ml bulgur wheat, cooked according to the instructions of the packet

1 courgette

olive oil and butter for frying

200 g fresh baby spinach

150 g feta

1/2 lemon, juice only

2 tbsp nice extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of salt, black pepper

Cut the courgette in half lenghtways and slice it. Fry in oil and butter until soft and golden brown. Remove from pan. Add the spinach to the pan and stir until it wilts. Squeeze it to remove excess liquid and place with the courgette.

Heat up the bulgur if needed and mix in the vegetables, lemon juice and olive oil. Add the crumbled feta and season. 

A proper Caesar salad

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Spring is here. At least occasionally and at day time. When the sun is shining and it is around 10 degrees C. (Let’s not talk about the temperature dropping to zero or below at night.)

Like the autumn makes me crave rustic soups and hearty stews, nothing is more satisfying to eat in spring than salads or new vegetables. And the ultimate salad for me is, without a doubt, the classic Caesar. I don’t like when people play around with classic recipes too much, but I do think the addition of chicken for a supper or a more substantial lunch works really well in a Caesar.

And what makes a really good Caesar salad for me, is of course the dressing. It can’t come from a jar, it just can’t.

I have a quick cheat recipe that works if you’re in a hurry, but nothing beats the proper stuff!

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Caesar salad with chicken, serves 2

2 chicken thighs

oil for frying

salt, pepper

4 slices smoked streaky bacon

1 1/2 romaine lettuce heads

10 cm ciabatta

butter and oil for frying

1 garlic clove, pressed

Parmesan shavings

Fry the chicken thighs on both sides. Season and fry in the oven for about 15 minutes, 200C. Leave to cool slightly. Fry the bacon crispy. Mix the dressing (see below). Wash and slice the lettuce roughly.Cut the ciabatta in cubes. Fry until crisp and golden in butter and oil. Lower the heat and add the pressed garlic. Take the chicken meat off the bone and chop roughly. 

Divide the lettuce between two plates. Add the dressing. Top with chicken and croutons. Add plenty of Parmesan shavings and place two bacon slices on top of the salad. Serve!

Caesar dressing

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1 tsp dijon mustard

80 ml vegetable oil

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan

1/2 garlic clove, pressed

1 anchovy, finely chopped

salt, white pepper

Mix the yolk with the mustard in a mixing bowl. Add the oil drop by drop while whisking. Add the lemon, Parmesan, garlic, anchovy and season with salt and pepper. 

Summer salad with sweet potato, aubergine, spring onions and feta

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This gorgeous weather needs some lighter food, don’t you think?! Especially if you like me live in a top floor flat with lots of skylights, that apart from letting light in also let the warmth in.

Last week I made this fantastic salad, and I have a feeling I will eat it all summer long. It is just that good. And apart from tasting good it is also good for you. Not bad, heh?

I ate it as it is pictured above, on its own, both for dinner one day and lunch the next. It would of course work well for a summer barbecue or a picnic too.

A salad is a salad; so look at the recipe below as a guide instead of a proper recipe. With the right ingredients you can’t go wrong.

Summer salad with sweet potato, aubergine, spring onions and feta, 2 portioner

2 baby aubergine

1 sweet potato

2 handfuls rocket

100 g feta

3 spring onions, chopped

½ lemon, the juice

extra virgin olive oil

salt, pepper

Wash the aubergine and cut into cubes of ½ x ½ cm. Peel the sweet potato and cut into equal cubes. Place in a roasting dish and coat with olive oil. Season. Roast unril soft, about 20-30 minutes, 200C.

When the vegetables are done, take out two salad bowls and put a handful of rocket in each. Divide the sweet potato and aubergine between the bowls and crumble the feta on top. Add the spring onions and dress the salad with lemon juice and a good olive oil. Season and dig in.

Ottolenghi inspired beans with spring onions and feta

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I have probably raved about Ottolenghis vegetarian cookbook Plenty enough for you to know that I love it and use it quite a lot.

The only ‘problem’ I have with the some of the recipes are the more uncommon ingredients that are sometimes required. At least uncommon when not found in a London supermarket. If you live in the countryside and have your own garden it is of course different.

I found a lovely recipe of fried butterbeans with feta, springonions and sorrel. Sorrel being that difficult ingredient to find in a London supermarket this time of year.

Because of omitting the sorrel and making a few other substitutes, this is not an Ottolenghi recipe anymore, but close enough. If you want the real deal, then look in his book and make sure you source some sorrel.

I ate this bean salad as it is with some nice bread for supper, but you can easily serve it as a side dish at a barbecue, instead of mash with sausages or any other way you want.

Ottolenghi inspired beans with spring onions and feta, serves 2

1 can (400g) cannellini beans

plenty of butter and oil for frying

1 garlic clove

1 red chilli, finely chopped

8 spring onions, chopped

2 tsp sumac

1/2 lemon, the juice

1/2 tsp salt

more olive oil

as much crumbled feta as you like

Rinse the beans and drain. Heat up the butter and oil in a frying pan and only add enough beans to cover the bottom, to fry them in batches. Fry until the beans are golden brown, remove and fry the other batch(es). Add the garlic, chilli and onions to the last batch. Fry for a couple of minutes and add the other beans. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and sumac. Add salt and olive oil and lastly the feta.

Barbecue and canapés with girolles

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The second day in Southern Sweden we spent the day in Falsterbo, a lovely little town by the seaside because Christopher was playing golf with Claes there all day, at a links course with insane amounts of water but nice views. I don’t play golf, so I spent the day with my best friend Emma (Claes’s fiancée). We gossiped a lot, had lunch at a nice café and prepared dinner for the boys. When they got back feeling tired after a day outside, we bribed them with beer to light the barbecue, while we took care of the rest of the cooking.

When we went to the supermarket I was pleased to see that they had lots of fresh girolles, that are in season now. It is my favourite mushroom and I find it really sad that I can’t buy them in a normal supermarket here in the UK. Girolles are best paired with butter and garlic and they make out a simple, but delicious, canapé.

We also had souvlaki, a nice salad with cucumber, tomatoes, leafy mixed salad, red onions and plenty of feta and another salad with giant couscous, pitta and homemade tzatsiki.

Emma gave the sauce top marks! It tastes fantastic with fat yoghurt and a big glug of olive oil. Yu-um…

I prefer giant couscous to the smaller variety, it is chewier and tastes better I think. In the salad above I kept it really simple, adding just thin slivers of red onion, herb salt, olive oil and chopped parsley. Simple yet delicious.

Girolle canapés, serves 4

100-150 g girolles, brushed and chopped

1/2 solo garlic or 1 garlic clove, pressed

a large knob of butter (enough to coat the mushrooms generously but not enough for them to bathe in)

chopped parsley

a bag of readymade brushettinis (garlic and herb if available

Fry the girolles on high heat in some of the butter. Add more butter as well as the garlic and lower the heat (so the garlic won’t burn). Season and mix in the parsley. Scoop up onto the biscuits and serve.

Chicken satay with rice, peanut sauce and Asian-inspired salad

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These juicy chicken scewers are absolutely wonderful. You can serve them cold on a picnic; with a salsa dip as a canapé or with rice and peanut sauce as a fulfilling dinner. The chicken should in an ideal world be marinated for 48 hours, but if in a rush, over night will do fine.

Chicken, rice and peanut sauce needs vegetables. Both the fresh salad with pak choi and this pickled cucumber is a nice contrast to the thick and creamy sauce.

Chicken satay scewers, serves 2

300 g chicken fillets

6 garlic cloves, chopped

4 tsp ground coriander

4 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp black pepper (no, it is not a typo)

2 tsp salt

120 ml soy

4 tsp freshly grated ginger (or dried)

6 tbsp olive oil

Dice the chicken. Mix the ingredients for the marinade. Place both in a ziplock bag (bowl covered with cling film) and marinate at least over night in the fridge. Put the meat on scewers and fry in oil.

Asian-inspired salad, serves 2

2 pak choi

100 g sugar snaps

a handful radishes, thinly sliced

3 spring onions, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced

sesame seeds

1/2 lime, the juice

olive oil

Blanch the pak choien and sugar snaps. Plate, and add onions, radishes and sesame seeds. Add the lime juice and olive oil.

Peanut sauce, serves 2

200 g coconut milk

3-4 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1/2 lime, the juice

Bring the coconut milk to the boil. Add the peanut butter and let it cook for a few minutes. Add sweet chilli and lime juice until it is perfectly balanced.

Asian-inspired quick pickle

1/2 cucumber

acetic acid solution (1 part acetic acid to 7 parts water)

75 ml caster sugar

1 tsp salt

a splash of rice vinegar

1/2 red chilli, finely chopped

coriander, chopped

Slice the cucumber wuth a cheese slicer, mix with the chilli. Add sugar, salt, acetic acid solution to almost cover the mixture and rice vinegar. Add the coriander. Keeps in the fridge for a few days. 

Alaskan pollock with mustardy leeks and potato salad with cabbage

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My French colleague Fabienne is always very impressed by my cooking/baking skills and says that she can’t cook. I don’t believe her, I think all French women can cook. And so far she has not been able to convince me, especially not when passing on great recipes like this.

I am referring to the mustardy leeks which are divine although so very simple to make. It is just three ingredients, four if you want to use some nutmeg, and it goes so well with fish, especially if it is a bit plain like my Alaskan pollock above, fried in butter with lemon pepper. Together with a fresh potato salad this is healthy, cheap and delicious weekday food!

Alaskan pollock with mustardy leeks and potato salad with cabbage, serves 2

400 g Alskan pollock

butter

lemon pepper

Leeks:

2 large leeks, chopped

100-150 ml creme fraiche

2 tsp dijon mustard

salt & white pepper

Potato salad:

new potatoes

1 pointy cabbage, chopped

a few radishes, sliced

juice from 1/2 lemon

proper olive oil

chopped parsley

Start by cooking the potatoes. Cut them in half and leave to cool. Put the cabbage in boiling water just to blanch it. Drain after a few minutes. Rinse in cold water. Mix potatoes, cabbage, radishes, parsley, lemon, and oil and mix thoroughly. Place on a platter.

Fry the leeks on low heat in a saucepan until soft and not browned. Add creme fraicge and mustard. Season with salt and pepper (and nutmeg).

Fry the fish in butter. Season with lemon pepper. Serve! 

Broadbean salad with eggs, bacon and parmesan

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I had lived in the UK for two years when I heard about the Two Fat Ladies for the first time, via a Swedish food blog. Oh, the irony… I bought the DVD box straight away and although I love their cooking, the two ladies can be quite annoying to listen to at times.

But all is forgiven when trying their recipes. Like this broadbean salad. The original recipe had anchovies in it, which I substituted for the saltiness of the parmesan. This was a perfect lunch together with a creme fraiche based dressing (creme fraiche + mayo + Italian salad herbs) and a slice of bread.

Broadbean salad with eggs, bacon and parmesan, serves 1

200 ml fresh broadbeans, cooked

1 boiled egg (the way you prefer) cut into 4

3 slices streaky bacon, fried in pieces

olive oil

chopped parsley (or other herbs)

black pepper

parmesan

Mix beans, bacon, oil, parsley and black pepper. Plate and add eggs and parmesan.

Classic tomato salad

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After seeing this the other day, I craved tomato salad, something I haven’t eaten since I was in Provence in 2007. Weird, since it is such a nice and refreshing little salad. And incredibly easy to make. Just make sure you have nice tomatoes and this will be a perfect little side dish, especially with meat.

Classic tomato salad, serves 2

4 medium tomatoes

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt

black pepper

Slice the tomatoes and place them on a plate. Sprinkle the onion on top, and salt and freshly ground pepper. Whisk together mustard, vinegar and oil and pour over the salad. 

Mezze: amazing lamb scewers and Damascene lentil salad

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Another recipe courtesy of the carismathic Syrian chef is this phenomenal lentil salad with pasta. Unfortunately my stomach does not allow me to eat lentils, but I still wanted to make this for my friends.

Pasta is actually quite common in the Middle East among with other Italian influences such as pizza. This dish requires lasagne sheets, but I couldn’t find any egg-free lasagne sheets (to make it vegan) in the shops near work so I used fusilli instead. It worked well but I used a little bit too much pasta to get the perfect pasta-lentils ratio, so do use the measurements below. It was still a very tasty dish and this is great buffet food. (And cheap too.)

Damascene lentil salad (Harra s’bao), serves 4

230 ml lentils

2 lasagne sheets, semi-cooked, cut in finger-sized strips

1,4 l water

2 tsp salt

4 lonions, finely chopped

1/2 bunch coriander, chopped

4 garlic cloves, pressed

juice from 2 lemons

3-4 tbsp pomegranate molasses

240 ml olive oil

250 ml pomegranate seeds

Arabic croûtons

Bring the water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add salt, lentils and 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for 2o mins, covered, stirring occasionally.

Add the pasta after 20 minutes and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the pasta is cooked.

While the lentils are cooking, fry the onion brown in a frying pan, transfer to a bowl. In the same pan, fry the coriander for a minute (until wilted), add the garlic and fry on low heat. Place with the onions.

When the lentils are done, add olive oil and the rest of the ingredients. Top with Arabic croûtons and pomegranate seeds. 

As I told you earlier, everything was vegan apart from one meat dish, and that is the lamb scewers above. It might not be strictly Middle Eastern influences in this recipe, but it has the chilli and the cumin, and besides, it was too nice not to try!

And if you will be barbecuing just one thing this summer, make sure it is these scewers! The recipe is courtesy of the lovely Rejina at Gastrogeek and you find the recipe here.

I marinated the meat for 2 days to cram in as much flavour as possible, but since we don’t have a barbecue (or a garden, sob) I cooked them in the oven for 15 minutes or so and a few minutes under the grill at the end.