WINTER SALADS
Winter and salad seem like opposing concepts, but the cooler weather doesn’t mean you have to forego enjoying salads. Forget the highly priced cucumber and tomato though and celebrate what’s in season.
Here are a few of my suggestions.
cARROT COUSCOUS
I love this salad all year around, in the summer with BBQ chicken or lamb especially. But in the winter months it really comes in handy to pull out as it gives you a fresh salad that holds up to dishes like Tagine, curry (like RedKitchens Butter Chicken) or my pick RedKitchens Braised Beef.
Ingredients:
1 cup couscous
½ cup boiling water
¾ cup orange juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 carrots, peeled and julienned*
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
½ cup currants
1 cup each of fresh coriander, mint and Italian parsley, roughly chopped
120g packet rocket
Place the couscous, boiling water, ½ a cup of the orange juice and a pinch of salt in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
Meanwhile, make the dressing by placing the oil, remaining orange juice, vinegar, garlic and mustard in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
Fluff the couscous with a fork and add the carrots, almonds, currants and herbs. Mix through the dressing, then place on a bed of rocket.
Grilled Baby Cos with Lemon and Anchovy Dressing
This salad breaks all the rules! The lettuce is cooked, and it is best dressed and left for a few minutes before serving.
Taking its inspiration from a Caesar salad, the traditional creamy mayonnaise is replaced with a vinaigrette. The cos is grilled, something you could do in the winter on a gridle pan, and then drizzled with the dressing, soaking up the flavours of the lemon and anchovy to accompany the smokiness from the grill.
Delicious with RedKitchens Prime Beef & Pork Cannelloni
Lemon and Anchovy Dressing
¼ cup lemon juice
4 anchovy fillets
½ cup olive oil
½ tsp wholegrain mustard
salt & pepper
For the salad
Freshly grated Parmesan
Baby cos lettuces
To make the dressing
Place all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until combined. Alternatively place in a bowl and use a stick blender.
Slice the cos in half and place flat (or cut) side down onto a hot grill. Cook for 3‒4 minutes until charred. Place charred side up on a platter and drizzle with the dressing.
Allow to cool before sprinkling over Parmesan. Serve with more dressing on the side.
Raw Winter Salad with Mandarins and Almonds
Hate Brussels sprouts? It’s time to give them another go and this salad is perfect. Thinly sliced and raw, they have a milder flavour than the sulphurous ones you remember from when your mum boiled them to within an inch of their life.
This salad is also proof that you can enjoy both salads and raw food during the winter months. Enjoy this salad with RedKitchens Beef Cheek Cottage Pie.
Ingredients:
12 Brussels sprouts
1 fennel bulb
1 head of broccoli
½ cup sliced almonds
8 mandarins
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
zest of half an orange
¼ cup orange juice
2 tbsp raw honey
pinch salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Thinly slice the Brussels sprouts, fennel and broccoli. I find a mandolin great for this job, but a sharp knife will also do the trick. Toss with the almonds and mandarinsegments and the dressing.
To make the dressing, place the remaining ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine.
Serve on its own or with seared five spiced duck breast, Chinese style pork belly or roast chicken.
Recipes by Vicki Ravlich-Horan.
When Vicki is not putting together Nourish Magazine she is travelling the world, hosting foodie tours or discovering new destinations. Check them out here www.tasteoftours.com
