Gorgonzola, Pear and Rocket Salad
Serves 4
Very stylish, very simple and very delicious. The perfect salad! The combination is perfect, but feel free to substitute Roquefort, Stilton or Fourme d'Ambert for the Gorgonzola.
20cm (8 in) piece French baguette (slightly stale is best)
50g (2oz) Gorgonzola cheese, rind removed
75g (3oz) ricotta cheese
50g (2oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 conference pears (ripe but firm)
100g (4oz) bag rocket, spinach and watercress salad (or similar)
25g (1oz) walnuts, coarsely chopped (lightly toasted or very fresh)
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 150C (300F), Gas mark 2. Cut the baguette on the diagonal into twelve very thin slices, discarding the ends. Arrange on a baking sheet and cook in the oven to 10-15 minutes until crisp and lightly golden.
2 Meanwhile, place the Gorgonzola in a bowl with the ricotta, butter, chives and lemon juice. Mash together with a fork until well blended and season generously with pepper.
3 Peel the pears, then remove the cores and cut into slices that will fit nicely on to the croutons. Spread the toasted croutons thickly with the Gorgonzola mixture and then arrange the pear slices in an overlapping layer on top.
4 Place the salad leaves in a large bowl with the walnuts and sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar. Season generously and lightly dress with the olive oil. Divide the salad leaves into wide-rimmed bowls and arrange three of the croutons on top of each one. Serve at once.
Chunky Greek Salad with Feta Cheese
Serves 4
This summer salad conjures up images of tavernas in the warm sun, where it is always dressed with just olive oil and never with vinaigrette as you may imagine. It is very transportable feast and needs nothing more than a hunk of crusty bread and a glass of gutsy red wine to make a fine light lunch.
1 red onion, roughly chopped
225g (8oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
150g (5oz) feta cheese, cut into thin slices
a handful of black olives (good quality)
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Soak the onions in a bowl of salted water for 5-10 minutes to remove their sharpness. Drain well on kitchen paper. Place in a serving bowl with the cherry tomatoes and cucumber, then mix gently to combine. Scatter over the feta and olives and then sprinkle over the parsley. Season to taste and drizzle over the olive oil. Serve at once.
Pomegranate, Orange and Mint Salad
Serves 4
Use the nicest sweet oranges you can find for this salad. It makes a refreshing starter on a hot day, or is perfect served with barbecued lamb or roast pork. It is also good as a side salad or between courses as a palate cleanser.
5-6 large oranges
1 large pomegranate, seeds removed
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
handful fresh mint leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 To get lovely slices of orange without any bitter pith; take a slice off the bottom and top of the orange, then carefully cut away the skin and pith following the curve of the orange, continue along the orange until you have removed all the peel and pith. Cut the orange into slices and repeat with the remaining oranges. Reserve any juice for the dressing.
2 Arrange the orange slices on a large glass plate and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Whisk together the olive oil and orange juice along with any pomegranate juice, then season to taste. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and then roughly tear the mint leaves and scatter on top to serve.
Roast salmon with sun-dried tomato pesto and beetroot salad
SERVES 4
There are no hard and fast rules for this salad, so don’t be afraid to play around with a few different ingredients depending on what you like.
4 x 100g (4oz) salmon fillets, scaled
1 heaped tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
(page 440)
100g (4oz) fresh salad leaves, such as
a mixture of rocket, watercress and
baby spinach
175g (6oz) cooked baby beetroot, cut
into wedges
1 firm, ripe avocado, peeled, stoned
and cut into small chunks
8 fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tsp snipped fresh chives
FOR THE DRESSING:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
pinch of caster sugar
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).
2 Arrange the salmon fillets in a small baking tin lined with non-stick baking paper, then brush each one with a little of the sun-dried tomato pesto and season to taste. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until just cooked through and lightly golden. Leave to cool, then roughly flake the flesh, discarding any bones and the skin.
3 To serve, arrange the salad leaves on plates and scatter the beetroot, avocado, basil and chives on top, then scatter over the salmon flakes.
4 To make the dressing, place the olive oil in a screw-top jar with the vinegar, mustard, sugar and seasoning, then shake to form an emulsion. Drizzle over the salad to serve.
Grilled chicken salad with roasted red pepper dressing
SERVES 4
This is a great main course salad. The simple marinade for the chicken does everything you could wish for and helps to keep it moist during cooking. If you want to cook the chicken on a charcoal barbecue, light it 30 minutes before you want to star t cooking. If using a gas barbecue, light it 10 minutes beforehand.
4 chicken breast fillets, skin on
2 heads of romaine lettuce, separated
into leaves and roughly cut or torn
FOR THE MARINADE:
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
FOR THE ROASTED RED PEPPER DRESSING:
1 tbsp lemon rapeseed oil
(preferably Donegal Rapeseed Oil)
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 small roasted red pepper, finely
diced (from a jar is fine)
5 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
finely grated rind of ½ lemon
2 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp snipped fresh chives
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper
1 To make the marinade, place the soy sauce in a shallow non-metallic dish with the honey, sweet chilli sauce and garlic and mix well to combine. Make 3 shallow diagonal slashes into each chicken breast and place them in the dish, turning to coat. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight is perfect if time allows.
2 When ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium. Arrange the marinated chicken pieces and cook under the grill for 7–8 minutes on each side, until cooked through, brushing regularly with any remaining excess marinade. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then cut into slices.
3 To prepare the roasted red pepper dressing, warm the lemon rapeseed oil in a small pan. Gently fry the onion and roasted pepper for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the extra virgin rapeseed oil and vinegar, then add the lemon rind and sugar. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, until bubbling and warmed through. Season to taste and stir in the herbs. Keep warm.
4 To serve, arrange the lettuce leaves around large bowls or plates, scatter the chicken over the salad and drizzle with enough of the roasted red pepper dressing to nicely coat. Any remaining dressing can be served in a small bowl at the table.
Three Tomato and Beetroot Salad with Harissa and Goat’s Cheese
SERVES 4
Boilíe goat’s cheese is wonderfully creamy yet has a mild flavour. It’s made in Cavan just a couple of miles up the road from the restaurant. I love using it and find myself returning to it again and again.
400g (14oz) cooked baby beetroot, halved
(drained from a jar is fine)
100g (4oz) red cherry tomatoes, halved
100g (4oz) yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
100g (4oz) vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
into thin wedges
12 Boilíe goat’s cheese balls, drained
(from a jar)
1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
DRESSING:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil,
plus extra sprigs to garnish
5 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp harissa paste
finely grated rind of ½ lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, then whisk until emulsified. Add the beetroot and various tomatoes and gently fold together to combine. Divide the salad between four plates or put on one large platter and arrange the goat’s cheese balls on top. Scatter over the toasted almonds and garnish with the basil sprigs to serve.