Summer Salads

There's a wonderful array of seasonal veg throughout the entire British summer, so make the most of it with these imaginative salads.   Simply serve with crusty granary bread, or finish with a fruit salad for a satisfying, fast and healthy light lunch or mid-week supper that packs in several of those 5-a-day.

New Potato & Chicken Salad

This is a quick and easy meal, great for midweek or for summer parties. 

Ingredients

Serves 4

500g British new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
2 tbsp raspberry or red wine vinegar
5 tbsp ale
3 tsp clear honey
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cut into strips
200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, diced
50 g bag rocket leaves
Fresh rasperries to garnish

Method

1. Combine 1 tablespoons of vinegar, 2 tablespoons  ale, 1 teaspoon honey, ½ tablespoons oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir in the chicken.

2. Place the new potatoes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender then drain and allow to cool slightly. Mix with the tomatoes, cucumber and rocket.

3. Meanwhile heat a little oil in a large frying pan, remove the chicken from the marinade and stir fry for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through and browned. Stir into the salad.

4. In the frying pan, heat the remaining vinegar, ale, honey, oil, salt and pepper and bring to the boil and reduce by half. Pour over the salad and toss well. Serve warm, garnished with fresh raspberries.

Baked sweet potatoes with their bright orange flesh and nutty flavour can make the simplest of suppers. Throw them in the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes then top with a hot and sweet prawn mix and a cooling dollop of soured cream. 

Steamed Flat Beans & Brie Salad

The crunch of the beans, the crispiness of bacon and the ripeness of the brie offers a real earthy salad. This salad is best served warm so make the dressing first so all the components are ready to serve.  

Ingredients

Serves 4

½ lemon, zest and juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g flat beans, cut diagonally in to 3 cm pieces
50g lardoons or bacon bits
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
150g wedge brie cheese
Handful of rocket

Method

1. In a bowl mix the lemon zest, juice, 2 tbsp oil, parsley and seasoning for the dressing.

2. Place the beans into a steamer and cook for 4-6 minutes or until tender but still crisp.

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan and cook the lardons or bacon for 3-4 minutes until beginning to crisp. Drain on a sheet of kitchen paper. Add the tomatoes to the hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they start to burst.

4. Add the beans, bacon and tomatoes to the dressing and toss gently.

5. Slice the brie into 6 and place 3 slices on each plate. Top with the bean, bacon, tomatoes and the dressing and a bundle of rocket.  Delicious served with crusty bread.

Alternative Suggestions: For added crunch add a handful of walnuts or substitute the brie with gorgonzola or dolcelatta

Runner Bean Salad With Roasted Tomatoes 

This quick and easy salad is bright and colourful. If you don’t have one, it is worth buying a runner bean slicing gadget which costs pennies as it makes slicing the beans so easy. Serve this salad straight away with cold meats or quiche. If you can’t get hold of fresh thyme, you can use fresh basil. This is also delicious with sliced mushrooms in place of the tomatoes. 

Ingredients

Serves 4

300g cherry tomatoes
250g runner beans, top and tailed
3 tbsp olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C, gas mark 7. Place the cherry tomatoes in a roasting tin. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season.

2. Roast on the highest shelf of the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the tomatoes are just starting to pop their skins.

3. Meanwhile slice the beans into thin ribbons and blanch in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes until just tender. Refresh under cold running water and drain well.

4. Place the beans and tomatoes on a serving dish. Remove the leaves from the thyme and mix with the remaining oil and lemon juice. Season to taste, pour over the beans and serve straight away.

Warm Potato, Spinach & Bacon Salad

Ingredients

Serves 2 for a light lunch
Serves 4 as a starter

500g new or salad potatoes, scrubbed and cut into thick slices
1 tbsp. olive oil
240g pack smoked back bacon, chopped
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. clear honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
225g baby spinach leaves, washed

Method

1. Place the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the bacon until crispy.

3. Add the potatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the vinegar, honey and seasoning and cook for a further minute.

5. Allow to cool slightly before tossing onto the spinach leaves.

6. Serve immediately.

Warm Chard Salad With Carrots & Balsamic Vinegar 

It is often said that with chard you get two vegetables in one. The stalks are like a sweeter, less astringent version of celery when lightly braised as they are here. The leaves are not unlike spinach, although they hold their shape better when cooked. This is a great light lunch, and an excellent side dish for grilled fish. 

Ingredients

Serves 4

3 carrots, topped and tailed (approx. weight 400g)
2 tbsp olive oil
500g chard
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200oC, gas mark 6.

2. Scrub but don’t peel the carrots and cut them diagonally into 2 cm thick slices. Toss the carrots in 1 tbsp of the oil and transfer them to a baking tray, bake for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, wash the chard and tear the leaves from the stalks. Slice the stalks into similar sized pieces to the carrots and shred the leaves roughly. Keep them separated and set both aside. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and when it is hot add the garlic. A minute so later add the chard stalks, salt and vinegar. Stir, cover and allow to ‘sweat’ on a very low heat for 10 minutes, or until the stalks are very tender. When they are, add the leaves to the pot and until they have wilted.

4. Mix the carrots with the leaves and all their juices in a large mixing bowl then season to taste. Garnish with sesame seeds or pine nuts if you wish, or for a more indulgent version, use shavings of your favourite crumbly cheese. Parmesan or a mature Lancashire is ideal.

Web Links

Think Vegetables contains all you need to know about veg! Visit http://www.thinkvegetables.co.uk

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