A fresh, bright and beautiful salad is the quickest way to liven up the table. Whether you're bringing a plate or hosting at home, these stunning dishes are perfect for summer eating.
Mixed tomato salad with tahini yoghurt and crisp capers
Juicy tomatoes, creamy tahini and crisp salty capers make a simple but super-tasty summer salad.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Tahini yoghurt
1 cup gluten-free thick plain yoghurt
½ cup tahini
2 tablespoons cold water
finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1½ teaspoons sea salt
Crisp capers
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup capers, patted dry with kitchen towels
To serve
800 grams assorted tomatoes, roughly chopped
zest 1 lemon
olive oil for drizzling
sea salt and ground pepper
Directions
Tahini yoghurt: Whisk everything together in a bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for one hour to firm up. This can be made 2 days ahead of using.
Crisp capers: Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan and when medium hot, add the capers and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until they have puffed up a little and are crisp. Drain on kitchen towels.
To serve: Spoon the tahini yoghurt onto a lipped serving plate then use the back of a spoon to push it out to make a thick edge around the outside. Spoon the tomatoes into the centre. Scatter over the lemon zest and some of the capers then drizzle everything with olive oil and a grinding of pepper. Serve the remaining capers separately.
Roasted pumpkin, buckwheat and herb salad
I always leave the skin on when roasting the pumpkin as it adds a lovely texture and flavour to the salad. Don't overcook the buckwheat as you want it to remain in little nuggets rather soft.
Serves 6
Ingredients
¾ cup kasha (toasted buckwheat), rinsed and drained
1-kilogram butternut pumpkin, seeds removed, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 teaspoon harissa
sea salt and ground pepper
300 grams seedless red grapes, cut into smaller bunches
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
big handful mesclun leaves
Dressing
¾ cup sour cream
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan bake.
2. Add the kasha to a medium saucepan of boiling water. Bring back to the boil and cook for about 6-8 minutes, or until the kasha is still retaining its shape and has a little firmness to each grain. Drain and rinse in cold water then drain again well.
3. Brush the pumpkin with the combined olive oil and harissa and season with salt and pepper.
4. Place on a large baking tray along with the grapes and roast for about 25 minutes until tender. Set aside to cool.
5. Whisk all the ingredients together and season well.
To assemble: Place the kasha, pumpkin and grapes on a large serving platter. Spoon over the dressing, scatter over the hazelnuts and mesclun and and drizzle with olive oil.
Grilled eggplant, roasted tomatoes and burrata salad
Three of my favourite ingredients combine to make a stunning salad worthy of the Christmas table or simply served outside on the deck with crusty bread and something tasty off the barbecue.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants, each cut into 4 wedges
olive oil
sea salt and ground pepper
2 stems vine tomatoes
1-2 balls burrata, mozzarella, or stracciatella cheese
Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon runny honey
To serve
Crispy gremolata crumbs (see recipe below)
Basil leaves to garnish
Crispy gremolata crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
finely grated zest 1 lemon
¼ cup pine nuts
1½ cups coarse,
fresh breadcrumbs (we used sourdough)
¼ cup chopped parsley
sea salt and ground pepper
Directions
1. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
2. Place the eggplant on one tray. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the tomatoes on the second tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast the eggplant for about 25 minutes until tender and roast the tomatoes for 10 minutes. Set both aside to cool.
3. Whisk dressing ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
4. Arrange the eggplant and tomatoes on a platter. Break the burrata over a bowl to catch the liquid then dot among the vegetables. Drizzle over the dressing then scatter over some of the breadcrumbs and the basil. Serve the remaining breadcrumbs separately.
5. For the gremolata crumbs, eat the oil and butter in a sauté pan. Add all the ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Season with salt and pepper. The crumbs will crisp up as they cool.
Find more great recipes at dish.co.nz