Guest chef Yael Shochat, of Ima restaurant, will be celebrating the Passover on Sunday. She provides three salads to celebrate a long weekend of feasting.
Grilled Carrot and Feta Salad
Grilling the carrots on the barbecue or a griddle pan will give you the best results, with a smoky flavourand crunchy texture. As an alternative, follow the directions below to use your oven instead.
The heart of the celery will provide a soft herb flavour but if you cannot get one, a peeled celery stick is a good substitute.
Ingredients: 4 large carrots ¼ cup plus 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided One celery heart (including the yellow leaves), or one stick of celery with the outer curve peeled to remove the fibres ½ cup kalamata olives 2 tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed with a rolling pin or mortar and pestle 1 tsp chilli flakes 200g good quality feta (I like to use Danish feta for its sharp taste and creamy texture) 70g Italian flat-leaf parsley
Method: Wash and peel the carrots, then slice lengthwise into ½ cm strips. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small strip off the side of your carrot, creating a flat surface. Place the carrot flat side down on the cutting board and make the remaining slices.
Using a barbecue or griddle pan: Preheat until very hot. Toss the carrot slices with ¼ cup olive oil, reserving the remainder, then grill for a few minutes, turning halfway through, until charred on both sides but still crunchy.
Using the oven: Heat the grill on high. Toss the carrot slices with ¼ cup olive oil, reserving the remainder, and arrange in a single layer on a large tray. Grill for a few minutes on each side until golden brown but still crunchy.
When the carrots are cool enough to handle, cut on the bias into 3cm pieces.
Finely chop the celery and olives. In a large bowl, mix together the carrots, celery, olives, remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil, caraway, and chilli.
Crumble the feta and finely chop the parsley. Toss into the carrot mixture just before serving.
Make ahead: The carrot mixture will keep in the refrigerator overnight. Add the feta and parsley only when serving.
Tabbouleh.
Tabbouleh
This version of tabbouleh uses cauliflower in place of the traditional bulgur wheat as it is lighter, fresher and also makes the salad gluten-free. Tabbouleh pairs exceptionally well with tahini and is a good partner to grilled meats, fish and falafel.
Ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped greens of cos lettuce (white spine cut away and discarded) 1 cup finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley ½ cup finely chopped mint ½ cup finely chopped spring onion (mostly green ends) ¼ cup chopped kalamata olives ¼ cup grated cauliflower florets (not the stems) ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup lemon juice Generous salt to taste
Method: Mix all the ingredients well and serve immediately.
Variations: Add one tomato, deseeded and chopped, to the mixture.
Three Rice Salad with Lentils and Roasted Vegetables
We use a blend of rices for this salad in the restaurant for the variety of flavours and textures but you can use an equal amount of any long-grain rice you prefer. For the spice mix, 2 tsp of each spice will give you enough for this recipe.
Serves four.
Ingredients: For the spice mixture: 2 tsp each of whole black peppercorns, cardamom seeds, broken cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and allspice seeds
For the salad: 1 large onion 3 cloves of garlic 3 cups uncooked long-grain rice (preferably a blend of black, red, and white) 2 cups flat green lentils 3 courgettes 2 eggplants 6 Tbsp chopped parsley 3 Tbsp chopped mint 3 Tbsp chopped coriander 1½ Tbsp chopped dill 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided 2 tsp flaky salt, plus more to taste Mint yoghurt (see below), to serve
Method: Finely grind all the spices together in a spice grinder. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan for which you have a lid on medium heat.
Saute the onion for 10 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and saute a further 2-3 minutes until also softened. Add the spices and cook, stirring, for one minute.
Finally add the rice and lentils, and cook, stirring, for another minute. Pour over the water, which should come 2cm above the top of the rice. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer about 15 minutes until the rice and lentils are cooked but retain a firm texture. If any water remains in the bottom of the pot, drain it away. Set the rice mixture aside to cool.
Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a large tray with baking paper. Slice the courgettes and eggplants lengthwise 1.5cm thick and toss with 3 Tbsp of the oil and 1 tsp of salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping once, until nicely browned on both sides. Set aside to cool.
Roughly chop the vegetables into 1-2cm pieces and mix them into the cooled rice. Stir through the chopped herbs and season to taste. Serve at room temperature with mint yoghurt on the side.
Make ahead: Vegetables can be roasted up to two days in advance. The assembled salad is best served fresh but can be refrigerated for up to two days. Return to room temperature before serving.
Mint Yoghurt
Makes 1 heaped cup
4–5 cloves roasted 1 tsp flaky salt 1 handful of mint leaves, finely chopped 1 cup unsweetened Greek yoghurt (not low-fat)
If making by hand: roughly chop the garlic and place it in a small heap on a sturdy chopping board with the salt on top. Use the flat side of a large knife to repeatedly scrape the salt into the garlic to produce a creamy texture. Stir the garlic mixture and chopped mint into the yoghurt.
If using a food processor: process all the ingredients together in a small food processor bowl until smooth. If you want to retain some of the texture of the mint leaves, process half the mint with the yoghurt, garlic and salt and then stir in the remaining mint.
You can serve the yoghurt immediately, but for the best flavour transfer it to a jar or bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 1 day) before serving.
