Calamari and shell pasta salad
In this salad, PG (parsley and garlic) paste is the marinade and the dressing, the dual fuel that’s full of flavour. You can eat this warm or cold. The quickly blanched calamari is terrific texturally against the al dente shells, and I quite enjoy the play of an oceanic pasta shape and protein. Don’t overcook the calamari and if you’d prefer to keep this plant based, sub in cooked chickpeas or big white beans.
Serves 4-6
• 350g fresh calamari, sliced into 5mm rings
• ½ cup (85g) small capers, rinsed and drained
• 200g sugar plum cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 200g small shell pasta
PG dressing
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1 garlic bulb (about 10 cloves), cloves separated and peeled
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup (250ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for splashing
• 1 tsp salt flakes
Final bits & bobs
• Lemon wedges (optional)
Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, make the PG dressing. Pick half a packed cup of the smaller parsley leaves and set aside for the garnish. Put the rest of the unpicked parsley bunch (stalks and all), garlic cloves, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and salt into a blender. Blitz to a verdant green paste and transfer to a mixing bowl. When the water is boiling, add the calamari and cook for 30 seconds, then scoop out, tap to drain and dump into the PG dressing, along with the capers and tomatoes. Wait until the water comes back to the boil, throw in the pasta shells and cook for 2 minutes less than suggested on the packet. Drain and rinse, then toss onto a tray with a splash of extra olive oil and spread out in one layer to cool down quickly and dry out a bit. Swoosh off the tray into the PG dressing, along with the reserved parsley leaves, and toss everything together. Tumble on to a platter and serve with lemon wedges, if using, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Grilled peach salad with burrata and green peppercorns
As far as stone fruit, adjectives and emojis go, peaches promise playfulness and satisfaction. Even the hardest, hapless peach is not irredeemable. Lacklustre peaches can be dialled up with time on the barbecue, their natural zip and sweetness caramelising to something entirely more sophisticated (plums and nectarines are also happy grillers). If your peaches are already super sweet, don’t even bother grilling – just slice into wedges and serve with the rest. If you’ve snapped up green peppercorns for this, use the rest to make a sauce for roast veges or steak. Pink peppercorns fit the bill if you can’t find green – just halve the quantity and grind with a mortar and pestle. Buffalo mozzarella is a worthy stand-in for burrata.
Serves 4-6
• 6-8 firm ripe freestone peaches
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing
Green peppercorn vinaigrette
• 1 bruised garlic clove
• 1 tsp green peppercorns, chopped
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp salt flakes
Final bits & bobs
• 2-3 burrata balls, about 120g each, drained
• ¼ cup loosely packed mint leaves
• 2 tbsp finely sliced chives
Heat a barbecue grill plate or heavy-based griddle pan on medium heat. Have a piece of baking paper and foil handy (this will help keep the peaches intact, without leaving half the best bits on the grill). Cut peaches in half and remove the stone. Brush the cut peach halves with a little of the olive oil. Lie the baking paper on top of the foil, then lie it foil-side down onto the hot grill, placing the peaches cut-side down on top of the baking paper. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the peaches have burnished evenly, softening slightly, then turn over to just warm through. Meanwhile, to make the vinaigrette, put all of the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until emulsified. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Place the peaches cut-side up on a serving platter, leaving gaps for the burrata balls. Remove the garlic clove from the vinaigrette and pour the dressing over the peaches while they are still hot. Blob in the burrata, scatter with the mint leaves and finely sliced chives, then dress with salt and pepper and a final flourish of olive oil.
Eggplant and capsicum with fermented black bean dressing
A salad featuring hardboiled eggs screams any-time-of-day option, from 8am to 8pm. You may have tasted fermented black bean as a sauce in Cantonese cookery, but if it’s new to you, imagine a nuttier Vegemite (or whatever “yeast extract spread” appeals to you). Fermented black bean is usually sold vac-packed; it’s preserved in salt, which can be intimidating, but once you get your head around rinsing and soaking, you’ll be able to unlock unbelievable umami in your dishes (and it’s got great shelf life, too). You could also repurpose leftover roast vegetables through this salad.
Serves 4-6
• 1kg mixed sweet capsicums, cored and sliced into rounds
• ¼ cup (60ml) neutral oil
• 3-4 Japanese eggplants (about 500g) sliced into 1cm discs
• 4 eggs
Fermented black bean dressing
• 1 heaped tbsp salted fermented black beans
• ¼ cup (60ml) neutral oil
• 4 golden shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 thumb of ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
Final bits & bobs
• 2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
Preheat the oven to 200°C or 180°C fan forced. Toss the capsicum with half the neutral oil, spread out on a baking tray, reserving the oily bowl. Toss eggplant in the rest of the oil, then lie on a second baking tray. Roast for 15 minutes, then give the eggplants a flip and continue cooking both trays for another 15 minutes until the skin of the capsicum has started to blacken and blister and the eggplant is golden and soft in the middle. The eggplant may need another 5-10 minutes after the capsicum comes out to really get some colour on it (more is always more with eggplant). Make the dressing by rinsing the black beans in warm water, then covering with more warm water to soak for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, pop the neutral oil and sliced shallots into a small saucepan and heat until the shallot starts to soften and turn slightly golden. Add the garlic and ginger and toss about until deeply aromatic. Chuck in the soaked and drained black beans, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and honey, and toss about to combine. Bring back to a sizzle, then switch off the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Boil the eggs in a small saucepan, liberally covered with cold water. When the water’s boiling, set a timer for 6 minutes. Cool immediately by running under the tap or popping them into a bowl of cold water. When cooled enough to handle, peel and set aside. Put the capsicum (no need to peel) and eggplant on a platter. Cut the boiled eggs in half and nestle them into the salad. Drizzle with the dressing and scatter spring onion on top. l
An edited extract from Salad for Days by Alice Zaslavsky (Murdoch Books, RRP $49.99).
