With summer around the corner, the clocks have changed, days are becoming longer with excitement in the air. Everyone is preparing for the summer by getting their tan at a salon, frequenting the gym, people have taken to running and cycling along the Thames. What better way to get into shape than with some scrumptious unusual salads. I found these delicious summer salad recipes from Jamie Oliver, which were too good not to share:
SUMMER CHICKPEA SALAD
INGREDIENTS:
1 small red onion, peeled
1-2 fresh red chillies, deseeded
2 handfuls ripe red or yellow tomatoes
1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
410 g tinned chickpeas, drained, or around 4 large handfuls of soaked and cooked chickpeas
1 handful fresh mint, chopped
1 handful fresh green or purple basil, finely ripped
100 g feta cheese
Chickpeas are pretty under-used in this country, to be honest. In places like Morocco, Italy and Spain they are prized like our Jersey new potato. Still, we have a lot more choice now than we used to have. If you go to a Spanish deli or specialist counter, you will generally be able to find jars of cooked chickpeas in water and these are the ones you want to make this salad really good. They should look a little plumper than tinned chickpeas but, of course, both tinned ones or dried ones can be used successfully. This salad is a great one for making up as you go along; you can use different spices, sun-dried tomatoes and spicy chorizo sausages, for instance.
First of all, finely slice your red onion. Once that’s done, finely slice your chillies then roughly chop your tomatoes, mixing them in with the onion and chillies. Scrape all of this, and the juice, into a bowl and dress with the juice of half a lemon and 3 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste. Heat the chickpeas in a pan, then add 90 per cent of them to the bowl. Mush up the remaining chickpeas and add these as well – they will give a nice creamy consistency. Allow to marinate for a little while and serve at room temperature.
Just as you’re ready to serve, give the salad a final dress with the fresh mint and basil. Taste one last time for seasoning – you may want to add the juice from your remaining lemon half at this point. Place on a nice serving dish and crumble over the feta cheese.
Whether it’s delicious vegetarian or best vegan recipes you’re after, or ideas for gluten or dairy-free dishes, you’ll find plenty here to inspire you. For more info on how we classify our lifestyle recipes please read our special diets fact sheet, or or for more information on how to plan your meals please see our special diets guidance.
SUMMER TOMATO AND HORSERADISH SALAD
INGREDIENTS:
4 large handfuls mixed tomatoes
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
good-quality red wine vinegar
½ clove garlic, grated
2 teaspoons fresh horseradish, grated, or jarred hot horseradish
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely sliced
For this salad it’s great to try and get a whole mixture of different tomatoes, at room temperature, nice and ripe. Let them sunbathe on the window ledge if need be! Try and get hold of fresh horseradish – give your greengrocer a challenge to get some in.
Cut the bigger tomatoes into slices about 1cm/½ inch thick. You can halve the cherry tomatoes or leave them whole. Then sprinkle them all with a good dusting of sea salt. Put them in a colander and leave them for 30 minutes. What’s going to happen here is that the salt will draw the excess moisture out of the tomatoes, intensifying their flavour. Don’t worry about the salad being too salty, as a lot of the salt drips away.
Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and dress with enough extra virgin olive oil to loosen (approximately 6 tablespoons), and 1–2 tablespoons of vinegar, but do add these to your own taste. Toss around and check for seasoning – you may or may not need salt but will certainly need pepper. Add the garlic. Now start to add the horseradish. Stir in a couple of teaspoons to begin with, toss around and taste. If you like it a bit hotter, add a bit more horseradish. All I do now is get some finely sliced flat-leaf parsley (stalks and leaves) and mix this into the tomatoes. Toss everything together and serve as a wonderful salad, making sure you mop up all the juices with some nice squashy bread.
This salad is fantastic with roast beef, goat’s cheese or jacket potatoes. And to be honest, even if you put these tomatoes in a roasting tray and roasted them with some sausages scattered around them it would be nice.
Whether it’s delicious vegetarian or vegan recipes you’re after, or ideas for gluten or dairy-free dishes, you’ll find plenty here to inspire you. For more info on how we classify our lifestyle recipes please read our special diets fact sheet, or or for more information on how to plan your meals please see our special diets guidance.
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