Take some fresh vegetables,herbs and grains and add a few bright flavour notes and boom! You have yourself a simple yet interesting salad for any occasion. Here are five to try from Dutch recipe writer Janneke Philippi's new cookbook,Salad.
Farro salad with grilled vegetables and spinach
Farro is not actually one type of grain,but the collective name for various ancient Roman grain types. Whatever it is,farro is popular in our home. If I've run out of farro in my pantry,I replace it with spelt or burghul wheat.
INGREDIENTS
- 150g farro
- 1 red capsicum
- 1 yellow capsicum
- 1 orange capsicum
- 1 zucchini
- 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
- 100g semi-sun-dried tomatoes
- 70ml extra virgin olive oil
- good handful of baby spinach
METHOD
- Cook the farro according to the packet instructions. Drain,rinse under cold running water,then set aside to drain well.
- Cut the capsicums into strips or pieces. Slice the zucchini into ribbons.
- Heat a chargrill pan. In a bowl,mix the vegetables with the olive oil. Grill in batches for 4-5 minutes,until the vegetables are al dente and have nice grill marks.
- Mix the farro with the sun-dried tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil.
- Toss the grilled vegetables and spinach through the farro. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve.
Serves4
Couscous salad with roasted sweet potato and artichoke
Instead of sweet potato,you can also use carrot,Jerusalem artichoke,pumpkin,celeriac or parsnip. For a fuller flavour and extra fibre,use wholemeal couscous.
INGREDIENTS
Kisir (burghul salad from Turkey)
This burghul salad owes its red colour to the biber salcasi,a Turkish chilli paste made with either hot or mild sweet peppers,which you can find in jars at your Turkish grocer and some supermarkets. You can substitute tomato paste and spice up the salad with red chilli flakes. Make kisir well ahead of time,so that the flavours have the chance to develop.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp biber salcasi (Turkish pepper paste)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 300g fine burghul wheat
- 3 tomatoes
- 3 spring onions
- handful of fresh herbs,such as mint,oregano and/or flat-leaf parsley
- 3 lemons
- extra virgin olive oil
- METHOD
- Chop the onion and finely chop the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan,add the onion and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the biber salcasi and cumin and cook for another 1 minute.
- Add the burghul wheat to the pan and fry for 1 minute more. Pour in 400ml of hot water and bring to the boil.
- Take the pan off the heat,cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff the burghul wheat with a fork and let it cool down to room temperature.
- Quarter the tomatoes,remove the seeds and cut the flesh into small cubes. Slice the spring onions and finely chop the herbs. Cut two of the lemons into wedges. Add the tomato,spring onion and herbs to the burghul wheat. Season the salad with the juice of the remaining lemon and salt and pepper.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with the lemon wedges.
Spiced freekeh herb salad
Freekeh comes from the Middle East and is an unripe harvested wheat. After drying,the green grain is lightly roasted and broken into pieces. This provides a firm bite and a nutty,toasted flavour.
INGREDIENTS
- 200g cracked freekeh
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 red chilli
- 1 bunch dill
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 3 spring onions
- 1 lemon
- 60ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
METHOD