Basmati Salad – from leftover, to lively !

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I haven’t done a War On Waste recipe for ages – perhaps it’s because I’m getting much better at not wasting food. However, I miscalculated last night’s dinner and ended up with an extra portion of basmati rice left over.

It stared accusingly from the fridge so I introduced it to a few other ingredients. In the right company, and given an overnight in the fridge to think about things, it has become a lot livelier than it was before.

For quick and lively side-salad for 2 – 3 people you will need...

Salad

1 portion of cooked basmati rice, cold

1 large ripe tomato, diced

1 Braeburn apple, (or other crisp sweet-tart apple) skin on, diced

1 spring onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped pickled jalapeno peppers (optional)

25g walnuts, finely chopped

25g sultanas

1 teaspoon very finely shredded fresh mint 

Dressing

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 heaped teaspoon wholegrain mustard

¼ teaspoon fine table salt

a little freshly ground black pepper 

In a mixing bowl combine the salad ingredients.

Place the dressing ingredients in a screw top (or tightly-lidded) jar and shake well to combine. Pour over the salad and toss lightly to coat all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for about half an hour to allow the rice to soak up the flavours.

This will keep some grilled skate company on my plate this evening.

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Belly Dancing Tabbouleh - Hurray !

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Although a seemingly simple salad with just a handful of ingredients, Tabbouleh can kill or kiss your taste buds.

In the West, we seem to be a little heavy-handed with the bulghur wheat element, when it is essentially a parsley salad, meant to cleanse the palate. However, while I love parsley, recipes calling for five hundred grams of the stuff are overkill as far as my (admittedly, Western) palate is concerned. Five hundred grams is about 5 large bunches of parsley - or enough to garnish every single dish from Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course, desserts included.

I have aimed for a happy medium with this recipe, including a few extra ingredients which obviously don’t belong in a palate cleanser: onion and garlic are not traditional but they make sure this salad doesn’t sit alone and unloved at a party or barbeque, but is up there showing off what it learnt at belly-dancing class.

Don’t be tempted to use your food processor to deal with the parsley. It will turn it into horrible green mud. To shine in this salad, the parsley (and mint) needs to be shredded as thinly as you can possible manage, using a sharp, sharp knife. The salad vegetables should be finely diced or chopped so that they resemble little jewels. 

For my ‘happy medium’ Tabbouleh, you will need...

475mls water

150mls freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (yellow part only)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

175g bulghur wheat

1 medium red onion (about the size of a tennis ball), peeled and finely chopped

400g ripe tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice

300g cucumber, finely diced, skin included

200g flat leafed parsley (stalks removed), washed, dried and finely shredded

10g fresh mint leaves, finely shredded 

Dressing

125mls extra virgin olive oil

50mls freshly squeezed lemon juice

a small clove of garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Place the water, lemon juice and zest, and the cinnamon in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Place the bulghur wheat in a large heatproof bowl. When the contents of the saucepan have come to the boil, carefully pour over the bulghur wheat. Set aside until cooled.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables and herbs as described in the ingredient list above.

To make the dressing, simply place the dressing ingredients in a jam jar (or similar) with a screw-top lid and shake until combined.

When the bulghur wheat has absorbed most of the liquid and has cooled, drain it in a large colander or sieve and rinse by carefully pouring about 500mls of boiling water over it to remove any excess starch that could make the dish stodgy, and leave to drain and cool once more.

Place the cooled bulghur wheat in a large bowl and gently fluff the grains with a fork to separate them. Add the herbs, vegetables and dressing and gently combine. This salad is best made a day in advance so that the flavours have a chance to meld and mellow. It will keep, covered, in the fridge for about 4 days.

For a low-cal Tabbouleh delivery system use endive leaves to scoop it up!

Variation: add finely diced feta to the salad for an extra layer of flavour. 

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Roasted Panzanella with Lemon and Caper Dressing - almost too good to be true!

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This week has been almost too good to be true. According to my email, I am the beneficiary of several generous inheritances – mostly from people I’ve never heard of in Nigeria and South America.

Some random investor in China is prepared to lend me buckets of cash with no collateral required. Meanwhile, though I cannot for the life of me remember buying a ticket, it appears I have also won the Italian state lottery this week, so I won’t need to take Mr Wong up on his generous offer.

I am feeling quite overwhelmed by these riches that are – apparently – coming my way. Don't worry, I’m not going to lose the run of myself. Until the cash actually arrives, I will continue to live a simple life.

With that in mind, I have stoked up a hunger for simple, peasant food. Panzanella springs to mind. It is a thrifty Italian salad mainly of tomato, and yesterday’s bread. I’ve added roasted vegetables for punchier flavour and a more substantial dish. The dressing is inspired by my caper-hating sister-in-law, Rosie, who recently made the most incredibly delicious caper-laced, lemony tapenade.

To serve 4 as a main, or 6 – 8 as a side you will need...
... to pre-heat the oven to 180°C

For the roasted vegetables

1 red onion, peeled, leaving the root intact

1 large red pepper, cut into large pieces

200g courgettes, cut into 2cm cubes

400g fresh tomatoes (a variety of different types if possible) cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1                    First cut the red onion into 8 wedges, making sure each wedge gets a share of the root (this helps keep the onion pieces whole during cooking).

2                    Mix gently with the rest of the ingredients until coated in olive oil. Transfer to a shallow baking tray, spreading the vegetables out as much as possible so that they roast evenly. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until they start to blacken at the edges. Leave to cool in the baking tray. While the vegetables are cooking, make the croutons

For the croutons

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon Herbes de Provence (or dried basil)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

125g white country bread, ciabatta or baguette, cut into bite-sized cubes 

3                    Mix the first four ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the cubes of bread and turning them in the garlicky oil until it has been absorbed and the cubes are coated evenly.

4                    Transfer to a shallow baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 5 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Turn the croutons over and replace in the oven for a further 2 minutes. (Set a timer as they go from golden to charcoal in no time). Leave to cool on the baking tray. 

 

Simple ingredients, magical food...

 

For the lemon and caper dressing

4 tablespoons sunflower oil (or other light flavourless oil)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (if you don’t have fresh juice, use white wine vinegar instead)

1 heaped teaspoon capers, rinsed to remove any vinegar or salt, then very finely chopped

½ clove garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon salt

 

5                    Place all the dressing ingredients in my Super Salad Shaker (a.k.a. a jam jar with a lid), seal tightly and shake until combined. Couldn’t be simpler.

 

Seal tightly to avoid dressing the kitchen and self in delicious lemony dressing...

To assemble the salad...

 

While the vegetables and croutons are cooling you will need...

200g fresh tomatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks

150g cucumber, skin on, cut into bite-sized chunks

12 fat black olives, stones removed

Fresh basil 

6                    Place the tomatoes, cucumber and olives in a large serving bowl or platter.

7                    When the roasted vegetables and croutons have cooled, add them to the serving dish along with approximately 12 basil leaves and spoon most of the dressing over, turning the contents of the dish gently to coat them evenly with the dressing. Cover and leave in a cool place (but not the fridge unless you want woolly-textured tomatoes) for at least 30 minutes for the flavours to meld (alchemy at work!) or up to 12 hours. 

I feel a picnic coming on...

 

Taste-tester verdict:

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Horiatiki with Watermelon and Cucumber Pickle – Food of the Gods!

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A Greek holiday for your tastebuds...

I tend not to make too many Greek dishes – Greek food reminds me of the unfortunate incident with my landlord’s grandmother... However I’ve taken inspiration from all the gorgeous watermelon pickles I’ve seen on the blogosphere over the past few weeks and ringed the changes on a Greek favourite – Horiatiki – or Greek Salad.

The sweet-salty Watermelon and Cucumber Pickle is ready in an hour. It concentrates the flavour of the watermelon and the cucumber, makes the onion into a mild mannered creature and marries wonderfully with salty Feta and olives.

Taste-tester said: Opa! Food of the Gods!

For 4 servings you will need…

Pickle

250g watermelon, deseeded and cut into bite-sized chunks

250g cucumber, skin on, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 small onion, red or white (about 100g) cut in half then shredded

1 tablespoon of caster sugar

Salad

1 teaspoon of fine table salt

2 large tomatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks, or 20 cherry tomatoes

12 fat Kalamata olives (or other decent black olives)

200g Feta cheese, cut into bite-sized cubes

1 tablespoon finely shredded fresh mint

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1.                  Place the watermelon, cucumber and onion in a glass bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar and salt. Mix gently and cover before refrigerating for an hour.

2.                  When you are ready to eat, remove the pickle from the fridge, drain off the liquid and pat dry using kitchen paper. Place in a serving dish.

3.                  Add the salad ingredients, finishing with the Feta, sprinkled with mint and oregano. Drizzle with the olive oil just before serving. Marvel that something so simple can be so magical.

 

Chop, sprinkle, mix, refrigerate - it's that simple!

By the way, the pickle makes a nice side just as is and the salad is an excellent picnic food that won’t get soggy if it needs to stand by for a few hours.

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