Salad Days

I know I live in California and am therefore not supposed to complain about the weather, but hey, the last couple of days, the needle has spiked over 90 degrees. I just wasn't made to withstand that kind of heat; my skin burns and turns a shade of neon even cyclists haven't yet discovered for their lycra outfits. In fact, there are times, when I swear my skin crackles. Needless to say, the thought of standing over a hot stove on days like that is not something that fills me (or my pasty white skin) with eager anticipation. Therefore those days are salad days.

Although the British Isles are not exactly renowned for their sunny climes and sweltering temperatures, both the recipes below come from British authors. The first is a tweaked version of a salad that appears in Delia Smith's Summer Collection. The second is from Linda McCartney's Summer Kitchen, and appears here unaltered except for the omission of capers (just what are those little green frog-spawn-esque perfumey things? Don't know. Don't need to know). I served them up together with a simple green spinach salad, but each is also a great bet for a pot-luck, or as a side at a BBQ. The cous-cous keeps well in the fridge, but the zucchini/courgette salad goes a bit watery. It still tastes great, but doesn't look so hot on day 2!


Roasted Vegetable Cous-cous Salad with Harissa-style Dressing
Serves 4 as main course, or 8 as a side/appetizer

For vegetables:
1 aubergine/eggplant, cubed
1 green bell pepper, chopped into large bite-size pieces
1 orange/yellow bell pepper, chopped into large bite-size pieces
3/4 pint of cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
1 large red onion, cut into large bite-sized chunks
1 bulb fennel, cored, fronds and stalks removed, cut into large bite-sized chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper

For cous-cous:
10oz wholewheat cous-cous
18 fl oz vegetable stock
8 oz feta cheese (cubed, not crumbled)
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh fresh cilantro/coriander leaves

For dressing:
4 fl oz olive oil
4 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice
2 TBSP ground cumin
2 heaped TBSP tomato paste/puree

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Place all vegetables in a large roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, add garlic, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
3. Roast on high shelf in the oven for 30-40 minutes, turning over once in the middle, until vegetables are toasted brown on the edges. Set aside.
4. Place cous-cous in a large bowl. Add boiling stock and set to one side for 5 minutes for cous-cous to absorb liquid. Then fluff with a fork.
5. Whisk all dressing ingredients together.
6. Add vegetables and dressing to cous-cous and mix together gently. Add feta and cilantro/coriander leaves and fold in. Serve warm, room-temperature, or chilled.

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Shredded Zucchini/Courgette Salad
Serves 5 as a side

 

4 medium courgettes/zucchini, shredded

3 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 TBSP olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TBSP freshly grated ginger

salt and pepper

2TBSP toasted pine nuts

 

1. Pat the courgettes/zucchini dry between sheets of kitchen roll.

2. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper and whisk to blend.

3. Pour dressing over zucchini/courgette, add pine nuts and mix to combine.