Leafy Greens | RecipeTin Eats

The most amazing Chicken Kale Salad

Nagi — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 06:42:08 +0000

A pile of crispy seasoned chickpeas, juicy bursts of roasted tomatoes, tender strands of chicken and the most amazing creamy tahini dressing tossed with ribbons of kale. Introducing – my Chicken Kale Salad. Now THIS is a kale salad I crave!

A chicken kale salad to crave

This is a fully loaded kale salad that was intentionally designed to be satisfying to have as a meal. It has great variety of textures and flavours – crunch and saltiness from chickpeas, (soft) chewiness of the kale leaves, fresh juiciness from the tomatoes, tender meaty bits of chicken all tossed with a rich, cream tahini dressing. It’s incredibly filling. And the high delicious factor goes without saying!

But really, the absolute star here is the tahini dressing which is so creamy, it’s hard to believe there’s not a drop of mayonnaise in it. The richness is natural, from tahini, enriched with olive oil, balanced with the fresh tang of lemon and a good hit of savouriness from parmesan.

You could actually skip all the add-ins and just make this salad with kale and that creamy tahini dressing, and it would still be scoff-worthy. But I really hope you try this recipe in its entirety too, because it’s something else!

Ingredients in this chicken kale salad

I’m not going to lie – the ingredients list is longer than 95% of the recipes on my website. Because there’s a number of components to this salad. But it’s worth it! And we’re just making a salad here. It’s perfectly straight forward.

The kale (& onion)

First up, the kale!

Tuscan kale – This is the first recipe I’m sharing using tuscan kale, ordinarily I use the more common curly kale. Also known as also known as cavolo nero, black or lacinato kale, the leaves are shaped like silverbeet/chard and not as bushy/curly as regular kale (curly kale) so it’s more suitable to cut into slaw-like strips like I do in this recipe. The leaf is also softer than curly kale.

If using regular curly kale (which you totally can), don’t try to cut it into strips (it gets all crumbly). Just chop or tear into small bite size pieces.

Onion – Just a quarter of a red onion which we sliced very finely so it flops throughout the salad. I like the freshness if adds into this salad.

creamy tahini dressing INGREDIENTS

Tahini – This is plain pureed sesame and it’s the star player here, providing richness and creaminess in the dressing so it clings to every bit of the kale (and everything else it touches). Be sure to get hulled tahini which is the more common variety here in Australia (pale beige colour) not unhulled tahini (darker in colour and bitter). Tahini is typically found in the health food aisle in grocery stores, else alongside spreads.
Extra virgin olive oil – The oil in this dressing, rather than using just tahini which makes the dressing too thick.
Parmesan – For a good hit of savoury flavour. It’s best to grate your own but even pre-grated is fine because we blitz it smooth. Alternative – Anchovies. Oh yes! Use as many as you dare to add flavour and salt without the sauce tasting fishy.
Lemon – The tang in this dressing, to balance out the richness of the tahini and olive oil. Fresher than vinegar, though you can substituted with apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Garlic – Just one clove, else the raw garlic flavour is a little too full on (blitzing really brings out the flavour of raw garlic!).
Water to thin the sauce to a toss-able consistency. Don’t worry, it doesn’t dilute the dressing flavour, there’s loads of flavour in the dressing!

burst roast tomatoes

Named as such because they burst in your mouth! Literally just cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes, as I seem to use more often these days) roasted in a little oil, salt and pepper until they are a little wrinkled which means in the inside is beautifully soft.

THE CHICKEN

To keep things easy, I just use a store bought roast chicken and shred it myself. If you poach and shred your own, toss the chicken in a pinch of salt and pepper before using in this recipe (because store bought chicken is brined so the flesh has salt).

crispy seasoned chickpeas

And last but certainly not least, the crispy chickpeas! I’m using my go-to spice mix for chickpeas here, recently featured in the Spicy maple roast carrots recipe. It adds great crunch into this salad and nice little salty seasoned pops, as well as adding a starch to fill the meal out. And it’s a “good starch” too, that will keep you feeling fuller for longer.

How to make this chicken kale salad

While there are a few components to this salad, there’s a nice workflow to it:

Get those bursty tomatoes and crispy chickpeas in the oven (30 minutes)
While they are baking, chop and “marinate” the kale leaves to soften them (20 minutes)
Make the dressing, shred the chicken and slice the onion.
Assemble and eat!

1. Burst roast tomatoes & crispy chickpeas

Bake together – Toss the tomatoes in oil, salt and pepper. Then drain the chickpeas and put them, still wet, onto a separate tray. We’re going to oven dry them before tossing in the seasonings (less effort and more effective to get them crispy than towel or air drying!). Bake both for 12 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and wrinkly, by which time the chickpeas will be thoroughly dried.
Toss the chickpeas in a little oil which will make the spice mix stick, then pop them back in the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the chickpeas are crispy (you’ll know, they clatter).
Burst tomatoes – Let them cool on the tray until you’re ready to use them. Don’t handle them, they are delicate and prone to, well, bursting!
Crispy chickpeas – Once the chickpeas are ready, just set them aside to cool slightly before using. Nobody wants a third degree mouth burn from hot little crispy balls of chickpeas!

2. STRIPPING KALE LEAVES

Because the stem of kale leaves are quite tough and fibrous, I remove the leafy part from the stem. I just rip it off – quick, easy, effective!

Separate the leaves then work one leaf at a time.
Grab the stem and then grab the leafy part with your other hand and pull it up the stem which will rip the leafy part cleanly off the stem. Don’t worry about crushing the kale leaves, they are hardy and can take it. In fact, we crush them deliberately to soften them!
Said leafy part.
Stem – Discard or throw into your next batch of vegetable stock.

3. Making the kale salad

Soften kale – Kale is a little chewy when eaten raw. So I like to soften it before using in salads. To do this, just massage / scrunch the chopped kale with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Not much is needed – a little goes a long way, you will be surprised! About 10 seconds of enthusiastic scrunching is all that’s needed to disperse the oil onto each bit of kale. Then set it aside for 20 minutes which will soften the kale leaves. In fact, the kale can keep like this overnight, it won’t go soggy like other leafy greens.
If you don’t mind the chew, feel free to skip this step!
Blitz dressing – Use a stick blender to blitz the dressing until smooth. A stick blender works best. If you use a blender, you’ll need to really scrape the sides / blades well. For a food processor, you’d have to use a small one. To make it by hand, finely grate the garlic using a microplane or fine grater and mix very well until smooth. You will have some little parmesan lumps but the dressing will still be tasty.

Toss the kale with about two thirds of the dressing (we drizzle the rest on at the end). No need to be exact here, just eye ball it.
Add ins – Add the chicken, red onion and cherry tomatoes then toss again just to disperse them.

Crispy chickpeas next! Just pile them on.
Finish by drizzling with the remaining dressing and a big shower of freshly grated parmesan. Then DIG IN!

I forgot the egg

As I was writing up this post, I realised I forgot to include the soft boiled egg in the recipe video. It is an optional extra and something I added as a last minute addition to dial up the good-for-you substantial-ness of this salad even more.

But it doesn’t need it.

In fact, as I said in the opening, it doesn’t need all the extras. You could skip the chicken, the chickpeas, the onion and tomatoes, and just make a giant bowl of kale tossed in this dressing and it will be a great kale salad side dish.

But if you want to make a statement meal-worthy salad, I urge you to go all in, at least once, to experience the greatness of this kale salad! And I hope you become obsessed with it as I have. – Nagi x

PS Great one for making ahead up to 2 days. Even the “marinated kale” keeps perfectly and won’t go limp like regular leafy greens once they come into contact with oil.

Watch how to make it

The most amazing Chicken Kale Salad

Recipe video above. WORTH MAKING – don't let the length of the ingredients deter you!! This is a big, hearty salad that may well be the best kale salad you've ever had. Big call I stand by!

Filled with good-for-you nutrition yet anything but bland, that creamy tahini sauce totally makes it, thanks to the parmesan. Crunchy seasoned chickpeas add starchy bulk, flavour pops and texture, the cherry tomatoes add juicy bursts and the chicken provides protein. Oh yeah, and there's kale in it too! Powerhouse greens!

Course Main

Cuisine Western

Keyword chicken kale salad, kale salad

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Servings – 4 people

Calories 695cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

SOFTENED KALE:

5 very tightly packed cups Tuscan kale (cavolo nero) , leafy part stripped off stem, sliced into 1 cm / 1/2" ribbons (Note 1)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

SALAD:

1/4 red onion , very finely sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken , I use store bought (else poach your own, Note 2)
2 soft boiled eggs , halved (optional)

BURST TOMATOES

1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

CRISPY SEASONED CHICKPEAS

400 g/ 14 oz can chickpeas , drained but not dried
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp EACH garlic powder , onion powder
1/4 tsp EACH cooking salt / kosher salt & black pepper

CREAMY PARMESAN TAHINI DRESSING

4 tbsp (60 g) tahini , hulled (Note 3)
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan finely grated (pack the cup tight), plus extra for serving
1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 large garlic clove , peeled
4 tbsp water (plus more, if needed)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

SHORTFORM RECIPE:

Oven – Roast tomatoes 12 min at 200°C/425°F (180°C fan). Roast plain chickpeas 10 min, toss with oil & seasonings, roast 20 min until crispy (same temp).
Salad – Massage kale, leave 20 min. Blitz dressing. Toss kale, chicken, tomatoes, onion with half. Pile on chickpeas, drizzle with remaining dressing, shower with parmesan. EAT!

FULL RECIPE:

Preheat the oven to 200°C/425°F (180°C fan).
Roast tomatoes – Toss the tomatoes with the oil, salt and pepper on a small tray. Roast 12 minutes, then cool on the tray.
Crispy chickpeas – Drain the chickpeas then spread on a tray (still wet). Bake 10 minutes (same time as tomatoes). Push the oven dried chickpeas to one side of the tray. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the chickpea spices, salt and pepper. Toss well using a rubber spatula, then return to the oven for a further 20 – 25 minutes until they're crispy (They should clatter! Note 4).
Soften kale – Rub/scrunch the kale with the oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Put the kale in a large bowl then drizzle with the oil and add the salt and pepper. Set aside for 20 minutes (softens leaves).
Tahini dressing – Put the ingredients in a jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz until smooth, using extra water if needed to loosen into a thick but pourable consistency (see video).
Toss – Pour half the dressing over the kale and toss. Add onion, chicken and most of the tomatoes (save a few for decoration). Toss again.
Serve – Transfer into a serving bowl or individual bowls. Top with remaining tomatoes, all the chickpeas and eggs if using. Drizzle with remaining sauce then sprinkle with extra parmesan. DIG IN. SWOON!

Notes

* You could totally just make this with the kale and tahini dressing if you’re just in need of a tasty kale side salad. Everything else are add-ins that makes this into a satisfying, interesting meal-size-salad!

1. Tuscan kale, also called cavolo nero, black or lacinato kale, has leaves shaped more like silverbeet (chard) slightly flatter than curly kale so more suited to cutting into slaw-like strips and the leaves are slightly softer too. To use regular curly kale, chop into bite size pieces (don’t slice thinly, doesn’t really work well).

Removing the leaf off the stem – Grab and rip it off! Quick ‘n easy, watch the video

2. Chicken – I use store bought roast chicken. If cooking your own, I recommend poaching it using this method. Shred then toss with a pinch of salt and pepper before using.

3. Tahini – Mix well if the oil is separated. If it’s set like cement, microwave to warm (it will loosen) then use a stick blender. Hulled is lighter in colour (standard tahini). Unhulled tahini is darker and more bitter (harder to find), I don’t use this.

4. Roasted chickpeas should be crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside (else they are like little rocks!). 10 minutes dry roasting makes them extra crisp (better than air or towel drying) though they will start to soften after an hour or so. For ultra crisp though, and longer lasting crisp, you need to deep fry.

Re-crisp by popping in the oven for 5 minutes or so (same temp per recipe).

5. Storage – Oil rubbed kale will keep just fine for 2 days. Keep the components separate then assemble when required. Crispy chickpeas can be revived – see above note.

Nutrition per person, assuming 3 servings. It’s filling! Easily stretch to 4 with bread or double the chickpeas.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

In exciting news – the RTM sign reveal! Yes, a giant life-size Dozer sticker on the front of RTM.

It is actually quite worrying what a thrill I got to slap a giant Dozer sticker on the RTM window. 😂

And in other news, Dozer was visiting RTM for a shoot day with a professional photographer (Rob Palmer). It’s been bothering me that I still don’t have an RTM website (one of the reasons I haven’t started a volunteer program and public donations yet) and really great photos to provide to media and for other uses. So we had a big shoot day yesterday to capture great photos of the team at work, and what we do.

And I’m explaining all of that so I can share that sadly, Dozer was restricted to the office area for hygiene and food safety reasons. You’d think he’d realise he can barge past that stool and bolt into the kitchen to get to the 480 meals we were making that day, but he’s too good a boy for that! Instead, he just stood there and barked all day. 😂

OFFICIAL PROGRESS REPORT – And on a serious note, his rehab post surgery is continuing though I feel like over the past week noticeable progress stalled somewhat. I’m hoping he hasn’t peaked yet and has more improvements to come.

Also, I think he picked up a stomach bug or gastro on the weekend so he hasn’t been himself this week with some pretty serious bouts of nausea and hyper salivating. I’m a little worried because vomiting / regurgitation poses a lung infection risk for him because of his medical condition which is serious, scary and can be deadly. He’s been to the vet and has another visit scheduled for tomorrow. Fingers crossed he gets over it soon so we can re-commence his strength training!

Back at the vet for his latest problem – maybe gastro?

Mind you, he wouldn’t have been bustling around me in the kitchen to try today’s dish anyway because Dozer’s disregard for kale is pretty well documented:

That was the chapter opener photo from my cookbook. I love that photo so much, it just captures his attitude perfectly! 😂

On a more cheerful note though, he did get out to the beach again on the weekend (Bayview in the Northern Beaches of Sydney where I lived until a year ago). It takes me 40 minutes to drive there and it’s worth every minute because honestly, I can’t tell you how happy it makes him. His personality completely changes, he perks up and has more energy. I think it’s great for his muscle rehab so I’m going to keep taking him.

Woah, that was a much longer Dozer update than expected! I’ll sign off here and hope to bring more happy news with the next recipe! – Nagi x

The post The most amazing Chicken Kale Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Pear Salad with blue cheese

Nagi — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 02:12:06 +0000

This Pear Salad is a stellar combination of flavours reminiscent of your favourite cheeseboard: juicy pear with piquant pops of blue cheese, toasty walnuts and a Honey Mustard Dressing. Peppery rocket (arugula) is an ideal refreshing contrast to use as the leafy base.

This is an excellent salad option for a starter, or as a stylish side salad!

Pear Salad with Blue Cheese

This is a salad that’s all about classic and natural pairings, things we *always* see on cheeseboards. That’s because they just work so well together, yet you may not have thought about combining them in a salad. Combos like:

✓ Fruit and blue cheese

✓ Fruit and honey

✓ Fruit and nuts

✓ Cheese, honey and nuts (have I covered all combos there? 😂)

Oh, plus some leafy greens. This transforms our “cheese board” into a salad!

It’s a delicious way to use pears when they’re in season for something other than dessert (such as this Pear Pistachio Tart or this Pear Blue Cheese Slice). It’s also one that blue cheese lovers can get excited about! 🙋🏻‍♀️

What goes in Pear Salad with Blue Cheese

Here’s what goes into this Pear Salad:

Pears

I actually use 1 1/2 pears which for me is a nice amount for a whole package of rocket/arugula (standard size 120g / 4oz which is around 5 packed cups). If you want a more pear-forward salad, feel free to use more pears, it’s really up to you.

Best type of pears – Use any variety you want, as long as they’re ripe. I used Beurre Bosc pears (the ones with the cinnamon-coloured skin) which are fairly common and good value here in Australia when in season. Packham, Josephine, Corella Pears, even nashi pears – they all work.

Sliced Beurre Bosc pears for this Pear Salad.

Blue Cheese

Best to use one that is slightly creamy but still firm enough to be crumbled, like pictured. As a key ingredient in this salad, the better the cheese, the better the dish! Here are my favourites:

Roquefort – Made from sheep’s milk, this famous French cheese is creamy enough to be spreadable but firm enough to crumble. This is my favourite to use for most blue cheese salads. Other French blues I like to use: St Agur, Fourme d’Ambert, Bleu d’Auvergne. These are sold at most Harris Farms and some Woolies these days (Australia).
Gorgonzola – An Italian blue that ranges in texture based on variety, from ultra creamy to more crumbly. I like gorgonzola piccante (90 days aged, creamier, most rounded flavour), followed by the better value gorgonzola dolce (60 days aged, milder, and excellent value for money).
British Stilton – Slightly sharper than the above two, this cheese is not for the faint hearted! Try to get an aged one for a smoother flavour.

More options: Danish blue cheese is also a good option for a better value option. And for those who are new to blue cheese, Blue Castello is a good one to start with (the most mild, and good value). Australia also produces some excellent blues these days that are not hard to find like those from King Island.

Avoid blue cheese that is like brie (ie. too creamy to crumble on salad) or really firm and crumbly ones, which are too crumbly to stick to the salad ingredients (they just fall to bottom of bowl).

Rocket (arugula)

I think this peppery lettuce is ideal for this salad because the sharp flavour contrasts nicely with all the other tastes going on. A more neutral leafy green, like baby spinach, wouldn’t really bring anything to this dish in my view.

Walnuts

Walnuts is a classic choice for a blue cheese salad. Though actually, other nuts will work just as well like almonds, pecans, hazelnuts. I wouldn’t use peanuts (bit odd, I think?) or macadamia nuts (maybe too rich with blue cheese).

Honey Mustard Dressing for Pear Salad

I opted for a Honey Mustard Dressing here because honey with pears, walnuts and cheese is a classic pairing. Sweet, savoury, nutty, creamy, juicy – it pushes all the right buttons!

Honey – For the flavour, sweetness and to thicken the dressing.
Dijon mustard – Also to help thicken and emulsify the dressing while adding a touch of tang and flavour.
Cider vinegar – The main tanginess in the dressing. Any mild(ish) vinegar will work in its place – white wine vinegar, champagne or sherry vinegar,
Extra virgin olive oil (or ordinary olive oil) – The better the oil, the better the dressing! If you have flavoured nut oils like hazelnut or walnut oil, they’d also be wonderful to use instead here.

What to serve with Pear Salad

As a starter

This is a salad that’s ideal for serving as a starter. Never underestimate the power of a good salad as a starter! If it’s interesting enough like this and has a bit of wow factor, it sets a great tone for the rest of the meal.

Meal

As a meal, serve it with a side of home-made bread if you would like to a light but satisfying meal:

World’s Easiest Yeast Bread recipe – Artisan, NO KNEAD crusty bread

Focaccia recipe (it’s incredible)

Sandwich Bread WITHOUT yeast

World’s best No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread

Savoury Cheese Muffins

Brioche

Cheese, Herb & Garlic Quick Bread (No Yeast)

Breads

As a side salad

As a side salad, because the blue cheese makes it quite rich (even though each serving only as a little crumble) try to serve it with something that doesn’t have an overwhelmingly strong sauce. Otherwise, you’ll just have too many flavours competing on your plate – and we want this salad to shine!

Here are some suggestions:

Roast chicken – A beautiful classic roast chicken served with the herb-garlic-butter pan juices
Crispy Herb Roast Chicken pieces – This is a family favourite to make in big batches
Prime Rib (Standing Rib Roast), Marinated Roast Beef or Marinated Beef Steak – Big beefy flavours are an excellent pairing with blue cheese generally.
Pork! Either a roast pork (with crackling, of course!), pork chops with a savoury rub or Lemon Garlic marinated pork chops.

Roast Chicken

Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)

Just a great Pork Rub

Beef Steak Marinade

CRISPY Herb Baked Chicken with Gravy (easy roast chicken!)

Pork Roast with Crispy Crackling

Marinated Roast Beef

A Great Pork Chop Marinade

Enjoy! – Nagi x

PS No video today as it’s a “easy salad day” where I’m sharing 3 fairly straight forward recipes (this salad, Roasted Large Mushrooms with Green Onion Thyme Butter and Chargrill Charlie’s Copycat Japanese Slaw). But if you really want a video for this one, just leave a comment below and I’ll do it when I get a chance!

Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Rocket

Classic combination of ingredients, cheeseboard favourites transformed in salad form with the addition of pepper rocket lettuce!

Ideal to serve as a starter, light lunch or as a side for a main that's not too rich.

We go light on the dressing here because the blue cheese and juice from the pears act as part of the dressing. See Note 1 for my recommende blue cheeses.

Course Side Salad

Cuisine Western

Keyword blue cheese salad, pear and blue cheese salad, pear salad

Prep Time 15

Servings – 6 as a side

Calories 266cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1 1/2 – 2 pears , any type, juicy and ripe (or nashi pears or sweet apples)
3/4 cup walnuts , whole (sub almonds, pecans)
120g / 4oz rocket/arugula lettuce
120g / 4 oz roquefort, gorgonzola, stilton or other good blue cheese, creamy but can be crumbled into chunks (Note 1)

Honey Mustard Dressing:

1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Dressing: Shake Dressing in a jar.
Pears: Halve then scoop out core. Place cut face down and slice into 3mm / 0.12" slices. (Note 2)
Walnuts: Spread on tray and toast in a 180°C/350°F oven for 8 minutes or until they smell nutty. Leave some whole, break some in half with hands.
Dress rocket: In a large bowl, toss rocket with 2 tbsp Dressing.
Assemble: Pile 1/3 rocket on a platter. Scatter with 1/3 pears, 1/3 walnuts, 1/3 blue cheese crumbled into small chunks. Repeat twice more. Drizzle with remaining Dressing just before serving.

Notes

1. Blue cheese – Look for a blue that is creamy so it sticks to the salad but still firm enough to crumble into chunks with your fingers (though your fingers will be smeared with blue cheese!). Blue brie is too creamy, cheddar-like ones are too hard – they just end up at bottom of bowl.

My favourite (in order): Roquefort (other French blues I like: St Agur, Fourme d’Ambert), Gorgonzola Piccante, Gorgonzola Dolce, good British Stilton. For a good value option, opt for a Danish. If you’re blue cheese-shy, Blue Castello is a safe bet – very mild.

Generally with cheese, you get what you pay for.

2. Slicing pears – The slices should not be paper thin, or even so thin they completely “flop”. They should have a slight bend when picked up with a fork, as pictured in post. But they should not be so thick that they crack when you stab with a fork!

Amount to use: 1 1/2 pears is the perfect amount to me for the specified amount of rocket. If you want a more pear forward salad, use more.

Stop pears browning: If not assembling in 30 min, drizzle lightly with lemon juice to stop them from going brown.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Dozer, the warm glow of sunset is flattering on you! If only your snout wasn’t covered in slobber splatters and you didn’t have a speck of eye snot on your cheek…… 😝

The post Pear Salad with blue cheese appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

French Bistro Salad

Nagi — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 08:46:00 +0000

This is a classic French Salad you find in bistros all across France. It is an excellent light and clean salad to serve alongside rich foods like roasts, stews and dishes with creamy sauces, which is exactly the intended purpose in France!

Welcome to Day 13 of the inaugural Holiday Salad Marathon, where I’m sharing 30 salads in a row through to Christmas Eve – just for something different to the usual sugar-loaded baking countdowns!!

Off the back of last weeks’ French(ish) Tomato Salad with Olive Tapenade, I have another French one for you:

French Bistro Salad

Hearty French bistro classics like steak frites, boeuf bourguignon, French Onion Soup, Quiche Lorraine and Coq au Vin need a light and clean salad on the side to cleanse and refresh the palate … so that you can eat more!

This classic leaf salad has handfuls of herbs for character and colour, while the pretty pink tangles of pickled eschalots bring sweet and tangy pops in every bite. A sprinkling of walnuts gives us a bit of texture as a finishing flourish, and we’re going with a classic lemon dressing to keep things clean and simple.

What goes in French Bistro Salad

Here’s what I’ve put in this salad – but look at this recipe more as a guide rather than something to follow exactly.

The main characteristics are the use of fresh herbs, some leafy greens, a plain lemon dressing and preferably something tangy like the pickled eschalots I’ve included (but you could easily throw in something pickled from a jar instead!).

Herbs – For the herbs I’ve used tarragon (highly recommended for real French), parsley, and chives here but you can use any combination of soft herbs you like. Dill, chervil, basil would all also work wonderfully. Try to keep the herb leaves whole or just roughly chopped or torn if required. Don’t get hung up on the quantities either. Just keep throwing in herbs until you can taste them in the salad!

What you need for Quick Pickled Eschalots

This brings welcome tang as well as pretty pops of colour into the salad. As mentioned above, you could easily switch this out for anything from a jar that’s got that tangy pickled flavour!

Here’s what you need:

I’ve used red wine vinegar here but you can use white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, sherry or champagne vinegar. White wine vinegar will be a bit sharp but that’s easily fixed with a little splash of water.

To make the quick pickled eschalots, just stir the sugar until it dissolves in the vinegar, then pickle the eschalots for 30 minutes until they become floppy and bright pink.

What to serve with French Bistro Salad

This salad is of course a natural pairing with any French food. Perfect to make a meal out of a warm slice of Quiche Lorraine or bowl of French Onion Soup, or as a fresh salad alongside a rich Coq au Vin.

Similarly, it’s ideal to serve with any roast, stew like Beef Bourguigon or slow-cooked meats, or foods with rich creamy sauces like this reader favourite Creamy Chicken Pasta and Prawns/Shrimp in Creamy Garlic Sauce.

And just generally, I think the use of fresh herbs makes it really lovely and elegant, a nice salad to include at big festive gatherings as a palette cleanser, or as part of an elegant dinner party. Plus, you get to tell your friends – It’s French, darling! 😂 (I don’t get to play pretend posh very often, so I’ll take it when I can!) – Nagi x

What is the Holiday Salad Marathon?

This is my inaugural Christmas recipe countdown where I am sharing 30 salad recipes in a row until Christmas Eve – something completely different to people’s usual baking countdowns!

These salads are in addition to my regular 3 new recipes a week. Because aren’t you bored of the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce garden salad routine??

Click here to see all the Holiday Salad Marathon recipes to date, or sign up for instant updates and you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new salad! 🙂

French Bistro Salad

This is a classic French Leaf Salad you'll find in bistros all across France, known for the use of lots of fresh herbs with a simple dressing. Light and clean, intended to be served alongside rich foods like Quiche Lorraine, Beef bourguignon and Coq au Vin that French food is known for. Though French, it will suit any Western food – and beyond!

Use this recipe as more of a guide rather than exact recipe to be followed. Switch the leafy greens, use herbs you enjoy, crack open a jar of something pickled. Just make sure to use LOTS of fresh herbs!

Course Side Salad

Cuisine French, Western

Keyword bibb lettuce salad, Butter lettuce salad, French salad, Fresh herb salad, green oak lettuce salad, Leaf salad

Prep Time 10

Pickling time 30

Servings – 6 people

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1/2 big head green oak or butter/bibb lettuce (about 8 big handfuls – but don’t crush the leaves to measure!)
1 baby cos/romaine lettuce
1/2 cup tarragon leaves
1/2 cup chives , cut into 3cm / 1 1/2″ lengths
3/4 cup parsley leaves
1/2 cup walnuts , roughly chopped then toasted and cooled (optional, Note 1)

Quick Pickled Eschalots:

2 eschalots (aka French onion, US: shallots), finely sliced
2/3 cup red or white wine vinegar
4 tbsp white sugar

Dressing:

1.5 tbsp lemon juice
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Instructions

Quick Pickled Eschalots: Stir sugar in vinegar until dissolved. Stir in eschalots, then leave for 30 minutes until it becomes floppy and turns pink. Drain.
Dressing: Shake Dressing in a jar.
Assemble: Pile lettuce on a platter (flatter better than deep bowl). Drizzle with about 1/2 the Dressing then toss gently with your hands. Scatter over fresh herbs, pickled eschalots and walnuts. Drizzle lightly with more Dressing. Serve immediately!

Notes

. Walnuts – to toast, place in a dry skillet over medium heat and shake/stir for 2 minutes until it smells nutty. Remove from skillet immediately, cool, then use.

2. Salad ingredients:
Lettuce – typically, a French Bistro Salad will include a softer lettuce (Bibb/butter or green oak) plus a lessor amount of a crisper one (in this case baby cos lettuce/romaine).
Herbs – use any fresh soft herbs you want, the combination I’ve used is fairly common. The use of tarragon makes it particularly French. Dill, chervil and basil are especially excellent alternatives.
Eschalots – a scattering of something pickled is common. For a speedy option, just use something out of a jar, finely sliced if it’s big like a pickle, or scattering of capers.
Walnuts – optional here, or sub with another nut like almonds, macadamias, pistachios, cashews. Or pepitas or sunflower seeds. YUM.

Life of Dozer

Sometimes I wonder why I bother bathing this dog 🤷🏻‍♀️

The post French Bistro Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Spring Salad!

Nagi — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 02:07:36 +0000

As the name suggests, Spring Salad is a seasonal salad filled with spring’s bounty of vegetables: Asparagus, snow peas, peas and cos lettuce (romaine), dotted with goats cheese for some creamy tang and a fresh lemon dressing. Elegant, pretty and refreshing!

Welcome to Day 9 of the inaugural Holiday Salad Marathon, where I’m sharing 30 salads in a row through to Christmas Eve – just for something different to the usual sugar-loaded baking countdowns!!

And I actually have to share this one today, otherwise I’ll have to change the name to “Summer Salad” (today’s the last day of spring)!

Spring Salad

This is a wonderful, vibrantly green salad that makes the most of vegetables that are in season during spring, when they’re at their cheapest and best.

The whole point of this Salad Marathon is to share ideas for something more interesting than a dreary iceberg lettuce with tomato and cucumber routine, and this salad ticks that box!

A combination of cooked and raw ingredients, this salad is made with blanched asparagus, snow peas and peas which are then piled onto baby cos lettuce (aka romaine) leaves, dotted with soft goats cheese and drizzled with a lemon dressing.

“Seasonal” is often no more than a token word in the food world, but this salad’s as truly seasonal as it gets!

What goes in Spring Salad

Here’s a visual of what you need (which I realise I just listed above… this is just in case you glossed over the words!!😂)

The vegetables are all conveniently blanched in the same pot to simplify the recipe. I just add them in the order it takes for them to cook until “tender crisp”, meaning they are just cooked: Not raw but still a bit crisp, rather than boiled to death, soggy and sad.

As for the baby cos lettuce (aka romaine), the smaller leaves can be used whole. For the larger outer leaves, I like to cut it down the middle, like so:

There’s nothing this salad won’t pair with (Asian food aside, really). Alongside a quick Honey Garlic Chicken Breast, or BBQ Smothered Beef Brisket. A classic piece of seared fish or Crispy Skin Salmon (perhaps with a Lemon Butter Sauce), a big steaming bowl of Creamy Chicken Pasta or as a side to a summer Marinated Vegetable Pasta Salad.

Classic, seasonal, vibrantly green and elegant. I think you’ll enjoy this one! – Nagi x

What is the Holiday Salad Marathon?

This is my inaugural Christmas recipe countdown where I am sharing 30 salad recipes in a row until Christmas Eve – something completely different to people’s usual baking countdowns!

These salads are in addition to my regular 3 new recipes a week. Because aren’t you bored of the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce garden salad routine??

Click here to see all the Holiday Salad Marathon recipes to date, or sign up for instant updates and you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new salad! 🙂

Spring Salad with Goats Cheese

A wonderful way to use seasonal spring vegetables to make an elegant salad that goes with just about everything! This salad combines asparagus, snow peas, peas, cos (romaine). We then add goats cheese for creamy and tangy pops to take it up another notch. You could easily substitute with feta (preferably soft Danish Feta) or if you prefer milder cheese, dollops of fresh mozzarella, bocconcini or fresh ricotta would work beautifully. Or leave the cheese out altogether if you're being truly virtuous!

Course Side Salad

Cuisine Western

Keyword Asparagus salad, baby cos lettuce salad, gem lettuce salad, pea salad, snow peas recipe, Spring salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Servings – 6 people as a side

Calories 206cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Salad:

3 bunches (24 spears) asparagus , woody ends snapped off (Note 1)
120g / 4oz snow peas (about 16 large or 20 smaller ones), trimmed and string removed
1 head baby gem or cos lettuce (aka romaine) washed (16 leaves, Note 2)
2 cups fresh or frozen peas (Note 3)
90g / 3oz goats cheese
1 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves, , roughly torn

Lemon Dressing:

1 tsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
2 tbsp (30ml) lemon juice
6 tbsp (90ml) extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
Add snow peas to pot, boil for 1 1/2 minutes.
Add the asparagus spears, boil for another 1 1/2 minutes.
Add frozen peas, and boil for another 30 seconds or until the water just returns to a simmer, and peas turn bright green.
Immediately drain, refresh vegetables under cold running water until cooled to stop cooking process.
Remove the asparagus and snow peas, blot with paper towels to dry. Leave peas in colander to drain, giving them a toss now and then to help them dry. (It's important to dry vegetables, otherwise it dilutes the dressing and it won't stick. You could use a salad spinner with care, o just let them naturally dry which is easier.)
Split the larger baby cos leaves down the middle, use the small ones whole.
Cut asparagus stems in half on a slight angle.
Shake Dressing ingredients in a jar.
Combine vegetables in a bowl, dress and toss.
Arrange salad on a platter (Note 5). Top with small chunks of goats cheese. Serve immediately!

Notes

1. Asparagus ends are fibrous and stringy. Just grab 3 or 4 and snap the ends off – it will naturally break at the right point. (If your asparagus is a bit old and floppy, this won’t work so you have to cut)

2. Lettuce – Any crisp lettuce will really do here. Baby lettuce looks nice, the way the asparagus and snow peas nestle in them. But you could easily just chop normal size cos lettuce (romaine), even iceberg or other crisp lettuce types.

But really, any leafy greens will work a treat with these vegetables and the lemon dressing. Shredded cabbage, baby spinach, rocket/arugula, mixed greens, kale (shred and marinate it using this recipe).

3. Peas – You could be a real stickler and use fresh peas here. I used frozen – I totally buy into the whole snap-frozen = better quality than old “fresh” peas thing.

4. Goats cheese – feel free to sub with other cheese like feta (preferably Danish), fresh mozzarella (tear by hand), bocconcini, or even blue cheese if that’s your thing. (Certainly is mine!)

5. For arrangement, hold back half the peas. Arrange and and then scatter over the remaining peas. Otherwise they all fall to the bottom as you arrange! You want your salad pretty and showing all the vegetables!

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

No interest in this recipe as I was photographing it! Now if it were a hunk of beef, he’d be heavy breathing all over it……

The post Spring Salad! appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.