and freshly ground black pepper
50g (2oz) shelled walnut pieces, roughly chopped
Wash the chicory, dry carefully, then slice, or pull the leaves apart.
Put the oil and vinegar into a salad bowl, add some salt and pepper and mix together, then add the chicory and walnuts and toss in the oil until everything is shiny with the dressing. Serve at once.
VARIATION
Salad of Chinese leaves with spring onions v
This salad is made in the same way as the previous one, using 700g (1½lb) Chinese leaves and adding a bunch of chopped spring onions instead of (or, if you prefer, as well as) the walnuts. I also rather like it with some raisins added too; they give a pleasant touch of sweetness.
Chinese leaf and beansprout salad
In this recipe, I have emphasised the Chinese theme by mixing Chinese leaves with crunchy beansprouts and a sweet and sour soy sauce and sesame oil dressing. It’s rather like a salad version of Chinese stir-fry.
SERVES 4
175g (6oz) fresh beansprouts
1 tbsp clear honey
3 tbsp sesame oil or olive oil
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper
2.5cm (1in) fresh root ginger, finely grated
350g (12oz) Chinese leaves, shredded
2 carrots, coarsely grated
Cover the beansprouts with cold water and leave them to soak and become crisp while you make the dressing and prepare the other ingredients.
Put the honey, oil and soy sauce into the base of a large bowl with a grating of pepper and the ginger, and mix together.
Add the Chinese leaves and carrots, mix well, then drain the beansprouts and add these. Mix again and serve.
Coleslaw
Homemade coleslaw is better than any you can buy, and it’s very quick and easy to make. You can control the richness – using mayonnaise gives the creamiest, most delicious result but for lighter versions you can replace some of this with natural yoghurt.
SERVES 4
350g (12oz) white cabbage, shredded
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
1 small onion, finely sliced
50g (2oz) sultanas (optional)
3 rounded tbsp mayonnaise
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the cabbage, carrot and onion into a large bowl with the sultanas, (if using).
Add the mayonnaise and some salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
Cover and leave for 2–3 hours before serving, if possible. This allows the vegetables to soften and the flavours to blend.
Endive salad v
Curly endive makes a lovely salad. I wish that we could buy it as easily in the UK as one can in France. The lovely round, untidy green and yellow heads taste wonderful with a simple walnut vinaigrette.
SERVES 4
½ head curly endive
walnut vinaigrette
50g (2oz) shelled walnut pieces, lightly chopped
Wash the endive, discarding any discoloured or damaged leaves. Break up or chop roughly.
Put the endive into a salad bowl with the vinaigrette, add the fresh walnuts, and toss together. Serve immediately.
Fatoush v
This Lebanese dish contains the usual ingredients of Middle Eastern salads – cucumber, tomato, green pepper, onion, parsley and mint – but also toasted pitta bread. Sumac is a traditional Lebanese spice that can be bought from Middle Eastern shops or, increasingly, many supermarkets.
SERVES 2–4
1 Cos lettuce, roughly chopped
a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
leaves from a small bunch of mint, roughly chopped
3 tomatoes, diced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 cucumber, diced
1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 bunch of spring onions, chopped
1 pitta bread
FOR THE DRESSING
juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1–3 tsp sumac (if available)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put all the prepared vegetables into a salad bowl and mix.
Make the dressing in a small bowl by combining the lemon juice, oil, garlic, sumac – start with the smaller quantity and add more to taste – plenty of salt and a grinding of pepper.
Open out the pitta bread and toast under a hot grill or in a toaster until crisp, then break into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad.
Give the dressing a final stir, then add to the salad. Toss the salad to combine everything, then serve.
Fennel, carrot and spring onion salad v
A refreshing salad that’s quick to make, especially if you have an electric grater.
SERVES 4
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt
