Salad

There is nothing cooler and fresher than a cucumber salad. The classic combination of cucumber, mint and feta cheese can make this dish pretty special too!

Ingredients: (serve 4 as a starter)
3 lebanese cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
100g fresh feta cheese, crumbed
1/2 small bunch of mint, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Zaatar spice (optional)
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Place the sliced cucumber neatly on a serving plate and season with pepper and Zaatar spice.

2. Sprinkle on crumbled bits of feta cheese and the mint.

3. In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Dizzle the dressing over the salad right before serving.

This dish is the perfect, quick and easy way to add fresh greens at the start of your meal!

A Potato Salad is the perfect accompaniment for barbecues and picnics, as it’s best served with meat, seafood and a green leaf salad…A real classic for summer!

Ingredients: (serves 6 people as a side)

12 small potatoes (such as desiree), peeled
4 bacon rashers, rind & excess fat trimmed, finely chopped
3 large tbsp whole egg mayonnaise
3 large tbsp sour cream
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 shallots, finely chopped
6 gherkins, finely chopped
2 tbsp carpers, finely chopped
1/2 bunch of dill, finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper & sea salt flakes

Instructions:

1. Cut each potato into 4, place in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil and boil uncovered for 10 minutes or until tender when pierced with a stick. Drain and let it cool completely.
In the meantime, heat oil a small frying pan and cook the diced bacon until nice and brown.

2. Combine together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic into a mixing bowl. Top with the dill, gherkin, carpers, shallots and mix well. Taste and season with salt & pepper.

3. Gently toss in the potatoes and bacon bits and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

You can store the potato salad in the fridge for a few days. You can also top it with pieces of hard boiled eggs if you’re serving it as a main!

I absolutely love salads…I think they can be the most exciting dish of all if you put a bit of effort into the choice of ingredients, mix of flavours and presentation. I always serve them as a main and plate it up before serving. By the way, don’t believe salads are only for girls on a diet, guys can enjoy them if you add in manly things like chorizo, potatoes, onions!
A Parisian salad is a classic in French Bistros, but it’s also a really easy one to make!

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 fresh lettuce, washed
1 avocado, diced
1 red pepper, finely sliced
5-6 mushrooms, sliced
1 can sweet-corn, drained
1/2 brown onion, finely sliced
3-4 slices of freshly sliced leg ham, cut into thin strips
100g gruyere or jarlsberg cheese, cut into thin strips
2 Eggs, soft boiled
1 garlic clove
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 shallot, finely chopped
6/7 small gherkins, finely diced
1 tbsp, finely chopped Parsley
6 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp White wine vinegar
Salt & freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Mix lettuce leaves in a large bowl with your sliced pepper, onions, gerkins and season with a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place it as a salad base on the plates.

2. Place the sliced mushrooms, sweetcorn, avocado into sections on top of the base and finish with the cheese and then the ham towards the middle. Cut your soft boiled egg into 2 pieces and place it on top.

3. To prepare the dressing, crush the garlic into a pestle and mortar, add the mustard, the vinegar, salt & pepper, remaining olive oil, chopped parsley and shallot. Mix well and add a splash of water to liquify the mixture if needed.

4. Dizzle the dressing on the finished plates and serve with fresh baguette & butter!

Bon appetit!

Note: To prepare your soft boiled eggs, boil for 5-6 minutes and run cold water over it when cooked!