Supper Club: Salad, served three different ways

Heirloom tomato salad
Serves 2

Graham Higgins of The Purty Kitchen in Dun Laoghaire, shares his recipe for a quick and tasty tomato heirloom salad.

Ingredients

• 500g Heirloom tomatoes
• 1 Courgette
• 50g dehydrated black Or fresh black olives
• 2 whole avocados
• 1 Lime
• Coarse sea salt
• 1/2 bulb of fennel
• 150g basil
• 200ml olive oil

Method

1. Using a peeler, slice the courgette into thin ribbons by pulling the peeler the length of the courgette. Lightly season with a pinch of your sea salt and set aside to stand for as close to one hour as possible.
2. Take the basil and olive oil and add them to a blender. Blitz until completely smooth, but best to pass it through a sieve into a jug or bottle to be sure. Cover the container and set to one side for later. You will need to wash the blender out before the next step.
3. Peel and destone your avocados and chop them up and add to the blender. Grate in the zest of your lime and then squeeze in the lime juice of the full lime. Add a pinch of your sea salt to season. Blitz in the blender until smooth and then scoop into a container and cover for later.
4. Take your fennel and shave it as finely as possible. Place it into some ice water for no more than 5 minutes then remove and set to one side.
5. While the fennel is in the ice water, chop your tomatoes into 1/2’s or 1/4’s and sprinkle with a smidge of sea salt.
6. If you are using dehydrated olives, crush them into a fine crumb.  If using fresh olives, chop them into slices to suit your taste.
7. Removing the fennel from the ice water and patting it dry, we are now ready to plate.   Start by lacing the courgette around the plate, then add your tomatoes. Dot some of the avocado puree around the plate, add your fennel and then drizzle the basil oil (we suggest sparingly, you can always add more to taste) and then sprinkle with either the olive crumb or olives.
8. Now enjoy!

Courgette and feta pasta salad
Serves 4

Kevin Dundon shares this lovely and light salad from his Back to Basics cookbook, perfect for lunch or a side for a barbecue. If making it for vegetarians, you can use vegetarian feta, which is guaranteed to contain no rennet.

Here, Kevin pairs it with a light vinaigrette that can be used in lots of different dishes. A successful vinaigrette depends on getting the right proportions of oil, vinegar and mustard to make a smooth emulsion.

Ingredients

For the salad

• 450g (1lb) farfalle pasta or similar
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 courgettes, peeled into ribbons
• 400g (2 2/3 cups) feta cheese, crumbled 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp snipped chives
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2/3 tbsp vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• pinch of caster sugar (optional)
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 6 tbsp sunflower oil

Method

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold running water, then set aside.
2. Place a griddle (ridged grill) pan over a high heat and drizzle in the oil. When hot, add the strips of courgette a few at a time, season with salt and pepper and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl as they are cooked.
3. Place the mustard and sugar (if using) in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Continue whisking while adding the vinegar and then the oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Store in a Kilner or screwtop jar and shake well before using.
4. Add the pasta, feta, herbs and lemon zest, drizzle with the lemon juice and vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Roasted figs and goat’s cheese salad with hazelnut and honeycomb
Serves 4

Land cress may be hard to come by, but it is perfectly substituted by watercress or a mixture of watercress and rocket (sometimes I find watercress on its own too overpowering). All these salad greens are fiery and peppery, which is just what’s needed to balance the sweetness of the figs. I use honey still in its comb, breaking it into chunks so that it becomes an integral part of the salad. It’s amazing and worth a try if you have never had it before.

Ingredients

• 125g baby figs, halved (alternatively use 3 regular figs, quartered)
• 2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 40g blanched hazelnuts
• 120g land cress (or a mix of watercress and rocket)
• 70g firm goat’s cheese, sliced
• 30g honeycomb (or 2 tbsp runny honey)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• celery salt (or regular sea salt)
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6.
2. Place the figs on a roasting tray, drizzle with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.
3. Place the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast until golden brown. Transfer to a chopping board and roughly chop when cool enough to handle.
4. Arrange the land cress on each plate, along with the roasted figs, chopped hazelnuts and goat’s cheese. Break the honeycomb into small chunks all over the salad (this is a bit messy but I quite enjoy it!) and finish with a drizzle of the remaining balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with a generous pinch of celery salt and freshly ground black pepper.