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1 butternut squash
a little olive oil for brushing
4 spring onions, sliced
2 tsp sesame seeds
150g (5oz) rocket leaves, to garnish
FOR THE DRESSING
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp tamari or other soy sauce
½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (375°F), gas mark 5
Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways and brush the cut surfaces with oil. Put them, cut-side up, into a roasting tin and bake for about 1 hour or until the squash is soft.
Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle, then scoop out and discard the seeds. Peel off the papery skin – it will come away easily – and cut the flesh into 2.5cm (1in) chunks.
Put all the dressing ingredients into a large bowl, with salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
Add the butternut squash to the bowl, along with the spring onions, and mix gently, so that it is coated with the glossy dressing. Check the seasoning.
Toast the sesame seeds by stirring them for a minute or two in a dry saucepan until they smell toasty and start to jump around.
Put the butternut squash salad on to individual plates, top with a scattering of sizzling sesame seeds and garnish generously with rocket.
VARIATION
Roasted butternut squash salad with balsamic dressing and feta
A delicious variation is to add 200g (7oz) feta cheese, cut or broken into small cubes or pieces. The creamy saltiness of the feta contrasts well with the sweet tenderness of the balsamic-glazed butternut squash and the fresh peppery rocket.
Red cabbage and apple salad
A lovely salad for the autumn, sweet apples and sultanas with crisp red cabbage and walnuts, and a honey dressing.
SERVES 4
450g (1lb) red cabbage
2 sweet eating apples
1 celery heart
50g (2oz) sultanas or raisins (optional)
small handful of chopped walnuts
honey and cider dressing (#ulink_37eca677-a78e-58eb-8707-9a581c6162aa)
Wash and finely shred the cabbage. Wash the apples and chop, without peeling if the skins look good, and slice the celery. Place all these in a salad bowl.
If you’re using the sultanas or raisins, cover them with boiling water and leave for 10 minutes, to plump them; drain, and mix with salad, along with the walnuts and enough honey dressing to make the mixture moist and shiny.
VARIATION
Primo cabbage and apple salad
Make as described, but using tender primo or pointed green instead of red cabbage. The walnuts are optional in this version.
Cauliflower and apple salad
Make as described, but use 450g (1lb) cauliflower (1 medium-sized cauliflower) instead of cabbage, and pine nuts instead of walnuts.
Cabbage salad with red pepper and raisins v
This colourful salad is excellent with jacket potatoes, onion quiche (#litres_trial_promo) or quick cheese and tomato flan (#litres_trial_promo).
SERVES 4
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
350g (12oz) white cabbage, shredded
175g (6oz) carrots, chopped or coarsely grated
175g (6oz) red pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, chives or spring onions
50g (2oz) raisins
50g (2oz) roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews, or pine nuts or chopped walnuts
Put the oil and vinegar into the base of a salad bowl, add some salt and pepper and mix together.
Add the cabbage, carrots, red peppers, parsley, chives or spring onions and raisins, and turn everything over a few times with a spoon so that it all gets covered in the dressing.
If possible leave for an hour or so; this softens the cabbage and gives the flavours a chance to blend. Stir in the nuts just before serving.
Cabbage salad with mint and pomegranate
This salad is so pretty: pale cabbage with shiny ruby pomegranate seeds glinting among the bright green mint.
SERVES 4
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
450g (1lb) white cabbage, coarsely grated or finely shredded
1 pomegranate
3–4 sprigs of mint, to garnish
Put the chopped mint, honey, vinegar, oil and some salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix together to form a dressing.
Add the cabbage and mix thoroughly, so that it gets well coated with the sweet herb dressing.
Leave for at least 1 hour, so that the cabbage softens a little and absorbs all the flavours.
Just before you want to serve the salad, cut the pomegranate in two and, holding one half over a plate to catch the juice, bend the fruit backwards to make the seeds pop out, helped as necessary with the point of a sharp knife.
Add the pomegranate juice to the salad, and stir in some of the seeds. Then tip the salad out on to a large flat plate and decorate with the mint sprigs and remaining pomegranate seeds. Serve as soon as possible, while the pomegranate is bright and sparkling.
VARIATION
Sweet cabbage salad with lovage
Make as described, using chopped fresh lovage instead of mint. The pungent, aromatic flavour of lovage along with the sweet dressing makes this salad deliciously different. Lovage is not easy to find in the shops, but if you have the space to grow it, it’s easy because it comes up every year.
A great veggie Caesar
Caesar salad, with its sweet, crisp leaves, creamy mayonnaise dressing, cheese and croûtons, seems like a great vegetarian salad, except that often it isn’t. The mayonnaise may have Worcestershire sauce in it; there may be anchovies in the salad, and Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian. But it is possible to make a great veggie Caesar with Tabasco, capers and gherkins to pep up the mayonnaise, and Parmesan-style cheese or hard vegetarian pecorino to take the place of Parmesan.
SERVES 4
1 Cos lettuce, washed and torn into large bite-sized pieces
FOR THE DRESSING
6 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
a few drops of Tabasco or hot chilli sauce
125g (4oz) pecorino or Parmesan-style cheese, flaked with a potato peeler or coarsely grated
2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed (or rinsed and drained if preserved in salt)
1–2 small gherkins, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE CROUTONS
2–4 slices of bread olive oil, for frying
Put the lettuce into a salad bowl.
Mix the mayonnaise with the lemon juice, garlic and enough Tabasco or hot chilli sauce to give it a pleasant kick. Add half the cheese, the capers and the gherkins, and add to the bowl with the lettuce. Scatter the rest of the cheese on top and season to taste with pepper and a little salt if necessary.
To make the croûtons, fry the slices of bread in olive oil in a frying pan, until they are crisp and golden, turning them to fry the each side. Cut the fried bread into pieces and add to the salad bowl. Toss the salad and eat at once.
Celeriac remoulade
Celeriac, that knobbly root with the delicious celery flavour, makes a classic, creamy salad. I like it with some lovely bright green watercress. It’s also delicious in a lighter, vinaigrette dressing (#ulink_668243aa-364f-55ee-9fe8-d7ad8740f5c4) (see the variation).
SERVES 4
450g (1lb) celeriac
6 tbsp mayonnaise: homemade or good-quality bought
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
