Top 5 Summer Salads
Wed Jul 20 2016
This week is Bord Bia’s Summer Salads Week and we have put together our top 5 Summer Salad recipes here:
Caprese salad
Ingredients:
- 4 large tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
- 250g mozzarella cheese, thickly sliced
- Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
- Freshly ground salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Thinly slice the tomatoes and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and drizzle over the olive oil. Lay slices of cheese over the tomatoes, and then scatter the torn basil over the platter.
For a bit of extra flavour, scatter a few capers over the plate, or why not add some fresh local red currants?
Greek Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 large vine tomato, cut into wedges
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 red onion, quartered and halved
- Handful of olives
- ½ a green pepper, thinly sliced.
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 75g feta cheese, cut into slabs or crumbled
- 2 tbsp virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl, mix together and lightly season, then serve with some crusty bread. Add some capers for extra flavour.
Mixed salad with eggs
Ingredients:
- 4 large vine tomato, cut into wedges
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- Handful of chives, snipped
- Outer leaves of an iceberg lettuce, washed and torn
- 5 hardboiled eggs, peeled and halved.
- 2 tbsp virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Handful of fresh basil, torn
Method:
Place the torn lettuce on a platter, and scatter the other ingredients over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then drizzle over the olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
Fig Raspberry & Prosciutto Salad
Ingredients:
- 100g rocket leaves
- 125g raspberries
- 6 figs, cut into quarters
- 2 fresh mozzarella balls
- 8-12 slices prosciutto
- Aged balsamic vinegar & extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Method:
1. Divide rocket leaves between 4 dinner plates or 6 side plates if having as a starter. Scatter equally with raspberries and quartered figs. Tear of pieces from the mozzarella and divide amongst plates, then top each with 2 slices of prosciutto. Drizzle salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, then season each with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Also lovely served as a large salad on a big serving plate.
Beetroot Candied Walnuts & Feta Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 uncooked beetroot
- 50g walnuts
- ½ tsp honey
- 1 bag mixed leaves
- 75g Feta, crumbled
- French Dressing
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Wrap the beetroot in foil and place on a baking tray. Roast for 1 hour or until tender. Cool for 15 minutes.
2. While the beetroot is cooling, scatter the walnuts on a baking tray and drizzle with honey. Roast for ten minutes or until roasted. Set aside to cool
3. Wearing gloves, peel the beetroot and cut each round into 8 wedges. Dress the salad leaves before assembling the salad, topping it with beetroot wedges, crumbled Feta and the candied walnuts.
Some Tips to increase tomatoes in your daily eating plan:
- Remember to store tomatoes at room temperature for maximum flavour
- Have a variety of tomatoes available for different purposes. Large tomatoes are great to be sliced for sandwiches.
- Cherry tomatoes add great flavour to salads but also can be a fantastic base for a sauce. Cook enough in the summer and freeze to ensure you have great quality sauce to last you through the winter months.
- Don’t forget using fresh tomatoes to make a tomato based sauce for lunch and dinner will go towards your 5-a-day.
- Tomatoes can be a great addition to all meals. They can be a great way to get vegetables into breakfast by adding to an omelette.
- Tomatoes can be a great addition to soups, and stews.
- Use cherry tomatoes combined with cheese, hummus or avocado as a great mid afternoon snack.
During the week you will be able to win a Select Hotel weekend away with spending money every day on the Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show with thanks to Bord Bia.
