Taken from Around the World in Salads by Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi
shaved manchego, celeriac & radish salad with white truffle oil
serves 4–6
This is a salad for all seasons, as any vegetable that can be cut into light, almost transparent ribbons is suitable for this assembly of flavours and textures. The Manchego (or Pecorino, as it is still a sheep’s cheese) seems to enhance the flavours of the vegetables, helping them stand up to the precious drops of truffle-scented oil and the crumbled walnuts. Try Jerusalem artichoke and pear, various types of mushroom or carrot and beetroot and experiment with other oils such as walnut, or avocado, or simply enjoy a good single estate olive oil.
Ingredients:
50g walnut halves
12 asparagus spears
1/3 small celeriac
6 radishes
75g Manchego cheese
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a few drops of white truffle oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and toast the walnuts on a baking tray for 6 minutes or until just browned.
Cut the vegetables and cheese into thin ribbons and slices using a potato peeler, mandoline or very sharp knife. Pile a single layer onto a serving platter and season with salt and pepper, splash over a little olive oil and a few drops of truffle oil. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients are used up.
To finish, lightly crush the walnuts using a pestle and mortar or roughly chop with a knife and scatter over the salad. Finish with a twist of black pepper and serve.
simple sea bream, grape & celery ceviche
serves 6 as a starter
Another of Adam Rawson’s recipes from his travels in Lima, this simple ceviche is a mixture of lime juice, chilli and salt which ‘cooks’ thinly cut fish in minutes, turning it from translucent pinkish grey to opaque white. The proteins are denatured with the acid of the citrus fruit, giving the fish a cooked texture.
It is really important the fish is fresh, so ask your fishmonger for the latest delivery. Many restaurants freeze the fish for 24 hours at -20°C before using it to kill any possible parasites. This is difficult in a domestic freezer but a fishmonger can do this for you and a lot of fish sold in supermarkets is previously frozen.
Whole corn on the cob is often served on the side or a bowl of toasted fat kernels, which gives a welcome sweetness after the punchy citrus and salt in the ceviche.
Ingredients:
4 x approx. 125g fillets very fresh sea bream, sea bass or haddock, pin-boned and skinned
1/2–1 teaspoon celery salt
juice of 2 limes
2 celery sticks, finely sliced on the diagonal, plus a small handful of celery leaves
100g green seedless grapes, halved
1/4–1/2 jalapeño chilli or hot green chilli, according to taste, finely sliced
a small handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
Method:
Slice the fish at a 45° angle with a sharp knife across the fillet so that you end up with pieces about 3mm thick. Lay the slices onto a serving plate.
Scatter over the celery salt and pour over the lime juice. Top with the chopped celery and leaves, grapes, chilli, coriander leaves and lightly crushed pink peppercorns and serve straight away.
shredded chicken & cabbage salad
serves 6
This salad (photographed on page 104) is from Susie Jones, a Cambodian chef who loves using local produce in her South East Asian cooking. Instead of jicama (a firm root vegetable with a mild fruity flavour) or green mango you can use raw swede, a firm slightly sour plum or a yellow pepper. As long as everything is raw and good to eat, most vegetables or firm unripe fruits will work with this dressing. It is the same for the herbs – add what you have available. If you are out of coriander just add more mint.
For a twist use the juice from 4 kumquats in the dressing instead of the lemon juice to give a mild orange flavour. Try to find Vietnamese fish sauce (also called anchovy sauce) if you can, it is less pungent than the Thai nam pla. This is a good way to use up leftover cooked chicken or turkey, in which case miss out the poaching instructions.
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
50g redskin peanuts (with thin skins on)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
150g firm white cabbage
2 medium carrots
100g swede or 1/2 jicama (optional)
1 yellow pepper or green mango (optional)
a large handful of a mixture of Thai basil, coriander and mint, roughly torn
3 spring onions, finely sliced
for the dressing
6 tablespoons lime juice
4 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce or 3 tablespoons nam pla
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons raw mild honey
1/4–1/2 red chilli, finely chopped, according to taste
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
Method:
Poach the chicken in a medium saucepan of boiling, salted water for 10–15 minutes or until cooked through. Drain and leave to cool.
Toast the peanuts in a dry pan until they start to blacken in patches. Pour them onto a clean tea-towel to cool. Fold up the towel and massage them with your hands to remove the skins. Pick out the peanuts (don’t worry if some skins stay on). Roughly chop them with a knife and set aside. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they start to pop and brown. Toss frequently, then when golden remove from the heat and tip onto a plate to cool.
Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
Finely slice the cabbage with a very sharp knife on a chopping board. Take time to get the shreds very thinly sliced. Tear the chicken into shreds. Cut the carrots, swede and pepper with a sharp knife into julienne strips or use a gadget that shreds. Add them straight into the dressing in a large bowl to prevent them browning.
To assemble the salad mix the chicken, cabbage, peanuts and herbs into the bowl with the remaining ingredients and dressing. Arrange on a serving platter and scatter over the sesame seeds.
variation:
Top with crispy garlic and shallots from the Pomelo Salad (page 158).
raspberries & redcurrants with whipped ricotta, lemon curd & ginger crumbs
serves 6
Simple and effective, this quick-to-make dessert is ideal in summer when raspberries and redcurrants are bursting with sweetness.
We love the slightly tart ricotta with the sweet lemon curd rippled through it. We make our own gluten-free ginger biscuits but do buy your favourite brand to crumble over for an instant finish.
Ingredients:
150ml whipping cream
250g ricotta, drained
100g lemon curd
300g raspberries
50g redcurrants or other red berries, such as loganberries
2–3 ginger biscuits, to decorate
GF and V If using gluten-free ginger biscuits.
Method:
Use an electric whisk to whip the cream and ricotta into soft peaks.
Spoon this onto a serving platter and swirl through the lemon curd.
Scatter the berries on top and crumble over the biscuits. This will sit happily in the fridge for a couple of hours if you want to prepare it in advance.
published by Kyle Books, priced at £16.99. Photography by Helen Cathcart.
