Forever favourite chopped salad
(Picture above)
This is one of my most regularly made recipes. The key to its greatness is chopping everything quite small, so you get a little bit of everything in every mouthful. It’s fresh and full of flavour, and filling while also being light, making it the perfect weekday lunch or dinner for post-indulgent times. While it doesn’t use a dressing per se, the red onion and olives pair perfectly with the lemon and olive oil to enhance the natural flavours of the fresh veggies the way a dressing would. It’s really something.
Serves 4
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2–3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, seeded, finely chopped
Large handful of baby roma tomatoes, finely chopped
Small handful of pitted black olives, finely chopped
2 large handfuls of rocket, chopped
1 ripe avocado, diced
Juice of 1 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
60g pine nuts, flaked almonds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, toasted
Put the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl, then add the onion, celery, capsicum, tomatoes and olives. Give it all a big stir.
Add the rocket and avocado to the bowl along with the lemon juice, olive oil and most of the toasted nuts or seeds. Use a spoon to give the salad a light mix, then top with the remaining nuts or seeds and serve.
This will keep in the fridge for up to four days.
Warm greens and toasted spelt
The combination of the fresh, creamy, lemony, garlicky whipped feta (see below) with the smokiness of hearty greens cooked on the barbecue is a surprising and welcome combo for hot days. Adding to the surprise is the toasted spelt, which has been teased into a crispy, crunchy, nutty morsel using the magic of heat and oil.
Serves 4–6 as a side
1 handful (30g) spelt or farro
Olive oil, for cooking
1 bunch asparagus
1 bunch broccolini
1 zucchini, cut into 4cm batons
6 brussels sprouts, halved
Whipped feta (recipe below)
2 tbsp dried cherries
Small handful dill, to garnish
Cook the spelt in boiling water for 15–25 minutes (the time will depend on whether you are using pearled or wholegrain – pearled will cook a little quicker, as it’s had its outer germ/grain removed). Drain, rinse in cold water, then set aside to completely dry. Once dry, toast the spelt in a hot frying pan with a generous glug of olive oil until lightly golden all over.
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and allow to cool.
Trim the woody ends from the asparagus then cut into 4cm pieces, on a diagonal.
Trim the woody ends from the broccolini then cut into 4cm pieces, leaving the tops intact and splitting any extra-wide pieces of stalk in half lengthways.
Toss all the veggies in a large mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a generous pinch of salt.
Cook on a hot barbecue (or in a frying pan over a medium-high heat) in a single layer. Avoid moving the slices around too much while they cook, to ensure they develop a nice char.
To assemble, spread most of the whipped feta over the bottom of a serving dish. Pile the cooked greens and dried cherries on top, then dollop with the remaining whipped feta and top with toasted spelt and dill.
Serve immediately.
For the whipped feta
400g Danish feta
½ cup (125g) full-fat Greek yoghurt
½ tsp lemon zest
½ tsp minced garlic
½ tsp salt
1–2 tbsps olive oil
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Place all ingredients except the olive oil in a high-powered blender or food processor and blitz until they come together. You may have to pause a few times, scrape the sides down and give it a jiggle to get it going. Scrape down the sides once more, then turn the blender/food processor back on and pour the olive oil in, adding it in a constant stream until you have a creamy, silky-smooth dip.
Place in an airtight container in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until ready to use.
Dreamy creamy loaded bean dip
Loaded dips are my signature. They’re dishes I return to time and time again, and they’re the dishes friends and family expect me to bring to gatherings, along with a loaf of freshly baked sourdough to dip, dunk and schmear with. It’s not often that I call for specific kitchen equipment, but for this recipe a high-powered blender is really important. If you don’t have a good blender, you won’t get a smooth and creamy dip.
Serves 4–6
For the bean dip
2 × 400g tins butter (lima) beans, cannellini beans or chickpeas
200g unhulled tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
75ml olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sea salt
2–4 garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup (125 ml) water
For the toppings
200g baby roma tomatoes
Olive oil, for drizzling
Pinch of sea salt
pinch of caster sugar
1 tsp cumin seeds
Large handful kalamata olives, halved
Large handful capers
Large handful toasted pine nuts
Large handful oregano or flat-leaf parsley leaves
Freshly baked sourdough, crackers, or corn chips, to serve
To make the bean dip, place all ingredients, except the water, in a high-powered blender or food processor and blend until well combined. Add the water – a little at a time – and blend until you have a smooth, creamy dip. Transfer to a large serving bowl and smooth with the back of a tablespoon. Alternatively, store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 160C.
Slice the tomatoes in half lengthways and put them in a mixing bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and sugar. Toss to combine, then transfer to a baking tray, cut side up, and bake for 40 minutes, or until shrivelled and starting to blacken.
When you’re ready to load up your dip, drizzle it with oil, then add cumin seeds, slow-roasted tomatoes, olives, capers, pine nuts and herbs.
Serve with sourdough, corn chips, crackers, corn fritters or any other delicious morsel you fancy.
You can make the slow-roasted tomatoes and the dip up to two days ahead and assemble before serving.
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This is an edited extract from Epic Salads by Jessica Prescott, photography by Rochelle Eagle (A$49.99, Hardie Grant Books)
