CANNELLINI BEAN, CALAMARI & CHORIZO SALAD
SERVES 6
600g calamari, cleaned, tubes cut into 5mm rings, tentacles cut into 4 pieces
Juice of ½ lemon
⅓ cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs sherry vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 x 400g cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained
10 pitted green olives, chopped
1 tbs baby capers
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, roughly chopped, plus extra small leaves to serve
½ bunch purple basil (substitute basil), leaves picked
2 (200g) chorizo, chopped
Grilled sourdough baguette slices, to serve (optional)
Combine calamari, lemon juice and 2 tbs oil in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes. To make the dressing, combine vinegar, garlic and remaining 2 tbs oil in a small bowl. Season with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
Combine beans, olives, capers, tomato and herbs in a large bowl. Set aside. Place chorizo in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped.
Heat a non-stick frypan over high heat. Add chorizo and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes until browned.
Add calamari to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until just cooked through. Remove from heat and season. Toss a little dressing into the bean mixture and transfer to a large serving platter. Top with calamari mixture and extra parsley leaves. Serve with remaining dressing and grilled sourdough, if using, alongside.
Juicy ripe tomatoes are an essential ingredient in so many Mediterranean meals. Green, black, red, roma or cherry – each adds vibrance and an abundance of flavour to salads.
SUMMER GREEN SALAD
SERVES 6
150g green beans, trimmed
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed
100g sugar snap peas, trimmed
100g snow peas, trimmed
200g (1¼ cups) shelled fresh peas (or frozen baby peas)
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
1½ cups mint leaves
2 cups Thai basil leaves
DRESSING
⅓ cup (75g) caster sugar
⅓ cup (80ml) white wine vinegar
⅓ cup (100g) mayonnaise
¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp dried salad herb blend, (we used Herbie’s Salad Herbs, substitute a mix of dried mint and oregano)
For the dressing, place all ingredients in a food processor. Add 1 tsp salt flakes, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper and ¼ tsp white pepper, then whiz until combined and smooth.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and blanch green beans for 1 minute. Add broccolini and sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute. Add snow peas, peas and asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Drain well, refresh under cold running water, then immediately plunge vegetables into a large bowl of iced water for 10 minutes to cool completely. Drain well and pat dry with paper towel.
Toss vegetables with mint and basil leaves in a large bowl. Add salad dressing and toss well to combine. Serve.
SPICED LAMB & CAULIFLOWER WITH QUINOA & LENTILS
SERVES 4
½ cup (100g) tri-colour quinoa ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil, plus extra ¼ cup (60ml) ½ cauliflower, cut into small florets 1 tsp each ground turmeric, paprika and ground coriander 440g can brown lentils, rinsed, drained 200g baby spinach leaves 2 long green shallots, 1 bunch mint, leaves picked, roughly chopped, smaller leaves reserved to serve Seeds of 1 pomegranate 6 (500g) lamb fillets, trimmed ¼ cup (60ml) cider vinegar 1 tsp runny honey
