With KZN basking in the heat, food lovers are enjoying the healthy option of salads. The modern revival of the bistro salad has pulled together some classics that have survived the test of time, with some new and edgy innovations.
Chris Black, Chef Patron of The Aubergine in Hillcrest and Bellevue Café in Kloof, has a reputation for fine salads that harness the best fresh local produce and the latest food trends. All ingredients available from Pick n Pay.
Delicious, extra thick tuna steaks . . .
He says far from being a side order, salads are a major attraction at any decent restaurant. Nowadays, this healthy option is far more exciting, filling and nourishing, than in the past.
Here are three of his all-time favourites. One is the hardy Chicken Caesar salad. The all vegetarian Lentil and Feta salad is hugely popular too, combining a kaleidoscope of flavours and textures. And with the Aubergine being famous for its calamari, here’s an Eastern influenced calamari salad people love, the cabbage-like flavours of bok choi.
Lentil and Feta Salad (pictured above)
An amazing combination of flavours and textures: you get the iron of the lentils, the crunch of the nuts, the sweet from the beetroot and the soft from the feta. Poach lentils in vegetable stock, then soak overnight before boiling with the mint leaves so they absorb as much of the mint flavour as possible.
Ingredients:
Lentils in a mint vinaigrette; Feta; Roasted beetroot; Cashew nuts; Sweet 100 tomatoes (a very sweet tomato which is a mix between a jam and a cocktail tomato)
Dressing: Mint vinaigrette
Chicken Caesar Salad
A timeless classic: the chargrilled chicken is served with a classic creamy anchovy dressing and the parmesan croutons are very important. The parmesan croutons are made from scratch, mixing up a bread mix with parmesan and baking it. Top it off by sprinkling some parmesan on top.
Ingredients:
Cos lettuce; Rocket leaves; Micro greens; Parmesan croutons; Grated parmesan; Chargrilled chicken
Dressing: Classic creamy anchovy dressing
Chargrilled Calamari Salad
Guys who are want some protein with their food enjoy this. It is served with a ginger vinaigrette and this is the only time we’ll serve lemon wedges with a salad.
Ingredients:
A mix of bok choy and pak choi lettuce; Feta cut into cubes; Tomato; Chargrilled calamari
Dressing: Pink pickled Ginger Vinaigrette. Serve with lemon wedges
Some tips on brilliant salads:
**Never compromise on fresh ingredients. Rather than shop for specific ingredients for a particular salad, go instead to a good market and see what is fresh and appealing, building your salad around that.
**The foundation of any salad is your leaves. Tear lettuce and other leaves by hand and set them aside. Before making up the salad, plunge them into cold water with some ice cubes. This shocks the leaves and makes them crisp. Then put them into a spinner to dry.
**Prepare salad in a big bowl, add the dressing or vinaigrette, and toss the ingredients thoroughly ensure the dressing coats everything.
**Presentation is everything. A great salad is carefully layered, with your major leaves on the bottom. Build from the base up, and pay attention to detail of your focus ingredients on top, be they nuts, protein (chicken, bacon, duck, calamari etc) and micro greens. You can even add edible flowers.
**Micro greens are a must, and comprise the entire small plant, from seed to shoot of popular greens. I use micro cress, beetroot, and shiso, grown locally for me. You can get micro greens packs from your supermarket.
**How to serve it? Ideally on a plate: it’s prettier because you can see all the layers. Realistically though, a bowl is far more practical. But at a dinner party I would suggest you serve salad on a plate.
Recipes prepared by Chris Black. Photography: Gameplan Media