In this week’s highlight, we celebrate the humble salad. Frequently overlooked, a well-crafted summer salad, abundant with quality seasonal ingredients, can truly uplift one’s spirits. Lately, salads have found themselves in the feed of food enthusiasts. Sprout & Co is validating this emerging trend. This venture, initiated a few years back by Jack and Theo Kirwan, has been spreading the love for salads throughout Dublin and beyond. They’ve even published a book entitled “saladology”.
Sprout & Co’s speciality is their high-quality salad bowls, each centred around a specific theme and showcasing excellent Irish ingredients. These bowls are offered from various outlets. The real charm of these bowls, in my opinion, lie in the flavourful dressings each bowl is seasoned with. A little bit goes a long way in adding zest to our salads – just a touch of well-seasoned dressing does wonders. Most of these dressings are versatile enough to be prepared in large quantities and stored in the refrigerator for repeated use.
My pantry never runs out of essentials like extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and a few Asian condiments like soy sauce and fish sauce. These ingredients are typically affordable, have a good shelf life and can be found in most supermarkets easily. Together with some sea salt and black pepper mill, having these in your culinary arsenal can add some zing into your meals.
The first salad on my list is a quick and easy one, perfect for the normally bustling midweek cooking routine. Ideally, the dressing should be prepared in large quantities and stored refrigerated for instant use. The star ingredient in this salad is kecap manis, a sweet soy sauce from Indonesia popular in Vietnam and Cambodia as well. If it’s hard to obtain, mixing ordinary soy sauce with honey will work just as well.
The fare of Vietnam, to me, is encapsulated in a dressing that perfectly harmonises sweet, sour and savoury notes. A salad that can be quickly assembled, it deviates from conventional lettuce use, opting for torn herbs to pack a punch. Combine this with the exquisitely prepared dressing and seared steak and you’ve got a flavour-forward dish that perfectly complements warm weather. The vermicelli noodles, which are quick to prepare with boiling water, are a perfect addition. Though if steak is not to your preference, you can switch to fried minced beef, chicken, a pork chop or stir-fried tofu for an equally enchanting result.
The secondary recipe is a side dish or an ideal starter for a sunny barbecue session. Ratatouille, a celebrated Provencal dish, unites grilled Mediterranean veggies with a tomato base. In addition to its culinary renown, it’s also a delightful movie.
To ensure your ratatouille surpasses mediocrity, there are a few pointers. Only select the best ingredients, as superior quality means higher natural sugars in the vegetables, resulting in a much tastier dish. Salting aubergine and grilling peppers to remove their skin will enrich the dish’s flavours. If pressed for time, tinned peeled peppers are a suitable option.
Lastly, infuse the classic dish with creamy mozzarella, toasted pine nuts, fresh basil leaves and a good quality olive oil to truly bring out the individual flavours of your ingredients. This dish pairs beautifully with a barbecued lamb shoulder served with a side of salsa verde, but can equally complement grilled fish in a perfect summer meal.