Recalling the warm memories of our adolescence, we are reminded of the halcyon days of summer. With the perpetual dazzle of the sun, those summers were made more colourful by the delightful meals we shared with our cherished ones. The culinary choices crafted the character of these gatherings, often featuring our loved ones savouring delicious summertime dishes ranging from barbecued delights, nutritive salads, and scrumptious cheese platters.
Summer represents the time for refreshing salads; Irish salad recipes often comprise of seasonal salad and vegetable staples. Irish salads have evolved, with ingenuity and inspiration guiding us to fashion them. For this particular salad, our stars are lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, cabbage, and spinach. The commonality amongst these vegetables is their freshness and local origin within the season. What’s so crucial about these elements? Consuming fresh and seasonal fruits and veggies ensures they are at their peak flavour and nutritional content. The true advantage of indulging in salads is their high vitamin, mineral, and dietary fibre content. All of this, combined with the added bonus of supporting our local growers and reducing food miles (look for the Bord Bia Quality Mark in shops).
Explore this piquant and adaptable summer chopped salad made with mixed herb and garlic and harissa vinaigrette. Adjust the ingredients with in-season produce available, what’s already in your refrigerator or a collection of your preferred veggies. The vinaigrette sauce contains a kick of spiciness due to the harissa paste and raw garlic. The crunchy consistency and delightful flavour profile make this salad thoroughly appetising. It can be consumed as is or accompanied with assorted summer tapas or a barbecue staple – grilled fish or chicken skewers.
Enjoy this exquisite essence of summer with this nourishing seasonal salad that is as easy to prepare as it is delightful. For fresh, local and seasonal shopping, don’t forget to visit @lifeisbetter.ie for monthly updates on What’s in Season.
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Mixed herb, garlic and harissa vinaigrette Summer chopped salad
Serves 4 portions.
Here is a new text formulated from the information given in the original text. To break away from the usual, embark on a culinary journey that takes just a quarter of an hour to prepare. You will need the following:
-The quarter part of a spring cabbage
-200gs worth of cherry tomatoes
-Half a butterhead lettuce
-One half of a cucumber
-A couple of handfuls of spinach
-Three to four scallions
Now, for the dressing, gather these:
-Three fresh garlic cloves
-Two handfuls of assorted herbs like parsley, basil, coriander, and chives
-A teaspoon of harissa paste
-Honey, one to two teaspoons
-Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (you can also use white or red wine vinegar)
-Six tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Cherry tomatoes are my preferred choice as they bring in an enhanced sweetness and are a delight when sliced into small wedges for the salad.
Steps:
1. Begin by cleaning all the vegetables.
2. Chop your lettuce, cabbage, and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
3. Next, take your cucumber, remove the seeds to minimise the salad’s liquid contents. Slice it lengthways into strips, then cross-slice to make cubes.
4. Finely chop your spinach and cut your scallions into small slices.
5. Now, you can choose to store this chopped salad blend together but ensure it is not mixed. It would be best if you kept it on a kitchen paper in a fridge container for a maximum of six hours.
6. For a hosting party or meal, it’s possible to prepare these steps in advance and add the salad dressing later when required.
Directions for dressing:
1. Take your fresh garlic cloves, dice them, sprinkle some sea salt, and blend with the edge of a knife.
2. Coarsely chop the mixed herbs to a fine texture, including the stalks, and mix with the garlic paste.
3. Add a teaspoon of harissa for spiciness.
4. Next, add a teaspoon of honey and season with salt and pepper.
5. Now, add the vinegar. You can use either apple cider vinegar or red or white wine vinegar.
6. Lastly, whisk in the olive oil. You can combine this in a bowl or shake thoroughly in a jar.
7. When serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Additional items like crispy bacon lardons, toasted nuts, or a chopped boiled egg could be added to your salad. Store the remaining dressing in the fridge and use it within three to four days.
The three-year promotional effort, entitled “Life is Better with Fruit and Vegetables”, is supported by the EU and industry funding, aimed at circulating enjoyable, instructive information and inspiring recipes. In depth insights on this campaign can be discovered at fruitnveg.ie or via the @lifeisbetter.ie accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
Though it’s backed by the EU, the viewpoints and beliefs put forth are solely those of the author, and not necessarily indicative of the EU or the European Research Executive Agency’s position. Neither the European Union nor the funding authority bear accountability for these opinions. For assistance on well-balanced, healthy eating habits, the Department of Health is available for consultation.