Caravan Cook: Summer Salads

Those wonderful lazy, hazy days of summer are upon us again with all the delightfully delicious flavours of salad vegetables and the tangy tastes of salad dressings.

It doesn’t matter whether you eat them as a meal on their own or as an accompaniment to barbecued meats, salads are a part of the casual meals that make summers so memorable.

If I had to think of a flavour that typifies summer, then that taste would have to be tomatoes. Combine them with basil and you have a flavour partnership made in heaven.

This is a very simple salad with a tangy dressing made with feta cheese. In truth, any soft cheese would work but I love the flavour of feta.

Salad
4 ripe red tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons roughly torn basil
Freshly ground salt and pepper

Salad dressing
50gm feta cheese or a soft cheese of your choice
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Arrange the tomato and onion slices on a large serving platter. Season the tomato and onion generously with salt and pepper.

Blend the feta cheese, yoghurt, oil and vinegar using a hand-held food processor or simply put the ingredients for the dressing into a bowl and give it a good mix with a potato masher. The dressing won’t be as smooth but the flavours will blend together.

Drizzle the salad dressing over the tomatoes and onions and then sprinkle with the basil. Voila! You have the taste of summer on a plate.

It is possible to buy natural yoghurt in small pots that are just the right size for the dressing and don’t tend to take up too much room in the fridge.

Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts

Not all days of summer are warm. Occasionally a late afternoon thunderstorm will pass through which will drop the temperature quite a bit.

This is where a slightly warm salad comes into its own. If you want a totally vegetarian salad, then leave out the crispy bacon and maybe substitute some crunchy golden croutons.

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 semi sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 pkt or 250gm baby spinach leaves
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
2-3 rashers bacon, fried until crispy and crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped coriander to garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a heavy based frypan. Add the tomatoes, spinach, onion slices and pine nuts to the pan and stir-fry for a minute until the spinach begins to wilt. Add the crispy bacon and continue to cook for just a few seconds more.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a large bowl and sprinkle with the chopped coriander.

The tang of the blue cheese dressing partners the potatoes beautifully and as you may know by now, I am a blue cheese addict. You could substitute some fresh parmesan or brie, or whatever your favourite cheese is instead of blue vein.

3-4 spring onions, sliced
1 handful of finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream or natural yoghurt
50gm blue cheese, crumbled
1kg washed potatoes, with the skins left on
A small squeeze of lemon or lime juice
Freshly ground salt and pepper

Dice the potatoes (with the skins left on) into pieces that are about the size of a small mouthful. Cutting the potatoes into pieces cuts down on the cooking time needed.

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until they are just tender. Drain the potatoes and set to one side to cool.

To make the dressing, place the onions, parsley, mayonnaise, yoghurt (or sour cream), lemon juice and cheese into a bowl and mix well.

You may like to do this earlier, before cooking the potatoes, or even the day before to allow the flavours of the dressing to blend.

Put the cooked potato pieces into a bowl or onto a serving platter and pour the dressing over the top of the potatoes. Mix the dressing through the potatoes carefully just before serving.

This is a very simple and easy salad to prepare but has a fantastic flavour.

2 red onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1 continental cucumber, sliced very thinly
1 teaspoon capers
A drizzle of white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the onions into a salad bowl and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, oil and vinegar. Mix well. Place the onion mix to one side for about 30 minutes or so before adding the cucumbers and capers.

Toss well before serving.