I’m a huge fan of salads… as long as they’re good ones. Feel free to swap ingredients in or out here the main thing is to get plenty of variety and different textures together in one bowl. This can be easily adapted for lunch at the office: if you remember, blanch the broccoli and roast the spring onions the night before; otherwise, just eat them raw.
Ingredients
- 7 oz (200 g) spring onions (scallions)
- glug of rapeseed oil
- 9 oz ( 250 g ) broccoli, cut into small florets
- ½ head of purple or white cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 7 oz (200 g) purple sprouting broccoli or broccolini, ends trimmed and thicker stalks cut in half lengthways
- 7 oz (200 g) green beans, ends trimmed
- 7 oz (200 g) mange tout (snow peas)
- 1 small green courgette (zucchini), shaved into ribbons
- 1 small yellow courgette (zucchini), shaved into ribbons
- 5 large gherkins (pickles), thinly sliced lengthways
- 2 hass avocados, sliced
Dressing
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar or honey optional
- generous glug of white wine vinegar
- ½ lemon juice
- generous glug of extra virgin olive oil
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4). Place the whole spring onions in a roasting tin, drizzle with rapeseed oil and season with salt. Roast for 10–15 minutes or until golden.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the broccoli and cauliflower. Cook for a minute or so, then add the purple sprouting broccoli or broccolini, green beans, mange tout and broccoli (you can do the vegetables in batches if your pan isn’t large enough to hold them all at once). Cover and cook for 2–3 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain the vegetables, then transfer to a large bowl or sink of iced water (or just really cold water, if adding ice seems a bit fussy). Blanching and refreshing vegetables in this way means they stay crisp and keep their vibrant colours – chill them in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
- To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jar, add salt and pepper to taste and shake well. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly. This is a delicious, sharp but sweet dressing.
- Place the blanched vegetables in a large serving bowl, along with the courgette ribbons, sliced gherkin and avocado. Pour over the dressing and toss until everything is generously coated. Finally, add the warm roasted spring onions and plenty of black pepper and serve straightaway.
