At this time of year, British veg is at its abundant best with lettuces, beans, peas and a whole range of fruit bursting forth. I develop a craving for a proper summer salad – not a couple of leaves that sit on the side of the plate, but a full bowl of delicious crunchy lettuce and salad leaves that are topped with roasted nuts, cherry tomatoes and croutons. If you want to make a full meal of it, then I like to add bacon, chicken or a nice bit of grilled steak as well as small roast or new potatoes.
This week we have some fresh anchovy fillets and Tuna steaks available on Friday, making it ideal for a Salad Nicoise.
- 2 small hearts of romaine (cos) lettuce
- 1 (200g) tuna steak
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 12 pitted black olives
- 1 small green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 small red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 3 ripe tomatoes, quartered
- 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved
- 6 anchovy fillets
- a few sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
For the vinaigrette dressing:
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 rounded teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon wine or balsamic vinegar
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (chives, parsley, basil or chervil)
- milled black pepper
Start with the vinaigrette and crush the salt with pestle and mortar, then add the garlic and crush into a paste. Then mix in order the mustard powder, then the vinegar then salt and pepper before adding the oil and finally the herbs.
Arrange the salad leaves, get creative with the rest and grill the tuna steak to your liking. Top with the vinaigrette and serve.
On a totally different note remember to watch the first episode of ITV’s BBQ Champ this Friday at 9pm to see the contestants cooking with our Grass-fed Beef, presented by Myleene Klass, Adam Richman (star of Man vs Food), Mark Blatchford.