Warm Salad of Griddled Courgettes, Fennel, Goat’s Cheese and (optional) Bacon This attractive summer salad recipe is ready in under half an hour.
To make this recipe you will need:
3 large courgettes, sliced into long strips (or use a vegetable peeler);
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fennel seeds
150g streaky bacon, chopped (if using)
1 large fennel bulb, finely sliced
200g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
Juice of ½ lemon
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
And here’s how to do it…
1. Toss the courgettes in a bowl with the olive oil and fennel seeds and leave for 10 minutes. Heat a griddle pan and cook the courgettes for a few minutes each side until tender. 2. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, dry-fry the bacon until crispy, then drain on kitchen paper. Place the fennel in a large bowl and mix with the warm courgettes, bacon and goat’s cheese. 3. Mix the lemon juice with the extra-virgin olive oil, season and drizzle over the salad. Serve the salad with crusty fresh bread.
“You can make these simple Italian greens with cabbage, chard or even good-old salad leaves ” Jamie Oliver
To make this recipe you will need:
6 big handfuls of mixed greens, leaves and herbs
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra virgin oilve oil
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
This dish can be eaten either cold as an antipasto or warm as a vegetable contorno. The great thing about it is that you can use any combination of greens, such as baby cabbage leaves, Swiss chard and even salad leaves like cos, gem or Romaine. Most Italians have a vegetable garden, and no matter how big or small it is they always have greens and veggies to hand. This recipe sees the more robust leaves blanched first, then wilted down in a pan with the salad leaves, herbs and garlic until soft and tender.
TO MAKE:
1. Blanch the cabbage leaves and chard to perfection in a pot of salted boiling water for a couple of minutes, then drain in a colander and leave to cool down a little. Put a couple of good lugs of olive oil into a large frying pan or casserole type dish and add the sliced garlic. As soon as it starts to take on the smallest amount of colour, throw in your salad leaves then the cabbage and Swiss chard.
2. Cook on a medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes, moving the greens around the pan with a spoon or a pair of tongs, then add your herbs and cook for a further minute. Remove from the heat and season carefully to taste with salt and pepper, some good-quality extra virgin olive oil and enough lemon juice to give it a little kick.
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