Here in sunny North Otago, summer is definitely upon us if the browning of the hills are anything to go by.
Glorious long hot days beg for something a little lighter on the stomach and what better way of doing that than with a cooling salad bursting with flavour and texture.
A simple garden salad is still hard to beat on the best of days.
Give it a little lift with some asparagus and green goddess dressing and you have a real show-stopper on the side or even as the main event.
That beautiful crunch you get with a good iceberg lettuce has meant it has never gone out of style.
Spoon on some hummus, chickpeas, harissa and some seared tuna or white fish and you'll soon be as addicted as I am!
Seiji, one of the chefs in our kitchen, has a family recipe for a salad that is just divine.
With the freshness of cucumber and apple, tangy yoghurt with a hint of honey and the crunch of roasted peanuts, this salad also ticks all the boxes.
Summer. I just love it!
• Bevan and Monique Smith own the multi-award-winning Riverstone Kitchen cafe and restaurant, situated on SH1 in North Otago, just south of the Waitaki bridge. Bevan is also author of Riverstone Kitchen: recipes from a chef's garden and Riverstone Kitchen Simple.
Seiji's mum's salad
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ red lettuce, leaves picked and washed
½ apple, thinly
¼ sliced cucumber, sliced into ribbons with a peeler
8 baby radishes, washed
¼ cup peanuts, roasted
¼ small red onion, finely sliced
½ cup Italian parsley, picked
½ cup natural yoghurt
1 Tbsp liquid honey
sea salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Method
Place lettuce, apple, cucumber, radishes, peanuts, onion and parsley in a large bowl.
Place honey and yoghurt in a small bowl, stir to combine and season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and toss to combine.
Divide between two plates, drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
Summer salad with green goddess dressing
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ cos lettuce, washed and roughly chopped
2 small ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ cucumber, roughly chopped
8 spears asparagus, blanch and roughly chopped
¼ small red onion, finely sliced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 small fennel bulb, finely sliced
green goddess dressing
½ cup miner's lettuce, optional
2 heads chive flowers, picked, optional
Green goddess dressing
1 ripe avocado, peeled and stone removed
1 cup buttermilk or thin natural yoghurt
1 cup Italian parsley, picked
½ cup mint, picked
½ cup chives, roughly chopped
½ cup fennel herb tips
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper
Method
Place cos lettuce, tomato, cucumber, asparagus, onions and fennel bulb into a large bowl with half of the dressing. Toss to combine and divide between two bowls. Spoon remaining dressing over salad and finish with miner's lettuce and chive flowers if using. Serve immediately.
Green goddess dressing
Place avocado, buttermilk and herbs into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add olive oil and season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Add a little water for a thinner consistency if desired.
Seared tuna with chickpeas, iceberg lettuce, hummus and harissa
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ cup hummus
½ cup chickpeas, cooked
½ cup harissa iceberg lettuce
40ml olive oil
2 150g tuna steaks, 1cm thick
sea salt and pepper
1-2 cups salad greens (optional)
20ml extra virgin olive oil
Hummus
makes 2 cups
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1 lemon
½ cup olive oil
1 cup water
sea salt and pepper
Harissa
makes 1½ cups
1 tsp ground chilli
1½ tsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1½ tsp caraway seeds, roasted and ground
3 cloves garlic, peeled
5 roasted red capsicums, skin and seeds removed
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tsp quality red wine vinegar
1 tsp sweet Spanish smoked paprika
½ cup extra virgin olive oilsea salt and pepper
Method
Spoon hummus on to the centre of two large plates and spread out slightly with the back of the spoon. Scatter cooked chickpeas over the hummus then spoon harissa over the hummus and chickpeas. Cut lettuce into 2 wedges and place a wedge on each plate. Heat olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat until very hot. Lightly season tuna on both sides with a little salt and pepper and sear for 30 seconds on each side. Remove tuna from pan and place a steak on each plate. Serve with salad greens if using and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. If unable to source fresh tuna, lemon sole works equally well.
Hummus
Drain chickpeas and place in a small pot. Cover well with water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce heat slightly and cook for 45 minutes or until tender, topping up with additional water as needed. Drain cooked chickpeas and rinse well in cold running water. Place chickpeas into a food processor with garlic, tahini paste and lemon juice and process until well combined. With the motor still running, add olive oil and three-quarters of the water. For a wetter consistency, add remaining water and season to taste. For a thicker hummus, omit remaining water. Hummus keeps for up to 10 days in the fridge.
You can never have too much hummus!
Harissa
Place chilli, cumin, caraway, garlic and peppers into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add tomato paste, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika and blend to combine. Scrape contents of blender into a stainless steel bowl and whisk in olive oil and season to taste. Store harissa in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
