Summer months equal warmer weather (hopefully) so it’s good to have a few interesting salad recipes ready for when you want something light and refreshing
If you’re someone who just grabs whatever salad ingredients they can find in the fridge and puts them on top of one another, it might be time to rethink your approach.
Salads are the perfect accompaniment to any summer barbeque or outdoor event, so it’s important to have one or two that will impress your guests and leave them feeling energised, nourished and satiated.
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This one from the new cookbook AVOCA at Home serves eight people and ticks all those boxes. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients:
- 130g hazelnuts
- 400g beluga lentils
- 3 Granny Smith apples, halved, cored and thinly sliced
- 150g baby kale
- 120g golden raisins
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
For the dressing:
- Juice of 2 lemons (reserve a little for the apples)
- 8 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 to 3 tbsp maple syrup
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Scatter the hazelnuts over a small baking tray and toast in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until golden.
- Tip out onto a plate and set aside to cool, then roughly chop.
- Rinse the lentils under cold running water. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, then add the lentils and reduce the heat.
- Simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Once they are cooked, drain and cool them under cold running water.
- Make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, oil, mustard and 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup. Taste and adjust the seasoning to suit your desired sweetness.
- Place the apple slices in a large bowl and drizzle with the reserved lemon juice to prevent them from oxidising (turning brown).
- Add the toasted hazelnuts and cooked lentils to the apples along with the baby kale, raisins, parsley and tarragon.
- Toss to combine, then pour over the dressing, season with salt and pepper and toss again to coat everything lightly with the dressing.
