This summer, at a family gathering in a Beach Hut on St. Annes promenade to celebrate my great Nephew's birthday, I made an array of compound salads. My niece who lives Florida came over with her family and enjoyed the salads so much, as they were different to anything she has had over there and she has been pestering me for the recipes. At last and only 6 moths later, I have finally produced the recipes and just in time for my niece to recreate them for her American relatives over Christmas. Enjoy!
Curried Sweet Potato and Spinach Salad
600grms Sweet Potato
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
12 Cardamom Pods
¼ Teaspoon Chili Flakes
1” Cinnamon Stick
50ml Ground Nut Oil
1 Clove of Garlic Crushed
1 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Ginger
1 Onion Finely Chopped
5ogrms Sultanas
150grms Baby Leaf Spinach
75ml White Wine
1 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
1 Dessertspoon Mango Chutney
150ml Mayonnaise
2 Dessertspoons of Chopped Coriander
Dice the sweet potato into 2cm cubes and cook in salted water until almost cooked. Drain and leave to air dry.
Toast the cumin, cardamom, chili and cinnamon in a cast iron pan then blend in a spice grinder.
Fry the onion, ginger and garlic in the nut oil then add the spice mix.
Add the sweet potato and fry until tender.
Add the sultanas and the spinach and take off the heat and allow the spinach to wilt under the heat of the potatoes.
Make a curry mayonnaise by boiling the wine with the curry powder and garam masala until the liquid evaporates. Leave to cool then add the mayonnaise, mango chutney and coriander
Mix the curry mayonnaise with the sweet potato mix and season with salt and pepper.
Israeli Cous Cous, Chick Pea and Roasted Vegetable Salad
250grms Cooked Chick Peas
100grms Israeli Cous Cous
100ml Virgin Olive Oil
120grms Courgette
120grms Aubergine
½ Red, Green and Yellow Pepper
1 Red Onion
2 Cloves of Crushed Garlic
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
50ml Sherry Vinegar
2 Dessert Spoons of Chopped Coriander
Cook the cous cous in boiling salted water until tender then drain and re fresh.
Dice the vegetables into 1cm dice then sauté’ in the olive oil with the garlic.
When the vegetables are cooked, turn off the heat and add the cous cous and the chick peas.
Add the mustard, vinegar, sugar and coriander.
Season with salt and pepper.
Prawn and Pasta Salad in Spiced Passata.
150grms Trofie Pasta or any good Italian Pasta
250grms Prawns
100grms Diced Sun Blushed Tomatoes
100grms Diced Roasted Artichokes
50grms Pitted Good Black Olives
200ml Passata
2 Dessert Spoons of Sweet Chilli Sauce
1 Dessert Spoon of Sherry Vinegar
Juice of 1 Lime
12 Ripped Basil Leaves
Pinch of Sugar
Salt and Pepper.
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain and re-fresh.
Mix the pasta with all the other ingredients.
Season with salt and pepper.
