Mediterranean salad is a lighter meal

By WENDY C. HELM
First Coast Technical College School of Culinary Arts

Now that the holidays and all those heavy meals are long behind us, it’s a good time to start thinking about a lighter meal. One of my personal favorites is this salad. It’s delicious and easy to prepare. An advantage is you can easily increase, decrease or add any other ingredients to accommodate your specific taste. Most of the ingredients are shelf-stable and are already in your pantry.

Mediterranean Salad
Serves 4 to 6

2 15 oz. cans Artichoke hearts, quartered or halved
1 15 oz. can hearts of palm, cut to ½ inch pieces
1 12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, thinly sliced and cut into 1” pieces
1 cup Kalamata Olives, cut in half
½ cup red onion, finely diced
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
2 tbsp. capers
1 cup cooked fusili pasta
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup Parmesan Regianno
Salt and pepper to taste

Begin boiling water for the pasta. Prepare and mix all vegetable ingredients in large bowl. Cook pasta until just done or al dente. Rinse pasta and add to vegetables. Once ingredients are combined, drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar while tossing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow and let marinate in the refrigerator at least two hours, preferably overnight.
Plate your salad over mixed greens and add the Parmesan regianno last. I like to serve this salad with a hearty crusty bread or even crostini. Serve and enjoy!
Note: Olive oil and balsamic vinegar can be prepared as an emulsion if preferred.

Thai chicken with cucumber salad

Need to get dinner on the table pronto? Give this colourful chicken salad a whirl!
Cooking Time 30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)
• 1 bunch coriander
• 270ml can coconut milk
• 80ml (1/3 cup) fish sauce
• 55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
• 2 tbs Thai red curry paste
• 1 tbs curry powder
• 8 chicken thigh fillets
• 300g (1 1/2 cups) jasmine rice
• 1/2 small daikon (see note)
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers
• 1 large eschalot
• 1 lime
• 50g roasted peanuts
• 2 tbs vegetable oil

Method
1. Trim roots with 3cm of stems from coriander, then finely chop and place in a large bowl. Add 1 tsp ground black pepper, coconut milk, 60ml (1/4 cup) fish sauce, 2 tbs sugar, curry paste and powder, and stir well to combine. Pick leaves from remaining coriander and reserve. Using a fork, prick chicken on both sides, add to marinade and set aside for 10 minutes to marinate.
2. Meanwhile, rinse rice in a sieve under running water. Place in a saucepan with 500ml (2 cups) water and bring to the boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, to make salad, peel daikon. Halve daikon and cucumbers widthwise, then cut into long, thin wedges. Place in a bowl. Peel eschalot, then thinly slice and add to vegetables. Squeeze over lime juice, then add remaining 1 tbs each fish sauce and sugar. Roughly chop peanuts and half the reserved coriander, add to the salad and toss well to combine.
4. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat. Drain the chicken, discarding marinade. Brown, smooth-side down, for 5 minutes, then turn and cook for a further 3 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Serve chicken with rice and salad.
Notes
• Daikon is a sweet radish from greengrocers and Asian grocers.
• Make the most of summer produce with our zucchini recipes, strawberry recipes and mango recipes.

Zesty beef salad a hearty main

This dish is inspired by Thai beef salads but the ethnic boundaries have become a little blurred. It is delicious served alone, or for a more substantial meal, with a bowl of steamed fragrant rice.

ASIAN-STYLE BEEF SALAD
For 2-3 servings:
Dressing/Marinade
2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 Tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce
1 Tbsp wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
300g-450g thickly sliced scotch fillet or rump steak
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
1-2 tsp oil (to cook)
Salad
1/4-12 telegraph cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 red, orange or yellow capsicum, sliced
1-2 spring onions, thinly sliced
About 3 cups mesclun or mixed salad greens
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped coriander
1 avocado, diced

Measure the first four dressing ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake to combine. Place the beef in an unpunctured plastic bag, then add half the dressing/marinade mixture. Massage the bag so the beef is covered with the marinade, then set aside for 30 minutes or longer (refrigerate overnight if desired).
Add the lime juice to the remaining dressing, shake to combine then set aside.

Toss the prepared vegetables together with the spring onions, mesclun (or salad greens), mint, and coriander in a large bowl.

Heat a large pan over a high heat, then add 1 teaspoon of oil (or preheat a lightly oiled barbecue hotplate). Cook the steak for two to three minutes per side (you may need to vary the cooking time depending on the thickness of the steak and how rare you want it).

Remove steak from the pan and allow to rest for about five minutes, before cutting into half-centimetre slices.

While the steak rests, peel and dice the avocado, then toss it with the other vegetables and half of the remaining dressing.

Arrange the salad greens on individual plates or a platter. Fan the sliced meat over the greens then drizzle with the remaining dressing.
Serve immediately as is or with some steamed fragrant rice.
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