SALAD DAYS

TEST KITCHEN

TIP For extra zing, add some baby capers to the potatoes with the celery in Step 5.

Zesty yoghurt potato salad with salmon SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK TIME 35 MINUTES

1kg kipfl er (fi ngerling) potatoes, scrubbed, halved lengthways 100g pancetta 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 x 150g skinless salmon fi llets, pin-boned 2 stalks (300g) celery, trimmed, leaves reserved, sliced on the diagonal ZESTY YOGHURT DRESSING ½ cup (140g) Greek yoghurt ½ bunch chives, chopped fi nely, plus extra to serve 1 teaspoon fi nely grated lemon rind, plus extra to serve 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Cook potatoes in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Cover to keep warm. 2 Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook pancetta for 3 minutes each side or until crispy; drain on paper towel. 3 Wipe frying pan clean. Heat oil in

cleaned pan over medium heat; cook salmon for 3 minutes each side for medium-rare or until cooked as desired. 4 ZESTY YOGHURT DRESSING Place ingredients in a screw-top jar; season to taste. Shake well. 5 Place potatoes in a large bowl with celery and half the Dressing; toss well to coat. Transfer potato salad to a large platter; top with fl aked salmon and the pancetta, then sprinkle with extra chives and extra rind. Serve with remaining Dressing. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

Sensational salads

Creamy chicken caesar salad with croque monsieur baguette SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK TIME 35 MINUTES (+ STANDING TIME)

1 cup (250ml) chicken stock 2 x 200g chicken breast fi llets 4 eggs 1 large (340g) baguette, cut in half lengthways 150g shaved leg ham 60g parmesan cheese, grated fi nely, plus extra to serve 60g cheddar cheese, grated fi nely 2 (260g) baby cos lettuce, quartered CAESAR DRESSING ¾ cup (225g) whole-egg mayonnaise 1 tablespoon lemon juice 4 drained anchovy fi llets, chopped fi nely 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 Bring chicken stock and 1 cup water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken; reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through; cool in poaching liquid. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken. 2 Meanwhile, cover eggs with cold water in a small saucepan; bring to the boil. Boil for 4 minutes. Drain. Cool eggs in cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel eggs. 3 CAESAR DRESSING Place ingredients and 1 tablespoon water in a screw-top jar; season to taste. Shake well. 4 Preheat grill to high. Place baguette halves on an oven tray; top with ham and combined cheeses. Place under grill for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is golden. 5 Arrange lettuce, shredded chicken and halved eggs on a large platter or bowl; drizzle with Dressing. Serve with baguette, topped with extra parmesan. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

Beef taco salad SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK TIME 35 MINUTES

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra to serve 1 large (300g) red onion, chopped fi nely 2 cloves garlic, chopped fi nely 500g minced beef ⅓ cup (95g) tomato paste 30g packet taco seasoning 400g can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed 175g plain corn chips 1 cup (120g) coarsely grated cheddar cheese 2 (360g) baby cos lettuce 250g cherry tomatoes, halved and quartered 1 medium avocado, sliced thinly ½ cup coriander sprigs lime wedges, to serve Reduce heat to low; simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add beans; stir until heated through. 3 Preheat grill to high. Place corn chips, in a single layer, on an oven tray; top with cheese. Place under the grill for 2 minutes or until cheese has melted. 4 Meanwhile, separate outer leaves of lettuce; chop hearts. 5 Divide lettuce, beef mixture and cheesy corn chips among bowls; top with tomatoes, avocado and coriander. Drizzle with extra oil; season with ground pepper. Serve with lime wedges. Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Serving idea Serve with sour cream. For a little extra heat and texture, top with Lemon, garlic and chilli crumbs (see below).

1 Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat; cook onion, garlic and beef, stirring, for 5 minutes or until beef is browned. 2 Add tomato paste, seasoning and 1½ cups (375ml) water to beef mixture; stir until well combined. Bring to the boil.

Lemon, garlic and chilli crumbs MAKES 1 ½ CUPS PREP AND COOK TIME 15 MINUTES Heat 40g butter and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 fi nely sliced long red chilli, 1 tsp fi nely grated lemon rind and 1 cup coarse sourdough breadcrumbs; cook, stirring, until breadcrumbs are golden and crisp.

Easy swap For a different fl avour, make this salad with vegeroni spiral pasta instead of the red lentil spiral pasta.

Cheeseburger salad with crunchy brioche croutons SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK TIM E 35 MINUTES (+ REFRIGERATION TIME)

BLT pasta salad SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK TIME 15 MINUTES

250g red lentil spiral pasta 250g rindless streaky bacon rashers 1 (180g) baby cos lettuce, leaves separated 250g heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved ½ cup (40g) shaved parmesan cheese DRESSING ¼ cup (75g) whole-egg mayonnaise 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon fi nely chopped chives

1 Cook pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following the packet instructions until just tender. Drain; return the pasta to the pan. 2 Meanwhile, heat a medium non-stick frying pan over high heat; cook bacon for 3 minutes each side or until crisp. Drain on paper towel. 3 DRESSING Whisk ingredients in a medium bowl until combined. Season to taste. 4 Place pasta and bacon in a large bowl with lettuce and tomatoes; toss gently to combine. Drizzle with half the Dressing; top with parmesan. Serve salad with remaining Dressing. Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Serving idea Load up this salad further by adding sliced avocado and crunchy croutons.

142 The Australian Women’s Weekly | MARCH 2020 500g minced beef ⅓ cup (95g) store-bought caramelised onion ⅔ cup (200g) whole-egg mayonnaise 2 (100g) brioche rolls, torn into chunks 6 slices (60g) cheddar cheese, chopped coarsely 8 rashers (240g) streaky bacon 2 tablespoons olive oil 80g baby gherkins, plus 2 tablespoons pickling liquid ½ cup dill, chopped, plus extra to serve 2 tablespoons American mustard 2 (260g) baby cos lettuce, leaves separated 250g cherry truss tomatoes

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two large oven trays with baking paper. 2 Place mince, caramelised onion and 2 tablespoons of the mayonnaise in a medium bowl; mix well, season. Using damp hands, roll heaped tablespoons of mixture into balls; fl atten slightly to make 16 patties in total. Transfer to one lined tray; refrigerate until required. 3 Place brioche chunks on second lined tray; top with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes turning tray halfway through cooking, until brioche is crisp and golden and cheese has melted. 4 Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat; cook bacon for 3 minutes each side or until crisp. Drain on paper towel. Wipe pan clean. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat; cook patties for 2 minutes each side or until browned and cooked through. Drain on paper towel. 5 Whisk remaining mayonnaise, reserved pickling liquid, dill and mustard in a small bowl; season to taste. 6 Arrange lettuce on a large platter, top with tomatoes, gherkins, bacon, patties and croutons; drizzle with dressing. Serve with extra dill, if you like. Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Test Kitchen tip Patties can be made a day ahead. Keep covered in the refrigerator.

Chicken katsu salad SERVES 2 PREP AND COOK TIME 25 MINUTES

1 cup (200g) frozen shelled edamame 4 (300g) chicken tenderloins ¼ cup (35g) plain fl our 1 egg, beaten lightly ½ cup (35g) panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs vegetable oil, for shallow-frying 250g microwave long grain white rice 2 (260g) Lebanese cucumbers, sliced thinly 2 green onions, sliced thinly 60g snow pea tendrils DRESSING ⅓ cup (100g) Japanese mayonnaise 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar ½ teaspoon shichimi togarashi

Sensational salads

1 Boil, steam or microwave edamame until warmed through; cool slightly. 2 To make chicken katsu, lightly toss chicken in fl our; shake off excess. Dip in egg, one piece at a time, then press into breadcrumbs to coat. 3 Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat until oil reaches 180°C on a thermometer or breadcrumbs turn light golden in 1 minute. Shallow-fry chicken, in batches, for 3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel; season. Cut in half on the diagonal. 4 DRESSING Place ingredients in a screw-top jar; season to taste. Shake to combine. 5 Heat rice according to packet directions. Divide rice between bowls; top with edamame, cucumber, green onion, snow pea tendrils and chicken. Drizzle with Dressing just before serving. Season with ground pepper. Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Sesame rice paper crisps SERVES 6 PREP AND COOK TIME 15 MINUTES Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two oven trays with baking paper. Cut six 13cm frozen spring roll wrappers in half to make 12 rectangles; place on lined trays in a single layer. Spray wrappers with oil; sprinkle with combined 2 tsp each of white and black sesame seeds and 1 tsp sea salt fl akes. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden; cool. Break into pieces. Easy swap You can use coriander leaves instead of the snow pea tendrils, if you prefer. Serving idea For added crunch, top with Sesame rice paper crisps (see left).

Happy Salads now on sale

No longer a sad side dish, salads have found joy in their own right. Inspired by the increasing popularity of salad bars and build-your-own convenience foods in supermarkets, this book is full of new and exciting salad combinations. Start with a base of leaves or grains, add a protein and cooked or raw vegies, then top it off with a delicious dressing and topper for crunch.

PHOTOGRAPHY by JAMES MOFFATT AND JOHN PAUL URIZAR • STYLING by KATE BROWN AND MICHELE CRANSTON

2 Table for

Cooking for two can be a challenge. Recipes don’t always scale down easily and it hardly seems worth it to spend a lot of time preparing food for just two people, but these delicious meals will have you cooking them time and time again.

TEST KITCHEN

TIPS We used fl athead fi llets here, but you could use snapper, ling, whiting or blue-eye trevally, if you like. If you don’t have an ovenproof frying pan, transfer the fi sh to an oven tray lined with baking paper before baking. Serve with extra baby gherkins or cornichons, if you like.

Baked fi sh ‘n’ chips with yoghurt tartare

RECIPE PAGE 147

Weeknight dinners