COOKING FOR CHAPS

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WARM WINTER SALADS

Nicole Drysdale advocates the preparation of salads that are not just for the summer months

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Asalad in winter? Who would want such a thing? These warm winter salads are certainly no ploughman’s lunch. By using warm toppings on a bed of leaves, these salads are elevated into a position of sitting comfortably at the centre of the table on a winter’s evening. All three are so easy to cook with minimal effort, and although they can be served as a whole dish, there are also different accompaniments that could be added to each.

The gravy/dressing for the chicken salad is actually how I make my gravy when I’m doing a full on roast. It’s packed with flavours of lemon and garlic and has a real zing to it. If you wanted to bring those flavours down a notch, I would suggest adding more water and another spoon of gravy granules. If green beans aren’t your thing, tender stem broccoli, asparagus or mange tout could be your substitute. If you wanted to add a side dish, a simple homemade coleslaw of grated carrot, white onion and thinly sliced white cabbage dressed in mayonnaise would go very well.

The Roast shoulder of lamb with the harissa is such a beautifully colourful plate to serve. I’m not encouraging lazy cooks, but this really takes minimal effort for such a tasty dish. I love slow and low cooked lamb, with the result being meat that falls apart and more than enough easily to feed six. Shredding the lamb and adding the extra spoon of harissa at the end means that every bit of meat is covered in flavour. As lamb is quite rich, the red onion, delicious in itself, helps to cut through the richness and give a bit of a crunch. And the yoghurt/tahini dressing adds the coolness and brings it all together. Any salad leaves could be used but I like to use mostly baby spinach, as the flavour doesn’t interfere too much with the lamb. If you wanted to add something extra, I would probably go for a good flatbread.

The butternut squash, red pepper and beetroot salad is also such a colourful dish. Squash goes lovely and sweet when it’s roasted and sits very well with the earthy beetroot. I’ve tried this salad with different homemade honey and mustard salad dressings, but I just can’t find one that works as well as Briannas Dijon Honey Mustard Dressing. I don’t mind using shopbought sometimes, if I feel I would be compromising flavour just for the principle of having everything homemade. By all means make and use your own dressing but do give this one a try, especially with this particular salad. This salad also goes very well with a roast chicken, as an alternative to the traditional trimmings.

Hopefully these recipes show that, like colourful ties, salads are not just for the summer months.

Serves 4 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 2 Hours

Ingredients Whole Chicken 2 Lemons 4 large cloves of garlic Couple of sprigs of thyme Drizzle olive oil 1 Bag of baby spinach 1 Bag of rocket 1 Bag of baby potatoes (500g) 1 Bag of green beans (200g) 1 tbsp chicken gravy granules Knob of butter Salt & Pepper

Method 1. Pre-heat oven to 180. 2. Prep the chicken by placing the garlic, thyme and lemons (halved) into the cavity. Drizzle with a little oil, season and place into a deep-sided oven tray. 3. Cook in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour 30–1 hour 45, or until juices run clear. 4. Once the chicken is cooked, take out of the oven, remove the lemon, garlic and thyme from the cavity and place back into the oven tray alongside the juices from the chicken. Place the chicken on a plate and allow to rest covered in tin foil to keep warm. 5. While the chicken is resting, cut the potatoes in half and boil for 20 minutes or until cooked. Add the green beans for the last 8 minutes. 6. Make the gravy/dressing by placing the oven tray over a medium heat on the stove and bring to the boil. Remove the garlic from the skin and crush it into the gravy. Use the back of a spoon to squeeze out the juice from the lemons. Add approx half a cup of water and continue to simmer. Once reduced slightly (5 minutes or so) remove the lemons and thyme. Add the gravy granules and small knob of butter and stir until thickened. 7. Use a large serving plate and start by putting down a bed of the leaves. Shred the chicken and place on top of the leaves along with the potatoes and green beans. Drizzle over the hot gravy and serve.

Roast Lamb with Harissa

Serves 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 4 Hours

Ingredients Shoulder of Lamb 1 Red onion Drizzle of red wine vinegar Tsp sugar 250g Natural yoghurt 2 tbsp tahini Juice of half a lemon 2 bags salad leaves 1/2 cucumber Drizzle olive oil 2-3 tbsp harissa paste Salt & Pepper Method 1. Remove the lamb from the fridge an hour before cooking. 2. Pre-heat oven to 180. 3. Using a large frying pan brown the lamb in a drizzle of olive oil for a couple of minutes all over. 4. Place the lamb in a large deep-sided oven dish. Rub with 2 tablespoons of the harissa paste, season and pour a glass of water into the bottom of the dish. 5. Cook in the pre-heated oven for around 2 hours, then baste with the juices, cover with foil and place back in the oven for a further 2 hours. 6. Thinly slice the red onion and place in a bowl with the red wine vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Allow to sit for a couple of hours, giving it a mix every so often. 7. In a small bowl mix together the yogurt, tahini and lemon juice. 8. Once the lamb is cooked (it should fall apart and be easy to shred with a fork) remove from the oven dish and shred all the meat. Place back into the oven dish and stir through the remaining harissa paste. Place back in the oven for 15 minutes. 9. Use a vegetable peeler and peel long strips of the cucumber. 10. Take a large serving dish and layer the salad leaves, cucumber, shredded lamb and top with the red onion. Serve with the bowl of yoghurt and tahini dressing.

Serves 4 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 2 Bags of mixed leaves 2 Red peppers (cut into bite-sized pieces) 1 large butternut squash 4 Raw beetroot 2 Cloves of garlic (crushed) Drizzle of olive oil Salad dressing (see article) Salt & Pepper

Method 1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil.

Pre-heat oven to 180. 2. Cut the tops off the beetroot and place in the pan of boiling water for 20 minutes. 3. Peel, half and core the squash. Chop into bite sized pieces. Place in an oven dish, drizzle with olive oil and season. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. 4. After 15 minutes stir in the peppers and garlic. Place back in the oven for a further 20 minutes. 5. Once the beetroot has boiled, strain, peel and cut into wedges. Drizzle with olive oil , season and place in the oven for 20 minutes. 6. Once all the vegetable are cooked, assemble on a large serving dish on a bed of the salad leaves and drizzle over the dressing.

Ingredients Pack of sweet shortcrust pastry 140g Caster sugar 150ml Double cream 4 Large eggs Juice and zest of 3 large lemons

Lemon Tart

Serves 6 Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 1 hour 10 (plus chilling)

Method 1. Take the pastry out of the fridge 20 minutes before using. 2. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, trimming off the edges. Gently press into the edges and prick the bottom with a fork all over. Pop back in the fridge for 15 minutes. 3. Pre-heat the oven to 160. 4. Remove the tart from the fridge and cut parchment paper to fit the bottom and sides. (Crush the paper up then unwrap it; makes it fit easier!) Fill the bottom with baking beans and bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes on a baking tray. 5. Make the filling by whisking (by hand) all the ingredients. 6. Remove the baking beans and paper and cook for a further 15 minutes. 7. Using a jug, fill the tart with the lemon filling. The easiest way to do this is to keep the tart in the oven while filling, to avoid spillages. 8. Continue to bake for a further 25-30 minutes or until just set. You want a bit of a wobble to it. 9. Remove and allow to rest. The tart is best served at room temperature with a good dash of double cream.