10 Mar 2014

summer salad

This is my favourite big bowl of food right now:


I look at this and think wow, a bowlful of happy rainbow colours. Of vitamins and minerals (or these days, antioxidants and phytonutrients). Of delicious fresh summer and autumn flavours. Of home-grown or farmers’-market-bought produce. Of good, good things!

It’s a warm salad of sorts – I like my salads to have something cooked in there, something large and filling – but really it’s just a hodge-podge from the kitchen and vegie garden that works together; a big colourful mash up.

So we start with a substantial foundation of hot potatoes (kipflers or dutch creams lately), or maybe some brown rice. Then my two favourite things at the moment. Beetroot that’s been roasted to soft perfection with garlic, wine, lemon, herbs and oil; then whizzed in the food processor (I was going to make my beetroot pasta sauce, but it never got that far). And zucchini grated into a juicy dark green-flecked pulp. Not cooked - just fresh and green and juicy, and tasting of the garden.

Great spoonfuls of those go in, then wedges of jelly-soft black krim tomatoes, my all time favouritest ever tomato. I am dreaming of expanding my vegie garden space next summer, with the main purpose of creating a whole block for black krim tomatoes. Their colour is darkly decadent, the soft flesh is sinfully good, and the taste is magnificent. Splendid cooked or in a salad like this.


That’s the bulk of the bowl. Then comes the toppings. A dollop of greek yoghurt, which says hello to the beetroot and makes a beautiful, beautiful magenta colour; some freshly-plucked basil leaves for their aniseedy flash; a scattering of toasted walnuts (or pine nuts; but like the greek yoghurt, walnuts work best with the beetroot); and some shiny dribble of flavoured oil – maybe walnut, maybe lemon, maybe garlic (oh, to have such choice!).

That, finally, is it. I have been happily eating this for days. I have transferred the lot (minus the spuds) into a bread roll, where it was just as joyous. And I am nowhere near tiring of the flavours or colours yet. Honestly, how could you?
 
What's your favourite meal right now?

12 comments:

  1. How delicious e! That tomato looks spectacular...once again it is the simple things isn't it?

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    1. that's a black krim, jane - my favourite tomato! and most definitely. a very good tomato makes the world of difference.

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  2. Yummy. I am craving a light home cooked meal and salad, as we are travelling on a famil. Yours looks great!

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    1. thanks lizzy - this is a great substantial salad. this week i have roasted sweet potato chunks to throw into the mix - yum!
      enjoy your travels - can't wait to read about it.

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  3. I love your descriptions of each of the salad ingredients... darkly decadent has me wanting to grow black krim! Combining warm and uncooked vegetables is a good idea - especially for spring and autumn salads. I'm starting to pick more fresh herbs and salad leaves as things are beginning to grow again here. We make pesto with whatever herbs are fresh at the time, so pasta and pesto would have to be a favourite meal just now.

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  4. pesto and pasta is always a goodie, GD! sadly i haven't made much pesto this year, as my basil has been a bit poorly.
    i've realised all my salads always have some sort of cooked vegie in there (even if it cold) - it makes it more substantial.
    and go the black krim!

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  5. How delicious! I do love a big plateful of summer. I would add lightly steamed green beans and maybe some goats cheese, or grilled halloumi, or leftover roast chicken... I think this is what I'm having for dinner now.

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    1. i've done the green beans, too Bec - it's a very flexible bowl of summer!and i admit i did intend to toss some halloumi in, but i love it sizzling hot and melty, so it never made it into the bowl.

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  6. Darkly decadent, sinfully good...you are such a tease E! ;)
    I'm drooling over that tomato, baked beetroot and splash of yoghurt!

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    1. ah, you shall have to whip up your own bowl, SB! definitely worth the tease.

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  7. Fav meal at the moment?? How is it possible to choose?? with the weather cooling I am starting to have a hankering for heavier, slow cooked meals and pasta, pasta pasta - I adore that :-) That is one gorgeous salad. I love the addition of yoghurt and I am off to look up Krim tomatoes as I am yet to try those.

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    1. i want to convert everyone to black krims, kyrstie! they are also called black russians - i believe the two are the same.
      but yes, we had a cool change over the weekend and i made risotto - my first heavy comfort meal for months.

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