Salad Potpourri

For everyone who also can’t have enough of salad: Here are my favourite variations that are not mainly based on leaf salad.

Without cooking

Fennel-Orange-Salad

Cut the fennel in half and then cut into very fine strips or plane it. Mix a dressing of apple vinegar, medium hot mustard, salt, pepper and neutral oil and mix the fennel with it. Then fillet the oranges, add the slices to the salad and press the remaining orange juice into the dressing.

Kale Salad

Remove the hard parts from the kale, pluck into bite-sized pieces and wash. Then mix the ingredients for the favourite dressing in a bowl (in my case mostly tahin, olive oil, apple vinegar, salt and pepper), add the kale and knead. Massage the kale with both hands. This breaks up the rigid structure of the kale and makes it tender. I then finish the salad with a fruit, preferably mango, kaki or pomegranate seeds and feta.

Carrot Salad

Grate carrots and season with dark balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and natural yoghurt. On top fresh basil and roasted sunflower or cashew nuts.

Chickpea Salad

Rinse the already cooked chick peas and let them steep in a dressing of apple vinegar, neutral oil, salt, pepper, medium hot mustard and a finely chopped shallot or red onion for as long as possible. Tomatoes, olives and cucumbers go well with this or, in another variation, dried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, rocket and, if you feel like it, steamed broccoli florets.

Mango Salad Variation I

Cut mango into cubes and mix with finely chopped red onion strips (or spring onions). Add some roasted sesame oil, neutral oil, grated ginger, lime juice, salt, pepper, fresh basil and who likes some chilli.

Mango Salad Variation II

Cut the mango into small rectangles, as well as the excellent fitting mozzarella. If you like, you can add thin spring onion rings to the salad, but what you should definitely add is rocket salad. Top it with a dressing of lime (or other acid such as lemon, white wine or apple vinegar), neutral oil, salt, pepper and fruity or medium-hot mustard.

Beetroot Salad

Grate raw beetroot and season with dark balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Especially mango or apple tastes fantastic in the salad. Put fresh basil or mint over it.

Celery Salad

Cut the Celery into thin slices and then into fine sticks. Mix with a dressing of yoghurt, apple vinegar, medium hot mustard, salt, pepper and neutral oil and let it steep for as long as possible. Add small pieces of apple and sprinkle with chopped peanuts just before eating.

Tomato Avocado Salad

Cut tomatoes and avocados into cubes and mix with dark balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of yoghurt.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into equal rectangles and season with olive oil and lemon. Add a larger amount of finely chopped mint or, if not at hand, crumbled dried mint.

Involves cooking

Beluga lentil Salad

Cook the Beluga lentils according to the instructions and prepare the dressing in the meantime. This consists of coarse mustard, apple vinegar, salt, pepper, neutral oil, sliced dried tomatoes and a finely chopped shallot or red onion. Add the lentils to the dressing when they are still hot and let them steep for as long as possible. Before serving, mix a selection or all of the following ingredients into the salad: Fine spring onion rings, sprouts, rocket, carrots in fine slices and planed radishes.

Bobbia

Cut the same amount of peppers, waxy potatoes, tomatoes and onions into pieces of about equal size, put them in a pot, wet with olive oil, salt, pepper, close the lid of the pot, heat the stove and wait until the potatoes are soft. Ready.

Green Bean Salad

This salad also works well as a side dish with potatoes. First steam a large onion (and who likes some bacon) in some olive oil. When the onion is glassy, add the beans to the pot, which have been washed freed from their ends and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then throw in the tomatoes, which have been cut into cubes. Salt and pepper, add some thyme, close the lid and wait. Stir from time to time so that the whole thing does not burn and try whether the beans are already cooked, because then the salad or the side dish is ready.

Caramelised Carrots

Steam young, slim carrots in a closed pan in olive oil until they are soft on the outside but still firm on the inside. Then open the lid, add salt, finely chopped garlic, honey and pepper and caramelize the carrots briefly (the garlic must not turn brown!). Add the grated lemon zest and fresh basil.

Potato Salad

While the waxy potatoes are boiling, cut a small red onion (or egg shallot) into fine strips and mix with (dijon or other coarse-grained) mustard, apple vinegar, neutral oil, salt, pepper and pumpkin seed oil if present. Then peel and slice the hot potatoes and mix with the dressing as quickly as possible. Let it steep as long as possible. Shortly before the salad is served, add thinly sliced cucumber or lamb’s lettuce.

Caramelised Beetroot Salad

Cut raw beetroot into sticks and fry with dark balsamic vinegar, honey, fresh thyme (if present, but also tastes good without!), salt and pepper in a pan with closed lid until the beetroot is cooked. The thinner the sticks, the faster it goes. Then open the lid, add some olive oil and fry until crispy. This tastes fantastic with rocket salad and feta. Mix the dressing with mustard, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. If available, pomegranate seeds are wonderful.