Anchovy and Roasted Pepper Salad.  Sweet peppers, salty anchovies and plenty of garlic make an intensely flavoured salad that is delicious with meat, poultry or cheese. It also makes a tasty snack with olive bread. If you find that canned anchovies are too salty for your liking, you can reduce their saltiness by soaking them in milk for 20 minutes. Drain off the oil first and after soaking drain and rinse them in cold water.

SERVES 4

• 2 medium of each red, orange and yellow bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 50g can anchovies in olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Continue Reading »

Indonesian Salad Recipe.  This is an Indonesian salad also known as “gado-gado“of potato slices and cooked vegetables served with a rich peanut sauce.  A tasty meal to prepare for family dinner and it’s heavy kind of salad yet so flavorful.

SERVES 4

• 2 med. Potatoes, boiled and sliced
• ¼ head cabbage, shredded and steamed
• 100g water convolvulus “kangkong”, steamed
• 100g bean sprouts, scalded
• 2 cakes firm bean curd, deep-fried and cut into half inch pieces
• ½ of med. Cucumber, cut into thin rounds
• 2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and sliced
• ¼ cup prawn crackers, deep-fried

Sauce:

• 8 sm. red chillies
• 1 tsp. dried prawn (shrimp) paste
• 2 tbsp. cooking oil
• 8 sm. shallots,peeled and finely sliced
• 375ml coconut milk
• 70g raw peanuts, roasted and coarsely crushed or 125g crunchy peanut butter
• 1-2 tsp. palm sugar or brown sugar
• 4 tbsp. tamarind juice or lemon juice mixed with 2 tbsp. water
• Salt, to taste

Continue Reading »

Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Beef skewers Recipe.  Known as bun cha, this is an everyday Vietnamese dish that is enjoyed with savoury barbecued beef or pork. A simple and fresh glass noodle salad paired with a savoury and delicious beef skewers are perfect meal combination.

SERVES 4

• 90ml rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 600g beef, trimmed of excess fat and cut into strips
• 200g glass noodles “transparent”
• 1 med. Carrot, peeled and cut into sticks
• 1 pc. Red chilli, thinly sliced
• 30g mint leaves
• 45g coriander leaves (cilantro)

Continue Reading »

Figs with Prosciutto and Arugula Salad Recipe.  This simple light salad, easy to prepare and delicious with a great combination of flavours that compliments each ingredient from another. From salty and smoked prosciutto, to a fresh sweet figs and with the spiciness of arugula it’s a perfect salad for busy day.  You can find fresh Figs as well as dried figs in the markets is not you can substitute with fresh cantaloupe or melon.

SERVES 4

• 12 thin slices prosciutto
• 8 fresh figs
• 160g baby arugula
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• Black pepper, to taste

Continue Reading »

Moroccan Dates, Orange and Carrot Salad Recipe.  Take exotic fresh dates and marry them with everyday ingredients, such a carrots and oranges, to make this deliciously different juicy salad. The salad looks really pretty arranged on a base of sweet little gem (Bibb) lettuce leaves. This fruity salad is excellent served with chargrilled lamb steaks, or with skewered lamb.

SERVES 4

• 3 carrots
• 3 oranges
• 115g fresh dates, stoned (pitted) and cut lengthwise into eighths
• 25g toasted whole almonds, roughly chopped

Continue Reading »