Snig’s Statler salad

The classic Waldorf salad involves apples, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise. It is famously named after the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, USA and was invented in 1896. Since then, it has evolved to include grapes and celeriac, and has even become a julienne style salad rather than a chopped salad. 

I wanted to change things up a little. Usually only green or white/beige ingredients are included. Hence the addition of Stilton cheese and cooked salad potatoes. To add a little variation of colour, I added the red of the salad radishes. I also switched out the classic apple for pears. My version is designed to be a meal in a bowl, rather than a smaller starter.

This salad is dedicated to the immortal Jim Henson, the creator of the character of Statler, one of the grumpy geezers who sat with Waldorf up in the gods who heckled the Muppet Show in every episode. If you know, you know. 

(Vegetarian, but not vegan).

Snig’s Statler salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 pears, peeled in stripes, cored and cut into small chunks

8 salad potatoes, boiled with skins on, carefully dried, then cut into chunks

6-8 salad radishes cut into small chunks

2 spring onions, cut into small rounds

1 celery stalk, peeled for strings, then finely sliced

80g Stilton cheese cut up into small cubes

A couple of handfuls of salad leaf of your choice

A couple of handfuls of walnuts

Dressing:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt, pepper

Method

Take two bowls and place a handful of salad leaf in the bottom of each.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients together, taste and season accordingly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pear, potato, spring onion, celery and Stilton pieces, add the dressing and toss until all the ingredients are well coated.

Serve up in on top of the salad leaf, then top with the walnuts.

 

Sichuan inspired pepper, carrot and broad bean salad

Ever had that dilemma... you know, when you've been flicking through a cook book looking for something new to cook and you can't make your mind up? Dish A looks amazing and Dish B sounds awesome. Which to cook?

This salad was born out of one of those dilemmas. I've been working my way through Fuchsia Dunlop's excellent cook book "Every Grain Of Rice", a varied and comprehensive book of recipes Fuchsia learned in Sichuan province in her travels to China. It's a wonderful book, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to go beyond Chinese restaurant food.

Trouble is, the book has so many recipes, it will take me months to cook my way through it! One very interesting discovery has been the salad recipes in the first chapter of "Cold Dishes". Having had a go at Lao Hu Cai (Tiger salad) a very easy to prepare cucumber and chilli salad, I was ready to try my hand at some other recipes. Trouble was, there were two I wanted to make at the same time: Xiang You Qing Dou (Sichuanese Green Soy Bean Salad) and Liang Ban Hu Dou (Sichuanese Broad Bean Salad). In the end, I decided to mash the two up. This recipe is the result. 

The dressing is Fuchsia Dunlop's, as I don't know enough about Sichuanese food ingredients to invent my own. It packs a chilli punch, let me tell you! If you can't take a lot of chilli, then you will want to keep the amount of chilli oil down (1 tablespoon rather than 2) and perhaps omit the half teaspoon of sediment. 

If you make it as in the recipe, it will be vegetarian and vegan. But I couldn't resist making this much more sinful. I topped it with some crispy cooked pancetta (highly irregular and extremely inauthentic). I would try steamed prawns in it next time. 

Sichuan inspired pepper, carrot and broad bean salad
(Serves 2)

For the salad:
500g bag of broad beans
A third of a cucumber
Half a yellow pepper
A small carrot 
Three spring onions
A handful of salad leaf (I used a bistro salad mix)

Fuchsia Dunlop's dressing:
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
Half a teaspoon caster sugar
Quarter teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar
1-2 tablespoons chilli oil with half a teaspoon of sediment
1 clove of garlic, crushed (optional - but I used it)
A few pinches of Sichuan peppercorns (optional - but I used it)

Prepare the salad first: 

1. Double pod the broad beans. You will be amazed - the half kilo bag only gave enough broad beans for what would have been a side dish. 

2. The broad beans should be blanched in boiling water for 1 minute, no longer. Drain and run cold water over them to stop the cooking. 

3. Peel and chop the carrot into small cubes (around 1 cm). Chop the pepper into similar sized cubes. These should be blanched in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, no longer. Drain and run cold water over them to stop the cooking. 

4. Peel the cucumber partially (in stripes along the length), scoop out the seeds/pulp. Cut into juliennes. 

5. Cut the spring onions into small 7mm-1cm rounds. 

6. Put all the salad ingredients into a large non-metallic bowl whilst you make the dressing. 

7. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan until you can just about smell them. Remove from the heat. When they are no longer hot, grind them in a mortar and pestle. 

8. Now mix all the dressing ingredients in a small (non-metallic) bowl. They might need a bit of a whisk to combine them. 


9. Put a couple of handfuls of the salad leaf on two plates.  

10. Either mix the dressing with the other ingredients (which were in the large non-metallic bowl) or put the other ingredients onto the plates and drizzle with the dressing.

11. Enjoy as it is or top it with something - as you choose.  
 

Snig's quinoa salad

This salad is an attempt to recreate a dish Him Indoors (my inimitable hubby) ordered in the Loire Valley in France. There, it was called a "Quinoa Tabbouleh". However, since it doesn't use bulgur wheat or couscous and has no parsley in it, it isn't a true Tabbouleh, which is why I won't use the name. 

I have used a combination of red and white quinoa here, because the small amount of red gives a nuttiness and bite which makes the dish a little bit more interesting. Don't overcook the white quinoa or it will become too soft. 

There's a lot of chopping to be done to prepare for this salad, for which I apologise. But the courgette goes in raw, so it has to be cut up small. Raw chunks of courgette wouldn't taste as good. 

This dish could be served as a vegetarian (vegan) meal-in-a-bowl salad. Or you could put the dressing in a little jar and take the salad to work, dressing at the last minute. Or, as we did, you could have it as an accompaniment to steamed king prawns with a small side dish of salad leaf. 

Snig's Quinoa Salad

(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

Salad:

80g white quinoa

1tbsp Red quinoa

1/4 Cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped into 5mm dice

1/2 Courgette, peeled and chopped into 5mm dice

1/2 Sweetcorn, niblets sheared from the cob

1/4 mug frozen petit pois

1/3 mug frozen edemame beans (without pods)

5 cherry tomatoes (or baby plum tomatoes), deseeded and chopped into 5mm dice

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh Coriander leaf (optional)

Dressing: 

3 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp White wine vinegar

Salt (freshly ground sea salt)

Pepper (freshly ground black pepper)

1 teaspoon Mustard

Method:

1. Prepare the chopped vegetables as set out above and set aside. 
2. Rinse the uncooked, dried quinoa to wash it. 
3. Put in a saucepan with ample unsalted water to more than cover it, bring to the boil, then simmer for 12-13 minutes. When the little spirals begin come out of the white quinoa seeds, you know they are done. 
4. Drain using a sieve, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain again, leaving the quinoa hanging in the sieve to allow all excess water to drain away.
5. Put a small saucepan on the hob, filled with water. Bring to the boil. Then add the corn, setting a timer for 6-7 minutes. When there are 3 minutes left, add the Edamame. When there is 1 minute left, add the Petit pois. 
6. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the vegetables cooking. Drain again. If there is excess water, give it a spin in a salad spinner. 
7. Put the cooked vegetables in a non-metallic bowl. Add the tomatoes and optional coriander and mix well. Add the quinoa and mix well. 
8. Whisk up the dressing ingredients in a mug, seasoning to taste. 
9. Dress the salad and mix thoroughly only when you are ready to serve up.
10. Serve up and eat immediately before the dressing "burns" the coriander. 

Puy lentil, lardon and poached egg salad

Last night's dinner was an attempt to create a satisfying "meal-in-a-bowl" salad, rich in protein which makes you feel like you had a sustaining meal. Sometimes, salad makes you feel virtuous to begin with, but hungry later. The design here is the fibre and protein provided by the Puy lentils helps keep you going, keeping you feel fuller for longer. 

I won't deny that bacon, whether grilled slices of pancetta, or cooked lardons, or cooked up for a traditional bacon butty is favourite thing of mine. I love it. Equally, this dish could be tweaked with chicken, or mozzarella or grilled halloumi with great results. 

I made this poached egg using the poached egg sachets branded "Poachies". These are single use fabric sachets which make the poaching very simple. The timing is critical depending on how how you like you eggs cooked. Just cooked (with fluid centre) requires 3 and a half minutes, regular poaching is 4 minutes, properly cooked is 4 and a half minutes. I prefer mine "just cooked", which I recognise is a matter of preference. 

 

Puy lentil, lardon and poached egg salad

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Salad:

 

75g puy lentils, rinsed

4-5 red radishes, washed and sliced into 5mm thick rounds. 

3" cucumber, washed and sliced into 5mm thick rounds. 

4 spring onions, washed and sliced into 7-8mm thick rounds. 

Handful of mange tout, topped, tailed and halved.

6-8 cherry tomatoes, sliced into 7-8mm thick rounds

Pack of lardons, 80-125g, depending on the Supermarket

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Dressing:

 

1 teaspoon, Dijon Mustard

2 teaspoon, White Wine vinegar

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 pinch (1/4 teaspoon) freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch (1/4 teaspoon) freshly ground sea salt

1/2 pinch (1/8 teaspoon) Herbes de Provence

Method:

1. Once you have rinsed the Puy lentils, put them into a small saucepan, cover with water and put in the hob on a high heat initially. Once boiling, turn the heat to a low simmer. 
2. The packet for my Puy lentils suggested a 30-40 minute cooking time, but mine only needed 25 minutes. Just before the lentils cook, put about a mug (250ml) of water in a kettle and boil.
3. The lardons need to be dry fried in a non-stick frying pan and left to cool.
4. The dressing is best made in a small bowl, adding the ingredients and whisking them together with a small hand whisk.
5. The mange tout needs to be blanched for 1 minute and run under cold water. 
6. Hopefully, the 25 minute cooking time for the lentils will give you enough time to prepare the other ingredients.
7. Ensure the dressing is ready for when the lentils complete cooking. When the lentils are just cooked (al dente), drain and rinse with the boiling water. Put into a bowl and dress with all but the last 5 ml of the dressing from step 4 above. Leave to cool. 
8. Once the lentils are cool, combine with all of the other the salad ingredients. Mix well.
9. Divide up the salad ingredients on two pages, drizzle with the remaining salad dressing.
10. Fill a small pan with water and bring to the boil for the eggs. Put out two mugs for the two eggs. Put a poaching bag in each. Crack an egg into each bag. Cook for 3 and a half minutes. Take off the heat immediately, put one on each bowl and serve immediately. 

Tuna and bean salad (tuna fagioli)

A simple salad, packed with protein and fibre. You can cook the beans in advance and keep them in the fridge, meaning you can cook them when you have time over the weekend and then have the salad on a weeknight. I think that boiling your own beans gives a slightly nicer texture than tinned. If you don't want to bother cooking up the beans, then you will need just under a full tin of cannellini beans. If you prepare the salad and keep the dressing separate, you could take this into work as a packed lunch. Given the Italian influence, it would be nice to eat it outside, rather than "al desko". 

Tuna and bean salad (tuna fagioli)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

100g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in water
1 tin, line caught tuna steak in oil, broken by hand into chunks
1 big handful of roughly chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
10 ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large red onion, peeled, halved and cut into thin slices (you could use two smaller echalion "banana" shallots instead)

Dressing: 

10ml (2 teaspoons) fresh lemon juice
30ml (2 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
2ml (just under half a teaspoon) Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Wash the soaked beans. Put in a saucepan, covering in plenty of water. Bring to the boil, ensuring any scum is scraped off. Turn the heat down and simmer for 30minutes to 45minutes or until tender. You want a little bit of "bite", so cook until a little bit firmer than baked beans. Drain, run under the cold tap to arrest the cooking process. Set aside, or refridgerate in a container until needed. 

2. Prepare all the other salad ingredients, and mix together in a large salad bowl. 

3. Take a mug (or a jam jar as advised by Jamie Oliver). Put the mustard in, followed by the lemon juice. Mix up with a spoon so that the mustard is watered down by the lemon juice. Then add the olive oil, stirring until combined. 

4. Dress the salad and turn it over a couple of times to ensure everything is thinly coated with the dressing. 

5. Divide the salad up into two bowls. Season to your taste. 

Enjoy!

Merguez and Red Rice salad with poached egg

The longer days are back again. The clocks went back, giving us extra light in the evenings. The temperature is creeping back up. I’ve put away my warmest Winter woollies and I’m thinking about sending all my well-worn coats to the dry cleaners before putting them into temporary retirement. Spring has well and truly sprung and it is glorious.

I’m a “never say never” girl, so I won’t say anything rash like I won’t make another stew, soup or casserole again until October. I’m a capricious creature and like to go where the food mood takes me. 

However, I do feel like right now like ringing the changes. I was thinking about the food and ingredients of the South of France, and it is from Provence that I take my inspiration for this dish.

Camargue red rice is grown in the South of France. It’s a unique ingredient, with nutty flavours and a texture offering considerable bite. A whole grain, it keeps you full for longer and is high in fibre. As a result of having much of the husk left on, it takes much longer to cook than regular white rice. 


Merguez is a southern French sausage, usually made of lamb, although occasionally from beef. It is spicy and herby, as befits a food originating with the Bedouin people. Cumin, fennel, garlic and sumac provide aroma and flavour and either harissa chilli paste or chopped red chilli give some heat. They are usually grilled, but I have fried them here as it was easier to cook them evenly.  

Merguez and Red Rice salad with poached egg

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 Merguez sausages
5 small tomatoes, quartered
8 sugar snap peas, topped, tailed and cut into half
10 French beans, topped, but not tailed and cut into thirds
1 banana/French shallot, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into half moons
60g Camargue Red rice
80-100g pancetta cubes (or bacon equivalent)
Mixed salad leaf, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Olive oil

Poached eggs:
2 eggs, cracked into individual mugs or ramekin dishes
1 teaspoon vinegar (any kind)

Dressing:
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
½ teaspoon garlic paste
Olive Oil (I used extra virgin, but this isn’t necessary)
White wine vinegar

Method:

1. You will need several saucepans of varying sizes and a couple of non-stick frying pans, unless you have a helper who will wash pans up for you so they can be recycled. 

2. Put the Camargue Red rice in a small saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Bring to the boil and then put on a simmer. You will be doing a lot of the rest of the cooking while the rice cooks, which will take 25 minutes. 

3. Fry the Merguez sausages in olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, until cooked (about 15 minutes). Some paprika may drain out of the sausages, but do not worry about this. If you want to keep the dish lower in calories and fat, you can grill the sausages instead. 

4. Remove the Merguez sausages from the pan onto a plate covered in kitchen paper. When cool enough to handle, cut into small pieces.

5. Dry fry the pancetta or bacon lardons in a non-stick frying pan until cooked. Remove from the pan onto a plate covered in kitchen paper.

6. Put another pan of water on, bring to the boil. Add the French beans and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the sugar snaps. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water to arrest the cooking process. 

7. Mix up the salad dressing by putting the white wine vinegar into a jar or mug, adding the garlic paste and Dijon mustard. Whisk with a fork or put the lid on and shake to mix. Then add the Olive oil and repeat the mixing process. 

8. Put the kettle on with about a mug of water in it. When the Camargue Red rice is cooked (try it to see if it is al dente), drain and rinse with boiling water. 

9. In a mixing bowl, add the sugar snaps, shallots, pancetta, Merguez, and the cooked Camargue Red rice. Pour the dressing on top, and mix all of the ingredients together with a gentle folding motion. Once mixed up, leave to cool down.

10. Put your salad leaf and tomatoes on plates. 

11. Put a small pan of water on to boil with 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Once boiling, start swirling the water vigorously. Whilst the water is circulating, add the eggs. Poach for 4 minutes. 

12. Top the salad leaf and tomatoes with the Camargue Red rice and Merguez mixture. Sprinkle with parsley. Top with an egg each. Enjoy immediately.