Fresh, versatile, seasonal and as simple or complicated as you like: salads are one of the star dishes of summer, with permission from creams and cold soups. In fact, they are so closely related that sometimes they have very similar ingredients in different formats, such as pipirrana and gazpacho. We can prepare recipes that serve as a single dish, such as those based on potatoes, legumes or pasta and rice, embrace simplicity and bet on tomatoes as the only protagonist or happily combine fruits and vegetables in them. As there are still hot days ahead, and there are never enough salads in your life, here are eight that will make you a success this season.
Cucumber, avocado and apple
A winning combination, and best of all, ready in five minutes. Your best ally for this recipe will be the mandolin, but if you don’t have one, this is a good time to practice your cutting skills with a sharp knife. For two people, slice very thinly a whole cucumber with the skin on – generally, it’s almost never necessary to peel vegetables – and a sour Granny Smith apple cut into quarters and removing the core (make sure you do this just before serving so it doesn’t oxidise or turn bad). Cut a peeled avocado into thicker slices with the knife. Plate the cucumber and apple alternating the slices in the shape of a carpaccio or however you like. Add the avocado slices on top. For the dressing, mix natural yoghurt with the juice of a lemon – or to taste – a splash of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir well and add on top of the salad. You can finish with some fresh mint leaves.
Dressed potato salad
Luckily, potatoes are available in our country all year round: in summer, my favourite way to eat them is in a salad. The quintessential potato salad is the Russian salad, which we all know. So I’m going to give you another, even easier idea. Cook the potatoes with their skins on in cold salted water and when they start to boil, calculate 30 minutes depending on the size. When they are ready, let them cool. Meanwhile, cut an onion into julienne strips and season in a bowl with a good handful of chopped parsley, olive oil, vinegar and salt. Let it rest for about 30 minutes while the potato cools, until the onion becomes soft and is a little pickled. Cut the potato into irregular pieces, with the skin, add it to the bowl and mix everything well. They are delicious on their own, but if you want, you can add some piparra, tuna or canned melva, hard-boiled egg or capers.
Bean spread with cherry tomatoes
We usually associate beans with stews, hot dishes, and winter. But there are a thousand ways to eat this delicious legume in summer too: I’ll tell you a very quick and easy way. Blend a can of quality white beans, drained, very finely with a tablespoon of tahini (sesame paste), a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper. If your blender is very powerful, you can add an ice cube, which will make it very creamy. Then, cook some cherry tomatoes in olive oil in a pan over a low heat, confiting them for approximately 20-30 minutes. To serve, simply place a base of the bean cream on a flat plate and top with the confit cherry tomatoes. Finish with za’atar – widely used in Middle Eastern cooking – or with thyme or rosemary if you prefer a more familiar flavour, as well as a splash of the tomato oil.
Stracciatellapeach, cherry and basil
The straciatella It is the fresh Italian cheese that is used to fill the famous burrata. Made with cow’s milk and cream, it is very creamy and smooth, with dairy and sweet notes. It is ideal to use as a base for countless salads, both in summer and winter, simply by changing the fruit or vegetables you add depending on the season. In this case we are going to accompany it with peach, cherries and basil. For two people, add a good base of straciatella and place the slices of two peaches on top. If you want, to give it more flavour, you can brown them with a little butter or olive oil in a frying pan for a few minutes on both sides. Remove the stones from about 12-16 cherries, cut them in half and add them to the dish. Prepare the dressing with three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, one of Dijon mustard, a splash of balsamic or oloroso vinegar, a teaspoon of honey, salt and pepper. Mix and emulsify everything well and add it on top of the salad. Finish with some fresh basil leaves.
Three types of zucchini, almonds and feta cheese
Raw vegetables in salads make a lot of sense for many reasons: for me, the most important is the ease and speed of getting a succulent recipe in a very short time. But it is also appreciated, especially in summer, not having to use any heat source. For this recipe with courgettes I suggest two variants depending on how you want to plate or serve. You can prepare the base of the salad by crushing a block of feta cheese – they usually weigh about 200 grams – with a handful of peeled raw almonds, a splash of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Check the salt and add if necessary. Or crumble the feta cheese with your hands into small pieces, chop the almonds and sprinkle over the courgettes (about 600 grams for four people). Get different varieties – there are yellow, green and white courgettes – and with a mandolin or potato peeler cut very thin slices lengthwise. Lightly season with extra virgin olive oil, a dash of vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well and serve as desired.
Tomato, croutons, basil, peach and orange
This salad is very inspired by the classic panzanella Italian Tuscany, bread and seasonal vegetables. For the croutons, cut a slice of sourdough bread into cubes and drizzle with olive oil or, my favourite trick, smoked anchovy butter (you can make your own by mashing some anchovies with butter until everything is combined). Bake on a baking tray at 200ºC until golden and crispy. Meanwhile, roughly chop your favourite tomatoes (about 250 grams for two servings), a peach and the segments of an orange. Mix everything together, add the toasted bread, and dress with a classic vinaigrette of olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, pepper and salt. Finish with some fresh basil leaves. Delicious!
Homemade ricotta, figs, tomato and basil
Cooking things from scratch is something I love and I think it’s very necessary to do it from time to time, because it’s a great way to understand the processes of certain preparations and give them value (plus, you can enjoy it for two). We’re going to prepare ricotta cheese at home in a super simple way: heat 400 milliliters of whole milk and 300 milliliters of liquid cream for cooking in a saucepan. Add a teaspoon of salt. When it reaches 90ºC; just before it starts to boil, add 50 milliliters of wine or apple vinegar, or lemon juice. Remove from the heat and let it rest for 15 minutes. You’ll see that the milk curdles and the whey separates. With the help of a fine cloth or cheesecloth, strain and let it drain for between 30 minutes and an hour; depending on the recipe you’re going to use it for, you can leave it firmer or looser. You can use it in a thousand ways, but I recommend that you combine it with some figs cut into quarters, tomato, fresh basil and a simple vinaigrette.
Muhammarasalad or cream of red pepper and walnuts
This pepper cream is very typical of Middle Eastern cuisine, specifically Syrian. It has a base of roasted red pepper and walnuts, it is super tasty and easy to make. Normally all the ingredients are crushed in a processor, but I prefer to chop everything very finely and keep its texture instead of turning it into a cream. The format dip It is ideal to accompany with bread or vegetable sticks, while the way I tell you below is more of a salad or perfect garnish for meat or fish. Simply chop a roasted red pepper into brunoise with a handful of walnuts, half a clove of garlic and a few sprigs of parsley or coriander. Mix these ingredients with a tablespoon of breadcrumbs, half a teaspoon of chilli flakes or chilli powder, half a teaspoon of cumin powder, the juice of half a lemon, salt and extra virgin olive oil. Add the olive oil little by little in a thin stream while stirring the entire contents of the bowl so that it emulsifies well, and that’s it.
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