Salads - main course | RecipeTin Eats

Farro Salad with Sizzled Dressing

Nagi — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Farro – so much more interesting and better for you than pasta or rice! This farro salad is a stellar combination: nutty farro, bursty tomatoes, spinach bits and smeary goats cheese or feta, doused in a garlic Sizzled Dressing with pops of coriander and cumin.

A Farro Salad worth making!

This is a farro salad that was already great before the Sizzly Dressing. The farro is cooked with vinegar instead of plain water (thanks for the tip New York Times Cooking! *See UPDATE*), making it delicious even before the add-ins. The roasted tomatoes are on the edge of bursting. And there’s smeary goats cheese, that tangy, creamy cheese that can make everything seem a little gourmet.

I could’ve just drizzled with a basic lemon dressing, and it would still be scoff-worthy.

But! That sizzling garlic-cumin-coriander dressing! Pops of toasted cumin and coriander with golden bits of garlic tossed through the farro just make for a stellar flavour and textural combination. 100% addictive. Simple but unique. Very Ottolenghi vibes.

I’m completely besotted. (With the salad. OK fine, maybe a bit with Ottolenghi too.)

*UPDATE: A reader pointed out that the NYT recipe uses apple cider (the drink) not apple cider vinegar! Even NYT readers have made that mistake like me – ha ha ha! Well, apple cider vinegar is what I use here and it works brilliantly to be the acid that is normally used in salad dressings. I’m actually glad you don’t have to go out to buy drinking cider to make this. :)*

Here’s a little look at the players in today’s recipe – a pot of vinegar cooked farro (it’s so good!) and bursty tomatoes….

…..and that sizzly dressing and smeary goats cheese…… (or Danish feta)

It’s a magical combination!

What you need for this Farro Salad

Here’s what you need to make this farro salad. First up, the secret ingredient: farro! (I know, I’m hilarious 😂).

Farro

Think of farro as a more nutritious, tastier alternative to white rice and pasta. Or – like quinoa, except it doesn’t get stuck in your teeth. It’s a whole grain that’s got a lovely nutty flavour, and a great meaty chew that makes it so satisfying to eat. Plus, it’s nutrient and fibre rich.

*Update: We’ve made this recipe using pearl barley too! Great alternative.*

Find it in whole food stores, fresh produce stores and delis. The packet pictured above is from Harris Farms (I’m in Sydney, Australia), $7 for 500g / 1 lb (we use 210g / 7oz).

Farro type – I use whole farro, the standard sold in Australia. Farro also comes pearled (outer layer removed) and semi-pearled (some removed), but these are not so common in Australia (to my knowledge). Whole farro has nothing removed, and is the chewiest, most flavourful and nutritious.

Substitute with pearl barley. Similar nutty flavour although it is slightly softer. Directions in recipe notes!

How to cook it – Boil in liquid like pasta! Whole farro takes 40 minutes. Pearled takes ~15 minutes, and semi-pearled ~30 minutes. Because pearling isn’t standardised, the exact times will differ. Just taste to check.

vinegar to cook the farro

As mentioned at the top of the post, the farro in this recipe is cooked in a combination of water and vinegar. A great cooking method I tried and love in this Farro Salad recipe from New York Times Cooking*. Using vinegar infuses with tangy flavour, making the farro tasty in its own right. Have a nibble and you’ll see!

*See UPDATE under photo at top of post about mistaken identify – drinking cider vs vinegar!*

The add-ins

Not that many! The magic in this recipe is all about the cooking method for the farro and the sizzling garlic-cumin-coriander dressing.

Grape or cherry tomatoes – Roasted for just 8 minutes at a relatively high temperature at the same time as the farro (handy!) so they become a little bit wrinkly but still holding together. Some burstage will happen when you toss them through the salad and this is encouraged as the juice forms part of the dressing.
Goats cheese or Danish feta – Smeary, tangy, creamy goodness, the perfect finishing touch.
Eschalot – Called “shallots” in the US, also known as French onions. They look like baby onions, but are finer and sweeter than regular onions so they kind of meld into the salad better. Substitute with finely sliced red onion.
Baby spinach – I like a bit of green leafage tossed through here and baby spinach is my choice. Rocket/arugula would also work nicely. Crispy greens like iceberg, cos/romaine probably won’t hold up as well as they tend to wilt more easily. But if that’s all I had, it wouldn’t stop me from making this!

The sizzling garlic-coriander-cumin dressing

Channeling my Ottolenghi within, inspired by this green bean salad of his, coriander and cumin seeds are sizzled with a good amount of garlic in olive oil and poured hot over the eschallots on top of the farro which makes them cook slightly.

There’s no vinegar in this dressing because the farro gets cooked in vinegar which is all the tang we need.

Coriander and cumin seeds – toasted whole in olive oil, they add the most incredible pops of flavour in this Farro Salad! They keep things interesting.
Garlic – Finely minced, sautéed until golden.
Olive oil – Use extra virgin for better flavour.

How to make Farro Salad with Sizzled Dressing

There’s a few components to this salad but they are low effort and low maintenance steps. And I wouldn’t ask you to do them if it wasn’t worth it!

Toasting / roasting

Toast farro & roast tomatoes at the same time. Spread the farro on a tray, toss the tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper then put them in the oven. They will both take 8 minutes in a 200°C/400°F (180°C fan). Yes, I know 8 minutes is an oddly precise time. But honestly, at 10 minutes, the farro is very well toasted and the tomatoes are very wrinkly. 8 minutes is perfect!
PS Toasting the farro gives it extra nutty flavour and gives it a lovely warm brown colour. I do this for quinoa too. Effortless, and so worth it!
Bursty tomatoes – Leave the tomatoes on the tray and let them cool while you get on with the recipe.

Pour the toasted farro into a medium saucepan.
Rapidly simer the toasted farro in water, vinegar and salt for 40 minutes. No need to stir.
Cooked farro – The exact cooking time of farro can vary depending on how old the farro is. Older = tougher = longer cooking time and more water. So just taste to check. Uncooked farro is rock hard. Cooked farro should have a good chew to it but not have a hard centre. Overcooked farro will be mushy and unpleasant. Let’s not go there.
If your farro is still too hard for your taste once the liquid is absorbed, just add more water and keep cooking. It’s very forgiving to cook. You could never do that with rice!
Drain off any excess liquid. For the farro I use, 3 cups liquid and 1 cup farro = nearly no liquid left.
Put the farro in a large bowl then pile the eschalots on top. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes or so, or you can let it fully cool. This salad is great served slightly warm or at room temp.

Sizzling dressing

Sizzling dressing – Heat the oil in a small pan then toast the cumin and coriander for around 30 seconds or until it smells amazing. Then add the garlic and sauté that for another 30 seconds or so until light golden and – you guessed it – smells amazing!

Immediately pour the sizzling oil over the eschallots on the farro. The hot oil will partially cook the eschallots and make them wilt a bit.
PS You won’t need to worry about oil spitting and splattering. I really wanted a dramatic sizzle during this step but it’s not dramatic at all.

Toss the faro well to mix the dressing through.
Add spinach then toss briefly to mix through.
Gently transfer the tomatoes in. Handle with care – they are delicate and bursty, hence the name!
Then gently mix the tomatoes through. Some tomato burstage is encouraged – it forms part of the “dressing” – but we don’t want them all to turn into complete mush.
Now, it’s time to plate up!

Assembling

For any salad with goats cheese or feta that goes smeary when tossed through salads, I prefer to assemble the salad by layering it. But that’s just me! You could just mix the goats cheese through if you prefer.

I’ve done three layers here. So – put one-third of the farro salad in a shallow bowl, top with one-third goats cheese. Repeat twice more. Finish with a swish of extra virgin olive oil if desired!

YUM. How good does that look!

If that photo doesn’t get you excited about trying this Farro Salad, do it for the Sizzled Dressing. Because if you haven’t tried a salad made with whole toasted coriander and/or cumin seeds before (like this one or this one), you are missing out! – Nagi x

PS This is an excellent salad for taking places, not only because it’s something different that will impress but also because it’s got excellent shelf life. No worries about wilting fragile leafy greens here! Make ahead and transportability notes are in the recipe card below.

Watch how to make it

Farro Salad with Sizzled Garlic Dressing

Recipe video above. Farro is so much more interesting than pasta or rice! This salad has stellar flavour and texture: nutty farro, juicy burst cherry tomatoes, spinach bits and smeary goats cheese or feta, doused in an addictive hot garlic olive oil dressing with pops of coriander and cumin.

You'll love how we cook the farro – it's delicious even more you add everything else. Serves 4 as a meal, 8 as a side. Excellent shelf life and brilliant for taking to gatherings – see notes.

Course Salad meal, Side Dish, Side Salad, Sides

Cuisine Western

Keyword farro recipe, farro salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Farro cooling 10

Servings – 8

Calories 367cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Farro:

1 cup farro , dried, whole (Note 1)
1 cup apple cider vinegar (Note 2)
2 cups water
1 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Burst tomatoes:

400g/ 14oz (4 cups) grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Add-ins:

1 eschallot , halved then finely sliced (sub 1/4 red onion) (Note 3)
2 tightly packed cups baby spinach , roughly chopped (sub arugula/baby rocket)
80g/ 3oz goats cheese or 120g/4 oz Danish feta (Note 4)

Sizzling garlic cumin dressing:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp garlic , finely minced (~4 cloves)
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan).
Roast tomatoes and toast farro – Toss tomatoes on a tray with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread farro on a separate tray. Put both in the oven, farro on the top shelf, tomatoes underneath. Bake for 8 minutes, shaking the trays halfway. The farro should be browned with a nutty flavour, the tomatoes should be a bit wrinkly but still holding their shape.
Cool tomatoes on the tray while you prep everything else.
Cook farro (Note 1) – Put the toasted farro in a saucepan with the vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to medium so it is simmering. Cover with lid then simmer for 40 – 45 minutes or until all/most of the liquid is absorbed and the farro is ready. It should still have a bite to it (not soft like pasta) but not a hard centre. Add more water if needed, and keep cooking – don't be afraid to cook it softer if you want. Drain off excess liquid, if there is any, then transfer to a large bowl. (Taste: a bit tangy, the "vinegar" component used in salad dressings!)
Pile eschallots on top. Let farro cool to room temp.
Sizzling garlic cumin dressing – Heat oil in a small pan over medium low heat. Add coriander and cumin, cook for 30 seconds until light golden and you can smell it. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until light golden.
Assembling – Immediately pour hot oil over eschallots so it semi-cooks it. Toss. Add spinach, toss. Add tomatoes, gently stir through (some tomato collapsing is encouraged). Pour 1/3 into a serving bowl, crumble over 1/3 goats cheese. Repeat twice more, finishing with goats cheese. Eat!

Notes

1. Farro – Sold dried, find it in whole food stores, fresh produce stores and delis. I got mine from Harris Farms (I’m in Sydney, Australia), $7 for 500g / 1 lb (we use 210g / 7oz).

Whole farro is what I use, chewiest and has the best nutty flavour. Standard in Australia. Farro also comes pearled (outer layer completely removed) and semi-pearled (partially removed) which are softer and cook faster. Pearled ~15 min, semi-pearled 30 min. Taste to check, drain excess water.

Cooking tips – Simmer energetically else it will take ages to cook. Exact cook time and liquid absorption will depend on the age. Older = takes longer. Start checking at 35 minutes. Cooked farro is still quite firm, much firmer than pasta, but you don’t want a hard centre. Just cook to your taste – add water and keep cooking until you like it – and when done drain excess liquid.

Substitute with pearl barley, similar nutty flavour but is slightly softer. Takes 35 minutes, will have a little excess water to drain off. Best to spread out on tray to cool (gets a little softer than ideal if cooled in a bowl).

2. Vinegar – Can use other types but make sure it’s not as harsh as regular white vinegar. White wine, red wine, champagne and sherry vinegar will all work great. Balsamic will stain the farro.

3. Eschalot (US: shallots) – The small onions, finer and sweeter than regular onions so they meld into the salad better. Substitute with 1/4 red onion very finely sliced.

4. Goats Cheese – The creamiest of this type so it sort of smears through the salad and becomes part of the dressing. Danish feta is a close second. Greek feta can also be used, just crumble it all through.

5. Storage / making ahead – Assembled salad great for 3 days in the fridge. Excellent one for taking places because farro doesn’t wilt and fade like leafy greens. Make the hot dressing, cool, then put in a jar and keep in the fridge. If you promise to toss carefully, you can put the farro in a container with the eschallots, tomato and spinach on top. Then, douse with cooled dressing, toss gently (you promised to be extra careful!). Finish with goats cheese.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Tea towel licking (ie smears of tasty food). Cute. But annoying. (She says, as she throws the tea towel into the dirty laundry and gets yet another clean one, and tries to scold him but everybody knows she thinks it’s adorable.)

The post Farro Salad with Sizzled Dressing appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

The mighty Cobb Salad

Nagi — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 06:00:00 +0000

The mighty Cobb Salad has arrived! All the essential players present – juicy bites of chicken, crispy lettuce, chunks of tomato, creamy avocado, salty bacon and creamy blue cheese, arranged in the signature rows. Served with a homemade Cobb Salad dressing. Salad was never so delicious!

Cobb Salad

I feel like I’ve done endless iterations of chicken salad, from Chinese to Vietnamese, Mexican to Thai, not to mention all the various non-Asian ones from the Avocado Ranch pasta one to Lemon Chicken to that one I copied from a trendy San Francisco bistro (<- This was is super good!).

So I was a little surprised that I hadn’t done what is probably the most classic of all chicken salads – the great Cobb Salad! Though actually, it was traditionally made with turkey rather than chicken. But these days chicken is more common, especially for homemade versions.

Though there are various tales about the origins of Cobb Salad, one thing everybody agrees on is that the ingredients should be presented in neat rows on a large bed of lettuce. The presence of blue cheese is also essential – otherwise, it’s just another chicken salad!

Cobb Salad Dressing – sharper than most

Another thing worth mentioning is that Cobb Salad Dressing is a little sharper than standard dressings, with a 50/50 oil to vinegar ratio compared to the usual 1 part vinegar to 3 or 4 parts oil. The slightly tangier dressing works really well here because it offsets the richness of the blue cheese, with the added benefit of lower calories!

Ingredients in Cobb Salad

Feel free to cut the vegetables as you wish. Some like them more chunky, to give the salad a sense of heft. Others prefer them chopped into smaller pieces. It’s entirely up to you!

Cobb Salad Vegetables

Here are the vegetables in a classic Cobb Salad.

Cos / romaine lettuce – Either 1 large or 2 small ones (“hearts”), chopped into large bite size pieces. You want around 12 cups, lightly packed, slightly heaped. I know, it’s hard to measure! It’s flexible. The recipe has plenty of dressing!
Tomatoes – Either 2 large ones cut into chunks (I prefer this) or 250g/8oz cherry tomatoes, halved.
Avocados – Two medium avocados or one really large on.
Chives – This is an optional garnish. Finely chop then sprinkled on at the end.

Cobb Salad Proteins & Blue Cheese

Not a fan of blue cheese? You’re missing out! 😂

Chicken – You can either poach your own (you will love my foolproof entirely hands-off method) or use store bought roast chicken. Though not standard, I like to toss my cooked chicken in a little salt, pepper and dressing. Just – more flavour.
Bacon – These days I tend to cook the strips whole then chop afterwards because it’s less effort. So much easier to cut crispy bacon than raw, and less effort to cook strips than a pan full of lots of tiny pieces that keep popping in my face!
Blue cheese – There might not be full consensus on exactly what type of blue cheese is the classic to use in a Cobb Salad. But for me, there’s no question: creamy is better than crumbly/drier. Creamy blue cheese smears and gets on “everything”, and everything it touches is tastier!!
My favourite blue cheese for salads is gorgonzola. Gorgonzola Dolce is my preference for a creamier, rounder blue cheese flavour – this is the more common type of Gorgonzola. Though if you like your blue cheese really sharp, then go for Gorgonzola Picante!
New to blue cheese? Try Blue Castello. It’s probably the most mild out of all the blue cheese, plus it’s better value.
Boiled eggs – I like mine soft boiled so the yolks are slightly jammy but not runny. 9 minutes in boiling water – boil the water first, lower eggs in then set the timer! (Boiled egg directions here).

Cobb Salad Dressing ingredients

As noted above, Cobb Salad Dressing is tangier than typical vinaigrettes. To help with thickening (because less oil = thinner dressing), a touch of Dijon mustard is used.

Extra virgin olive oil – Use the best you can afford! The better the olive oil, the tastier your dressings.
Apple cider vinegar – Good all rounder vinegar for dressings that’s not as sharp as white vinegar. Substitute with white wine or red wine vinegar.
Dijon mustard – Adds flavour as well as thickening the dressing which is particularly important here because this dressing uses less oil. So the dressing would be very watery without the dijon.
Eschallot (US: shallot) – The small onions which are finer than ordinary onions so the minced pieces blend into the dressing better, rather than having lots of big chunks. Also, the flavour is not as sharp as ordinary onions. This adds good value into the dressing so don’t skip it! Substitute with 1 tablespoon finely grated red onion.
Sugar – Just 1/2 a teaspoon takes a bit of the tangy edge off this dressing.

I’m using a classic Cobb Salad dressing today so there’s no garlic in it. But a finely grated garlic clove certainly wouldn’t go astray here!

How to make Cobb Salad

The presentation of Cobb Salad is one of its defining features. Traditionally, it’s served on a large platter with the ingredients artfully arranged in neat rows. I see no reason to stray from tradition when it looks so good!

Dressing – Shake everything up in a jar. It really is a quick and easy way to properly mix dressings so they become thick and creamy as they should be.
Cook bacon strips until crisp then chop. (See comment in the ingredients section about my preference to cook first then chop later these days).

Poach chicken breast using my foolproof poached chicken recipe. (plonk in boiling water, turn stove off, leave 20 minutes. Works every-single-time, and the chicken is juicy!).
Chop & toss – Cool chicken, dice into 2cm / 0.8″ cubes. Toss with salt, pepper and a slosh of Dressing.

Assemble – Pile the lettuce onto a large platter or bowl. Arrange the following across the surface in neat rows: chicken, avocado, tomato, bacon, egg. Crumble blue cheese across the surface, then scatter with chives. Serve with dressing on the side.
To eat – Let everybody help themselves to the salad, and drizzle on Dressing. Then dive in!

A note on serving Cobb Salad

I serve Cobb Salad by laying out the un-dressed salad on a big platter, then pouring the dressing into a jug. Then I leave everyone to help themselves to the salad and pour over as much or as little Dressing as they wish.

I prefer doing it this way because otherwise you have to toss each vegetable separately in Dressing before laying them out in the signature rows. Which means you end up using quite a lot of dressing, plus the lettuce dressed first ends up a little wilted from the dressing if you spend a little too long fussing with the neat rows (YES I DO!🙈).

Not sure if this is the traditional way to serve Cobb Salad, but it works for me! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Cobb Salad

Recipe video above. The mighty Cobb Salad! Don't skip the blue cheese. It's what makes this a Cobb Salad, and not just another chicken salad. Love the presentation on a big platter with the ingredients in neat rows. Serve Dressing on the side for everyone to help themselves (better than tossing each item individually).

Course Main, Salad meal

Cuisine American, Western

Keyword Chicken Salad, cobb salad

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Chicken cooling 20

Servings

Calories 706cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Chicken:

400g/14 oz chicken breast (2 pieces)
1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Cobb Salad:

200g/7oz streaky bacon strips
4 x 9 minute boiled eggs , quartered
12 cups cos / romaine lettuce (1 large head, 2 small), chopped (or other crispy lettuce)
2 large tomatoes , cut into 8 wedges then halved (or 250g/8oz cherry tomatoes halved)
2 avocados , cut into large pieces
200g/7oz gorgonzola dolce (my favourite) or roquefort (traditional), crumbled (or other blue cheese – Note 1)
2 tbsp chives , finely chopped

Dressing:

1 tbsp dijon mustard
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar (sub white wine or red wine vinegar)
3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp eschallot (US: shallot), very finely minced
1/2 tsp white sugar

Instructions

Dressing: Shake ingredients in a jar.
Flavour chicken: Poach chicken using this method (20 minute foolproof-guaranteed-juicy). Cool to room temperature then cut into 2cm / 0.75” cubes. Toss with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of Dressing. Set aside.
Crisp bacon: Place bacon strips in a non-stick pan (not heated, no oil). Turn heat onto medium high – as the pan heats up, the fat will begin to melt. Cook for 2 minutes until golden, turn and cook the other side for 1 1/2 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels. Once cool and crisp, chop into 1.5cm / 0.6" pieces.
Assemble: Spread lettuce on a large platter. Arrange the ingredients on top in the Cobb Salad signature neat rows: egg, bacon, avocado, tomato and chicken. Crumble blue cheese across the top, sprinkle with chives. Pour dressing into a jug.
Serving: Let everybody help themselves to the salad and Dressing!

Notes

1. Blue cheese – It ain’t Cobb Salad if it ain’t got blue cheese on it! I love using creamy gorgonzola because it smears on everything so it sort of becomes part of the dressing. Hence why the dressing is a little tangier than traditional vinaigrettes – you need it, to cut through the richness of blue cheese.

Blue cheese newbies – Suggest using a milder blue cheese like Blue Castello. Adamantly against blue cheese? Feta or goats cheese would be my picks, and suggest adding an extra tablespoon of oil into the dressing to make it a little less tangy.

Nutrition per serving. Shave off 60 calories by using turkey or lean bacon. And the blue cheese accounts for 130 calories. Totally makes it!!

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

With all the good stuff in this salad, he can’t believe what he was offered.

The post The mighty Cobb Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Antipasto Chickpea Salad

Nagi — Wed, 31 May 2023 06:00:00 +0000

I love this chickpea salad because it involves little more than opening jars, it keeps well for days and the chickpeas keep me full for longer. It’s like an antipasto platter, in the form of a protein-laden, good-for-you meal!

Antipasto Chickpea Salad

Professional food writers would probably describe chickpeas as a blank canvas for flavour. I’m not that eloquent. I’ll just say bluntly – I find chickpeas rather bland.

So when you see chickpeas in a recipe of mine, they are always with big, bold flavours. Think – Indian curries, chorizo stew, Moroccan tray bake, Brazilian stew, Greek Marinated Chickpea Salad.

Today’s recipe is no exception. Take canned chickpeas and toss with lots of punchy flavoured antipasto things – sun-dried tomato, roasted red peppers, artichokes and feta – tossed in a dressing made using the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomato.

Boring chickpeas? Not in my world!!

Sun-dried tomato dressing

Antipasto-y things for this salad

Ingredients in Antipasto Chickpea Salad

OK! Let’s get cracking opening jars. 😂 Here’s what you need.

Add-ins

Canned chickpeas – I use canned for convenience but if you’d prefer using dried, you will need 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas. 8 to 24 hours soak, 30 to 45 minute simmer.
Sun-dried tomato – Get the type in oil as we are using the oil from the jar to make the dressing!
Other antipasto things – Artichokes, roasted red peppers, olives. Feel free to switch out as you wish!
Baby rocket/arugula – Nice perky, slightly pepper leafy greens that works well with the bold flavours of the antipasto. Plus, it holds up better in salads than crisper leafy greens, like iceberg, when kept overnight.
Cherry tomatoes – Bursts of fresh juicy sweetness.
Danish feta, or Green feta – I like using Danish feta in this because it’s creamier and kind of goes smeary when tossed. But Greek feta works just as well from a flavour perspective.
Coriander/cilantro – Fresh herby goodness that works so well with the flavours in this salad!

Dressing

Sun-dried tomato oil – The oil reserved from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Free flavour!
Sherry vinegar – A slightly smoother vinegar with a little more layers of flavour. Substitute with champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
Garlic – Minced using a garlic press or finely grated using a microplane, so it melds into the dressing.
Coriander – For a hint of subtle, warm spicing.
Salt and pepper – Only 1/4 teaspoon of each, because the antipasto items are already salty.

How to make this chickpea salad

A lot of jar opening! 😂

Strain 5 tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes into a jar to make the dressing. Top up with extra virgin olive oil, if you’re short.
Dressing – Add the rest of the ingredients into the jar and shake well until combined. I like using jars to make dressing – fast and effective way to mix the dressing up thoroughly, and useful to store leftover.
Drain & roughly chop the artichokes, roasted red peppers and sun dried tomato.
Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl, but reserve a little feta and coriander/cilantro for garnish.
Pour over dressing.
Toss gently. Some of the feta will go a bit smeary and creamy – I love this! If you are after a more pristine look, then just hold the feta back until the end and do it throughout the salad.

Now THAT is a bowl of chickpea deliciousness.

Make this for dinner tonight, work-lunch tomorrow then have any leftovers on the side of whatever you’re having for dinner the night after.

I can’t wait for you to get hooked on this as I am! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Antipasto chickpea salad

Recipe video above. This salad uses big, punchy antipasto flavours to transform canned chickpeas from meh to seriously delicious – fast! Excellent protein-laden, meat-free meal or work lunch option as it keeps well for 3 days.

Switch out the add-ins with whatever takes your fancy. But whatever you do, don't skip the sun-dried tomatoes. The tasty oil from the jar is used for the dressing, and it’s your secret flavor weapon here.

Course Salad, Salad meal

Cuisine Western

Keyword chickpea salad

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings – 5

Calories 512cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Dressing:

5 tbsp oil reserved from sun-dried tomatoes jar (in salad, below), or extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar (Note 1)
1 medium garlic clove , minced using garlic press (or finely grated)
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Salad (Note 2):

2 x 400g/14 oz cans chickpeas , drained (Note 3 for dried)
3 packed cups baby rocket/arugula leaves , roughly torn by hand into 2.5cm / 1″ pieces (Note 4)
350g/12 oz jar roasted red pepper strips , drained, roughly chopped into 2.5cm/1″ pieces
200g/7 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts , drained, roughly chopped into 1.25 cm / 1/2″ pieces
1/2 cup sliced black kalamata olives
3/4 cup sun-dried tomato strips in oil , chopped into 1.25 cm / 1/2" pieces (reserve oil from jar for Dressing) (3 oz)
250g/8oz cherry tomatoes , halved
1/3 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped
200g/7 oz Danish feta (or Greek) , crumbled

Instructions

Dressing – Shake ingredients in a jar to combine.
Toss – Set aside a bit of coriander/cilantro and feta for garnish. Place all remaining salad ingredients into a big mixing bowl. Pour dressing over salad, and toss gently together to combine well. The feta will get a bit smeary – love it!
Serve – Transfer to serving dish. Garnish with reserved feta and coriander/cilantro. Dig in!

Notes

1. Vinegar alternatives: champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.

2. The antipasto items added in this salad are absolutely open to interpretation! Use whatever you fancy or have. Double up on things you’re long on. Replace things that aren’t to your taste.

3. Dried chickpeas – Use 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas. Soak in water 8 – 24 hrs, drain then simmer 30 to 45 minutes until firm but tender to the bite (check early, cook time depends on age. Older = longer, fresher = faster cook). Drain, cool, use per recipe.

4. Leafy greens – Baby spinach would work well here and last better than crisper greens (like iceberg, cos/romaine) if you are intending to keep leftovers.

5. LEFTOVERS Keeps well 3 days in the fridge. Toss well before serving. If intentionally making ahead, best to keep the dressing separate. If making for work lunches, I like to make 50% extra dressing and portion the dressing for each serving.

Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Food even trumps playing. Like owner, like dog!

The post Antipasto Chickpea Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Pesto pasta salad

Nagi — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 05:00:00 +0000

I know it should be as simple as dumping pesto on pasta…. but actually, it turns out I have some things to say about pesto pasta salad. That is, if you want a good one!

Pesto pasta salad

My pesto pasta salad rules are simple – don’t skimp on pesto, don’t be shy with olive oil, cook the pasta beyond al dente and add the smallest dab of mayonnaise to give it a touch of luxe as well as improving leftovers.

Why? Because these address two pet-peeves I have about pesto pasta salads.

Firstly, the pesto pasta salad that doesn’t actually taste much like pesto. Pasta with the faintest green colour, and if you close your eyes as you eat, it’d be impressive if you picked it as pesto.

Secondly, the dry pesto pasta salad. Actually, that’s a general pasta salad peeve. Just because it’s a cold pasta, that’s no excuse for dryness! I resort to all sorts of tricks to keep things juicy. Lots of dressing (using avocado is a neat, tasty trick, as is using a splash of pasta cooking water instead of gallons of oil). And juicy add-ins, like roast vegetables, tomato etc. (this marinated vegetable pasta salad is a solid summer staple).

Today’s trick? Just 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. This works wonders to keep things extra juicy today – and even tomorrow when you pull it out from the fridge!

I like to make the pesto quite smooth for pasta salads, for better coverage.

What you need for pesto pasta salad

The one thing that will make your pesto pasta salad stand out is freshly made basil pesto. But if it’s an emergency, use the fresh pesto you get from the fridge section – tastes a whole lot fresher than off the shelves in aisles!

1. Homemade pesto

Here’s what you need for the basil pesto.

Fresh basil leaves – Abundant and excellent value during summer!
Parmesan – or, if you want to really go luxe, parmigiana reggiano.
Pine nuts – sometimes, to change things up, I use walnuts, cashews or almonds.
Olive oil – Or a 50/50 combination of olive oil and grapeseed oil (which has a more neutral flavour so let’s the basil flavour come through a little more).
Garlic – Just a touch. Because it’s raw, if you use too much it can be a little harsh, I find.

2. Pesto pasta salad ingredients

And here’s what goes into my pesto pasta salad.

Pasta – Any short shape your heart desires! Shells, macaroni, wheels – go wild! I went spirals. I like to live life on the edge. 😂
Just a dab of MAYONNAISE – Not intended to make this a greasy mayo-laden pesto pasta salad! But a little dab goes a long way to give pesto pasta salad an edge of creaminess so it stays nice and “juicy” even the next day. It really makes a difference.
Prefer to skip it? Just add a little extra olive oil.
Bocconcini, cherry tomatoes – My add-ins of choice, so it’s not just all pasta. Love the combo of juicy tomato and the soft bites of bocconcini. If you want to skip these, just add a little more pasta. Or, use other add-ins of choice!
Rocket/arugula – I like to add some type of leafy greens into me pesto pasta salads for a hint of freshness and provide textural contrast. Rocket / arugula is great, love the hint of peppery freshness.

How I make pesto pasta salad

Simple – but I do have a couple of tips!

Cook the pasta beyond al dente so it’s quite soft. Why? Because pasta firms up when it cools. To the point of hard when refrigerated. Pre-empt this by cooking pasta a little longer so it’s extra soft when hot = perfect texture when cool!
Tossing order – Toss pasta, pesto and mayonnaise only first. Then the bocconcini and tomato. Lastly, leafy greens – as pesto tends to cling to it, and we can’t have leafy greens hogging the pesto!

Homemade pesto

It’s was simple as blitzing everything together using a handheld stick, until the pesto is quite smooth. Less clean up than using a food processor and a better result. Why? Read on!

I prefer using a handheld stick because you can make the pesto smoother which I prefer for pasta salads. Better coverage on the pasta. I like chunky pesto for using as a dip, dolloping on crostini, that sort of thing, where a bit of texture is pleasant.

Bonus: handheld sticks are far easier to clean than a food processor! (Though you can use a food processor if you need to – directions in the recipe).

How to make the pesto pasta salad

Well, I’ve pretty much already given the steps, but I’ll write them out anyway!

Cook pasta in salted water per packet time plus 1 minute so it’s extra soft, as explained above. Salted water is a must, else you will feel like your pasta salad is a little under seasoned.
BTW, I start my timer as soon as the pasta goes into the boiling water, not once it comes back up to the simmer. Just in case you’re wondering.
Rinse the pasta under cold running water to remove excess starch (which makes it sticky, not what we want for pasta salad) and cool.
Drain well and cool.
Pesto & mayonnaise first – Mix the pesto and mayonnaise through the pasta first.
Tomato & bocconcini next – Then gently mix through the tomato and bocconcini. We don’t want to bash up the tomato too much.
Leafy greens last – And lastly, toss through the rocket/arugula. Just quickly, to disperse. Don’t mix too much else the rocket tends to get weighed down with pesto. In other words – the leafy greens hog the pesto, and we can’t have that!

Storing leftover pesto pasta salad

Though pesto pasta salads are at their green-colour prime within a few hours of making, it will last for 2 days in the fridge and retain its green colour, albeit not quite as vibrant as when freshly made.

Also, the other big thing this pesto pasta salad has going for it is that it is still nice and juicy the next day, and the next. I find that cold pasta salads (other than mayo laden ones) are notorious for become dry in the fridge overnight because the pasta absorbs the dressing.

But in this one, the combination of using the right amount of pesto (generous!) and just 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise prevents this pasta salad from drying out.

Take it to picnics, as a side dish for gatherings, or take it to work for lunch. Such a great summer staple! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Pesto pasta salad

Recipe video above. Don't skimp on pesto, and don't be shy with olive oil. If you do, you'll end up staring at a mound of flavour-lacking, dry pesto pasta salad, thinking "darn it, I should have just followed the recipe!".

PS Just 2 tablespoons of mayo is the secret here. Just gives an edge of creaminess without weighing it down, plus significantly improves the quality of next-day leftovers – prevents it from drying out.

TIP: Homemade pesto obviously rules here, but if you need to resort to store-bought, get it from the fridge rather than aisle. It's better.

Course cold pasta salad, Mains, pasta salad

Cuisine Western

Keyword cold pasta salad, pesto pasta salad, vegetarian pasta salad

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Servings

Calories 663cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

350g / 12oz spiral pasta (fusilli, or other of choice, 3 1/2 cups)
1 tbsp salt , for cooking pasta

Pesto (Note 1):

2 tbsp pinenuts , toasted (sub walnuts, cashews, almonds)
2 cups (tightly packed) basil leaves
1 small garlic clove , minced
1/2 cup parmesan , finely grated
1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or 50/50 grapeseed/olive oil)

Pasta Salad:

2 tbsp mayonnaise (S&W, else Hellman’s, Note 2)
250g (1 heaped cup) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
220g/ 7 oz baby bocconcini , drained, cut in half (Note 3)
1 cup (tightly packed) baby rocket/arugula leaves (40g)
1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
Small basil leaves , optional garnish

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Cook pasta – Bring 3 litres of water to the boil with the salt. Cook for the pasta packet time + 1 minute. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water. Shake off excess water well, then allow to fully cool and dry.
Pesto – Place all ingredients in a tall jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz under pretty smooth. Not a green smoothie, we still want some visible green bits! but not chunks.
Toss – Place pasta in a bowl, scrape in the pesto. Add mayonnaise then toss well. Add bocconcini and tomato, toss gently just to disperse. Add rocket/arugula and toss just to disperse.
Serve – Transfer into a serving bowl. Scatter with basil leaves, if using. Serve!

Notes

Serves 4 to 5 as a meal, or 8 to 10 as a side (or more, if this is part of a larger banquet!)

1. Pesto – Homemade really is superior, but if you need to use store bought, use just shy of 1 cup. Try to get it from the fridge rather than aisle – fresher!

2. Mayonnaise is not intended to make this a creamy pasta salad. It just adds “juiciness” and prevents it from drying out – because dry pasta salads is a pet peeve of mine! If you don’t want to use mayo, add an extra 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead.

3. Baby bocconcini – small, soft mozzarella balls. They have a mild flavour, ie not salted. Fabulous in pasta salads, especially with pesto pasta salad!

4. Leftovers will keep well for 2 days though it does lose the vibrant green colour. Keep in the fridge in a very airtight container (this will preserve greenness as best as possible). Always bring to room temperature before eating, for best flavour and pasta texture.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

For the love of pasta salads

Italian Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing

The most amazing avocado pasta salad

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad

Chicken Pasta Salad

MARINATED Vegetarian Pasta Salad!

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)

Pearl Couscous Salad

Macaroni Salad

Pasta and Rice Salads

Life of Dozer

Current favourite toy. Changes frequently. He’s not very loyal.

PS In case you have a burning desire to know – it’s a hippo. I understand. There’s no way you could sleep tonight without knowing what that slobbery waterlogged grey mass of fur is. Now you can rest in peace.

Actually, on closer inspection, possibly not a hippo? Any thoughts from animal experts much appreciated.

The post Pesto pasta salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.