How to make Warm Salads

Just take whatever veg you have lurking in the fridge, cut it into elegant slices or ribbons, cook each element separately and then mix together' Photograph: Jill Mead for the Guardian

My wife, Jemima, is in all ways a wonderful woman. All ways except, perhaps, one. She is a suspicious eater.
She is suspicious of any form of gristle in meat – or "bounce" as she calls it. She will dissect a lamb chop with the precision of a sushi chef cutting round the lethal ovaries of the puffer fish. Stews are meticulously scanned and probed, bits of potential bounce fished out and arranged in a neat trail around the rim of her plate.
She is also wary of any food that she deems to be "too fusion". "Indian spiced beef meatballs," she will say, peering into the pan with her head recoiled and her nose wrinkled. "Would Indians eat minced beef? Seems a bit... fusion."
The same used to be true of salads made with cooked vegetables, rather than leaves. I love this way of serving vegetables. My mum did it all the time when we were children, and called her creations "sumptuous salads" – a meal in themselves. They were the inspiration for the Superfood Salad we serve at Leon.
But the first time I presented my wife with a warm salad – of grilled vegetables mixed with chickpeas, crispy bits of bacon, and masses of chopped parsley and mint – she froze in panic, as if I had served her a plate of pure bounce. "It's salad," she said stiffly. "But it's warm." The lady is not one to play with categories.
I am glad to report, however, that this is one domestic battle I have won. In our house, cooked salad is now an officially sanctioned category in its own right – albeit one that allows for infinite variety and flexibility.
Basically, you take whatever veg you have lurking in the fridge, cut it into elegant slices or ribbons, cook each element separately and then mix together with the dressing while it's still warm. You can add all manner of things for extra bulk: quinoa, lentils, flageolet or butter beans, chickpeas and bread croutons are all favourites.
Add whatever you like, just as long as it doesn't bounce.

Beetroot and carrot salad with orange and caraway dressing 

A great salad using the new season's veg, which should only need washing (peeling is not necessary.

 

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves 4
500g beetroot
100ml water
500g carrots
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp caraway seeds
1 garlic clove, crushed
Juice and zest of 1 orange
2 tsp honey
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
50g feta
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 Heat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Wash the beetroot and place in a baking tray with about 100ml of water, season well and cover the tray tightly with tin foil. Place in a preheated medium oven for about 40 minutes or until a knife will go through the beetroot easily. The time will depend on the size of the beetroot.
2 Trim the carrots and, if small, leave whole – cut any large ones in half. Toss in 2 tbsp of the olive oil and season well.
3 Roast on a baking tray in the preheated oven for about the same time as the beetroot, checking now and again and shaking the tray, removing from the oven when the carrots are just cooked.
4 Peel the skin from the beetroot. If it's a new‑season beetroot, this should come off quite easily. Cut the beetroot into wedges. Season well and set to one side.
5 To prepare the dressing, cook the caraway seeds in the remaining olive oil in a frying pan for about 3 minutes over a medium heat. Add the garlic, stir well and tip in the orange juice and zest.
6 Turn up the heat and reduce the liquid by half. Turn off the heat and add the honey and balsamic vinegar. Season well.
7 Tip the beetroot wedges and carrots into a large bowl. Tip in the dressing while warm and fold together. Transfer to a serving dish. Crumble feta on top and sprinkle with chives.
You can also serve the above salad with smoked fish and swap feta for a horseradish cream. Why not try the other variations below, mixing and matching dressings.

Roasted florets salad

Toss the cauliflower and broccoli florets in a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast in a hot oven until tender and slightly charred. Toss while still warm in a lemon dressing with added finely chopped peeled red peppers and chives.

Grilled courgettes salad

Slice the courgettes into thin strips, toss in olive oil, season well and grill in batches on a griddle or under a grill. Toss with a basil dressing, halved cherry tomatoes and a few cooked haricot beans (tinned is fine).

Asian sweet potato salad

Peel and thinly slice some sweet potatoes. Steam until tender. Cook some finely chopped garlic, ginger and red chilli in a little sunflower oil for about 5 minutes. Season this mixture. Toss the cooked sweet potato with the ginger- garlic mix. Add some chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon.

Warm barbecue salad

I made this most recently with spring onions, butternut squash and tomatoes. Aubergines, courgettes, and spring onions also make a nice combo. Before you cook any meat, toss your vegetables in some olive oil, salt and pepper and grill on the barbecue. Keep a large bowl with an olive oil, mustard and lemon dressing by the side of the grill and mix in the veg as it is cooked, tossing it about for total coverage. Throw in lots of chopped parsley and serve.
Henry Dimbleby is co-founder of the natural fast-food restaurant chain Leon (@henry_leon). Get your kids cooking at cook5.co.uk. Recipes by Jane Baxter

source:theguardian