Salad

Autumn days… with a seared steak salad

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The beautiful colours of autumn in Franschhoek, close to Cape Town

Autumn is my favourite season.  Ok, so getting up in the mornings for work while it is dark is not the greatest – nor is getting home and it being dark again – but it still does not take away from the things I love about this time of the year:

  • The sun rising over the mountains while I travel to work (no matter how bad the traffic, it brings a smile to my face)
  • The beautiful orange, yellow, red and brown leaves on the trees
  • Lighting the fireplace for the first time since the previous winter
  • Snuggling under a blanket on the couch watching my favourite sports (rugby, the Tour de France and F1)
  • But the best of all… gorgeous blue sky days that are not too hot or too cold so that a person can just laze about outside while soaking up a bit of sun and breathing in the crisp autumn air

And even better, we are always lucky that the best of those days are seemingly reserved for a Saturday or Sunday, which means that I have the pleasure of enjoying it for myself, instead of just staring at it longingly through the window by my desk!

Days like this won’t be complete without a perfect little lunch to go with it (and some bubbly of course!)  And is there a better way to celebrate the outdoors than by having a braai (or a barbeque for those not from SA)?!  So looking at the weather for the weekend it seems like we are in for another stunner of a day on Sunday.  And while I don’t know what will find its way on to the lunch table this time, I still have fond memories of what hubby made last Sunday – inspired by a South African chef, Ruben Riffel.  Let’s just say a fire was lit, a braai was made and a good time was had by all!  Yum!

So if you are looking for something light and delicious to enjoy this weekend, how about giving this salad a try?  Whether you make it on a braai, use your barbeque or  a grill, get out there and enjoy!

Seared steak with horseradish, fig and rocket salad

(serves 2)

For the meat:

300g sirloin steak

Freshly ground salt and black pepper to taste

For the salad and vinaigrette:

Big handful of rocket leaves

4 ripe figs

12 caper berries

½ cup parmesan cheese shavings

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 lemon

For the horseradish cream:

2 tablespoons creamed horseradish

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Method:

  1. To make the horseradish cream, mix all the ingredients well and set to the side.
  2. Remove the meat from the fridge at least 20 minutes before putting in on the braai/barbeque. Season with freshly ground salt and black pepper.
  3. Place the meat on the braai/barbeque and cook over a high heat on both sides until seared on the outside.  Best served medium, which should take about 8 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat, wrap in foil and rest for 5 minutes.
  4. Mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic together
  5. Slice the figs and capers
  6. Place the rocket at the bottom of your serving dish.
  7. Slice the meat in thin slices and arrange on top of the rocket.
  8. Scatter the figs, capers and parmesan shavings over the top.
  9. Drizzle with the vinaigrette.
  10. Squeeze over some lemon juice and serve with dollops of the horseradish.

If you have any recipe ideas that I could try on these beautiful autumn days, feel free to comment and let me know!

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Cabbage, Orange and Apple salad

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Having grown up in a home where red meat was the order of the day most days, and veg were limited to potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli, it is no wonder that I am not a big fan of salads.  Either that, or I am just bored with every day go-to Greek salad.  Or could it be because I associated salad with dieting…?!  Let’s not digress.

Currently we are experiencing a heatwave in the Western Cape of South Africa, and these days I find myself on a constant lookout for new and fresh recipes, because let’s face it… on a hot day lounging next to the pool you really just want something that is cool, light and full of flavour.  And because it is not considered proper (by who, I don’t know!) to just have wine for lunch, it means I have to rack my brain to come up with a few different options for a light summer bite.

So at a recent book sale I came across a cookbook published by GQ magazine, entitled “GQ Eats:  The cookbook for men of seriously good taste”.  I had to get it.  Perfect gift for hubby!  (He picked me of course, so his taste is seriously good!)  Also, it doubled as a gift for me too.  The book is filled with quite a few recipes that I would not mind hubby to make for me!

One of the recipes that caught my eye while I was still in the store was a cabbage, orange and apple salad.  Not something I have heard of before, but I could imagine the flavours working together so I could not wait to give it a try.  So last Sunday it was on the menu.  Together with that chilled Sauvignon Blanc, of course!

It is a delicious salad, packed with flavours and textures.  We changed it slightly as the original ingredients in the dressing was not something I could find in any of our local stores.  However, I was really pleased with the outcome.  So much so that it is on the menu again this weekend where I will introduce it to my meat and potato loving family!  Fingers crossed!

Cabbage, Orange and Apple salad

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

For the salad:

150g red cabbage, thinly sliced

2 oranges, peeled and segmented

2 apples, cut into small chunks (not necessary to peel)

20g sultana raisins

15g dried cranberries

70g mixed nuts & seeds (walnuts, almonds & sunflower seeds)

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

Chives to sprinkle over

For the dressing:

50ml orange juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon of sugar

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

Method:

  1. Mix the cabbage, orange, apple, raisins, cranberries, nuts and seeds.  Season with salt and black pepper.
  2. Mix the ingredients for the dressing well.
  3. Pour over salad and mix well. Get in there with your hands to ensure all the cabbage is nicely dressed.
  4. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to ensure flavours develop.
  5. When serving, chop a few chives and sprinkle over the top.

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Love to hate

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Between hubby and me we have this running joke about me hating slush puppies. It started on our honeymoon, when he bought a slush puppy to drink and I said “ugh, I don’t drink slush puppies – I hate that stuff”. As it turned out I practically finished the whole thing without offering him a single sip. To this day, I still hate slush puppies. So much so, that when we go to the movies, it is all that I ever order to drink!

This weekend I realised that I had one other such hate (although I have not confessed it to anyone yet). I hate corn. Whenever someone mentions that they enjoy it, I’ll typically respond with a “I don’t really like it”. Yet, every time someone makes corn, it inexplicably finds its way to my plate, especially when it is made on the braai. Or lovely little savoury corn cakes. I hate those too. And the sweetcorn cakes at my favourite Thai restaurant, with a sweet plum dip. I always happen to order some.

This past weekend my love/hate affair was taken to the next level. It is summer and I’m so tired of the same old, same old salads. So given the history of my relationship with corn, it naturally makes a lot of sense that it would be corn that would put me out of my bored misery!

Hubby and I adapted this really simple recipe from Jamey Oliver. It has fresh flavours and vibrant colours and it is a great alternative to the normal bowl of leaves. We served it with spicy chicken, but I think lamb chops with a Moroccan spice will go great with it as well. Our guests really enjoyed it. Me? I don’t like corn at all!

Corn Salad 

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

  • 3 corn on the cob
  • 3 spring onions
  • 15 rosa tomatoes
  • Large handful of coriander
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Pinch of salt
  • Olive oil

Method:

  1. Light your fire or turn on your griddle pan to warm up
  2. Put your corn in a large pot and just cover the corn with water. Boil for 30 minutes
  3. Drain the water. Drizzle some olive oil over the corn and sprinkle with salt
  4. Place the corn on the braai/griddle pan to char slightly. Turn it regularly to ensure an even char.
  5. Remove from the braai/griddle pan and leave to cool
  6. Chop the spring onions, tomatoes and coriander and place in a bowl
  7. Take the corn and slice off the kernels (holding the corn upright and cutting top to bottom)
  8. Add the corn to the chopped spring onions, tomatoes and coriander
  9. Add a good pinch of salt
  10. Add the juice of half a lemon
  11. Mix well and serve
Corn Salad
Corn Salad