Recipe: Super Summer Salad

Having maxed out on family time over the holidays, there was nothing else to be done on a Sunday morning than drag ourselves out of bed and head out to a local gem, Darts Farm, for brunch.

I’ll admit to having to fight the urge to have the roast beef or the greasy fry up and instead treat myself to their super salad.  Salad? On a Sunday?  I’m a strong believer that done correctly, there really is nothing better and you get to be the smug ‘healthy’ one at the table even if it isn’t quite the case. Better still, Mr DM was positively green with envy.

Here’s my interpretation of the Super Salad…

You will need:

For the salad

• Sun-dried tomatoes (a handful)
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Mixed lettuce leaves (whichever you have in the fridge!)
• Half a red capsicum pepper
• Half a yellow capsicum pepper
• Feta (cubed)
• Garden cress

For the croutons

• 1 slice of white bread (slightly stale suits this to perfection!)
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• Sea salt to taste

For the dressing

• 50ml olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I prefer white but regular is fine)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Recipe:

Making the croutons

1. Remove the crusts from your slice of bread and cube the bread into roughly 1cm cubes
2. Place your cubes into a container (I prefer a freezer bag for ease but anything with a lid is fine)
3. Add the oil and shake well to ensure complete coverage
4. Spread the bread (ha!) onto a baking sheet and sprinkle sea salt over them
5. Bake at 180º for approximately 10 minutes, checking and shaking regularly to ensure even coverage.
6. Remove, allow to cool and store for up to 1 week.

Assembling your salad

1. Rinse and tear the lettuce into small pieces and place in the bowl
2. Quarter your cucumber slices, halve the cherry tomatoes and thinly slice the capsicum peppers before mixing them together and adding them to the lettuce.
3. Place all your dressing ingredients into a bowl and stir well to mix.
4. Add your dressing to taste (you won’t need all of it) and using your hands mix with the salad to ensure even coverage.
5. Scatter feta cubes and garden cress over your mixed salad
6. Pat the sun-dried tomatoes lightly with kitchen towel to remove excess oil and arrange these on the top
7. Finally add your croutons and serve!

Dressing adapted from here