I once read an old proverb, “To remember a successful salad is generally to remember a successful dinner; at all events, the perfect dinner necessarily includes the perfect salad.”
And I couldn’t agree more.
In my opinion, when you are asked to “just bring a salad to a family barbecue”, this is your time to shine!
Let’s be honest, when it comes to an Irish barbecue the charred array of meat never really lives up to the expectations. The smell hands down is usually a hell of a lot better than the taste.
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We have a lot to contend with when on cooking duty, the wind fanning the flames, grilling sausages to perfection over hot coals in this county is a lot harder than we imagine.
Blackened on the outside and raw in the middle, so best to leave the man of the house and a chilled beer in charge.
Therefore, when you are responsible for the salads this could be the crowning glory of the occasion. I have four of the best below to save any over-charred chicken.
Italian deli-style pasta salad
- Cook the 400g of fusilli or rotini according to packed instructions in plenty of salted water. By using this style of pasta, the twists and crevices are perfect for catching the dressing and it’s sturdy enough to hold its shape while you toss it into this salad.
- Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
- Make your dressing by whisking 4tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, 2tbsp of balsamic vinegar and 1tsp of Dijon mustard.
- Add one crushed garlic clove and a tablespoon of oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
- Now to assemble, start by adding the pasta to a large salad bowl and add roughly chopped Irish buffalo mozzarella, with eight torn salami slices.
- Scatter over 50g of sliced black olives, 100g of sundried tomatoes and one diced roasted red pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the top and toss to combine.
- Before serving, stir thoroughly and scatter freshly chopped basil.
- Cover with cling film and pop the salad into the fridge while the barbecue is fired up.
Quinoa and pan-fried halloumi with Irish honey
- Rinse the 200g of dried quinoa in a sieve until the water runs clear. Then transfer to a medium saucepan with 400ml of vegetable stock using a stock pot. Bring to a boil dissolving the stock pot, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until quinoa is tender. This takes approximately 12-15 minutes.
- Add a slice of red onion to a large salad bowl, drizzle 2tbsp of apple cider vinegar and toss well.
- Peel one large orange then cut into segments on a chopping board. Add the orange to the onion with any juice from the board.
- Slice 100g of halloumi and fry on a non-stick pan for 30 seconds on each side and add to the bowl with diced unpickled beetroot and drizzle over a good heaped teaspoon of Irish honey.
- Add the quinoa to the bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix. Finish by adding 80g of pomegranate seeds and a scattering of fresh rocket and mint leaves.
Chickpea, harissa and toasted pine nut
- Drain a 400g can of chickpeas, roughly toss them in a large salad bowl so they are bruised a little – this helps them absorb the salad dressing. Deseed and dice two large beef tomatoes, dice one ripe avocado and thinly slice one red onion and ½ a cucumber.
- Mix all the ingredients together and leave to one side while you make your dressing.
- In a small mixing bowl add 2tbsp of olive oil and 2tbsp of harissa.
- One lemon, juiced, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over the chickpea mix.
- Finish by scattering over 100g toasted pine nuts and a handful of fresh coriander.
Potato salad with crispy bacon lardons
- Add 1kg of baby potatoes to a large saucepan, cover with water, add a sprinkle of salt, simmer for 15 minutes until tender.
- Drain and rinse the potatoes, give a little shake to fluff up the edges and set aside. While the potatoes boil, fry off 150g of bacon lardons in a little oil until crisp.
- Add the potatoes and crisp bacon lardons to a salad bowl with one finely diced white onion.
- Season with salt and pepper and toss in 2tbsp of good quality mayonnaise and 1tsp of whole grain mustard.
- Serve immediately if desired or cover and refrigerate until chilled. Potato salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to four days.