PixieCooks

This salad is very easy, very filling and remarkably healthy – I’ve adapted it from a recipe that my mum discovered about fifteen years ago reading someone’s recipe books whilst babysitting. The original uses just chickpeas (garbanzo beans), instead of mixed beans (as do I, on occasion, I LOVE chickpeas and could eat them almost straight from the can) and I believe it suggested cooking them from dried, and it also has celery and walnuts in it, but I rarely have walnuts in the house and frequently find the kind you buy ready-shelled a bit fousty tasting. I do often add the celery, but if I’m not eating it immediately I wait to chop and add the celery at the last minute so it stays crispy.

The nuts and faffing with dried beans is not neccessary, but messing around with recipes is half the fun, so have at.

The salad makes a nice lunch, light supper or a good side for a summery meal.

Feeds 6 for a meal
Ingredients

• 250g Brown Rice (cooked and cooled – cool it QUICKLY with ice water, drain it fast and keep it cold)
• 1 can mixed bean salad (rinse and drain)
• 2 handfuls raisins
• 4 tbsp salad dressing (I make up a 3parts oil, 1parts acid – vinegar, lemon juice – dressing with whatever seasoning feels right)

Method
Combine everything in a large bowl.

Eat. .

I’m a big garlic fan – bruchetta, garlic bread, heavenly bolognese, mmh – but I don’t like it so terribly much raw (when it’s so strong it almost burns your tongue, and no one wants to talk to you too closely for a couple of days) so I tend not to have it in more salady things. Roasted garlic is perfect for salads, or possibly just for eating, sneakily, straight from the bowl. The flavour is softened by the roasting and is warmer and rounder with a lovely caramelised undertone.

Serves 1 garlic lover
Mozzarella, Tomato and Roasted Garlic Sandwich

• 1 Bulb of Garlic
• Glug of Olive Oil
• 4 Cherry Tomatoes
• around 125g/5oz Mozzarella
• 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 6 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pinch unground sea salt crystals
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Method
Gently peel the garlic bulb until the cloves are exposed, but still covered (see the picture) and gently cut across the top so that all the individual cloves are exposed. Wrap the bulb tightly in foil and add the olive oil.

Cook at 200C (180C fan assisted/400F/Gas mark 6) for half an hour. Remove from foil and squeeze the individual cloves out of the bulb.

I added all the roast garlic to my sandwich, but I love garlic and any cloves you don’t use can be kept, covered in olive oil, in the fridge.

Combine the garlic, balsamic, extra virgin olive oil and un-ground salt to a mortar and pestle and work into a puree (if you don’t have a mortal and pestle you can mash with a fork). Add salt and pepper to taste – the pepper will bring out the tomato flavour.

Chop the tomatoes into halves or quarters and slice the mozzerella and add to the garlicy mixture. Serve in a warm bagette with a green salad.