SALAD RECIPES

Serves 2

First make the salad. Peel, core and cut the apple into julienne strips. Mix with the lamb’s lettuce and season with salt and pepper. Add some of the lemon zest (keeping a little back to garnish) and squeeze over the juice. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and mix well.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat until smoking hot, then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Lay the scallops out on a board, pat dry with kitchen paper and season one side with salt and pepper.

Think of the frying pan as a clock face and add the scallops, one by one, seasoned side down, in a clockwise order, then fry for 1–2 minutes until golden brown. Season the unseasoned side of the scallops, then flip them over in the same order you placed them in the pan and repeat the process. Squeeze the lemon juice over the scallops and give the pan a good shake.

When the scallops are cooked, tip the contents of the pan onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. This will instantly stop the cooking process, while the kitchen paper will absorb any excess oil.

Divide the salad between 2 serving plates and arrange the scallops around each pile. Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions, then drain and spread out on a large plate or tray to cool quickly.

Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan until golden and place in a salad bowl.

Using a vegetable peeler, take lengthways strips of skin off the cucumber so that it looks stripy. Cut it in half lengthways, then spoon out and discard the seeds. Chop the cucumber into half-moon slices and add to the almonds in the salad bowl.

Add the tomatoes, raisins, spring onions and half the mint to the bowl. Then add the cooked quinoa and mix everything together. Season well with salt and pepper. Dress the salad with the lime juice and a good drizzle of olive oil.

Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Garnish with the remaining mint leaves and serve.

Serves 4-6

First make the vinaigrette. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 9.

Place the onions in a roasting tray with a little olive oil, the thyme, garlic and a little salt and roast for 25-30 minutes until the onions are completely cooked and have a nice roasted flavour.

Remove the onions from the tray and chop into rough dice (you want the dressing to have a rustic texture).

Mix the onions with the 150ml extra virgin olive oil and the sherry vinegar and season with a little salt and pepper to taste.

To make the salad, blanch the beans by plunging them in boiling salted water for 1½ minutes until their rawness has been removed but they are still crunchy. Refresh immediately in cold water, then remove and put onto kitchen paper to absorb the moisture. Cut each bean into bite-sized pieces.

Put the chopped beans into a large bowl, stir in the red onion dressing and toss with the parsley and mint. Serve immediately in chilled salad bowls.