ayshim’s spring salad ideas

Finally, we’re emerging from under our duvets, from those numerous layers of clothing and we’re moving away from our heaters. Instead of casseroles and the ‘comfort food’ I’ve been enjoying through the winter months, I start thinking about how fantastic it is to eat cool foods now that Spring is here.

Some of my favourite vegetables are coming into season, such as asparagus, peas, sweet corn, fennel, artichokes, Chinese cabbage and broad beans. When it comes to fresh herbs, basil loves springtime and fresh herbs will grow bountifully in your garden through Spring rains. My basil is doing just that at the moment.

There are many things you can do with this season’s best produce. I will start with my favourite, asparagus.

Spring Salad Ideas using Asparagus
I’ve heard rumours that farmers are known to harvest asparagus twice a day during the height of Spring. Let’s help them out and eat heaps. One of the greatest crimes to commit is to overcook this delicious vegetable. I recommend lightly steaming (for around 4-6 minutes) and then refreshing under cold water for use in a salad. The green variety needs only to have the woody end snapped off prior to cooking, but the white variety does need to be peeled. Enjoy some of these simple suggestions:

• Drizzle steamed or chargrilled spears with a good-quality olive oil, balsamic vinegar and snipped chives or basil.
• Cooked fresh broad beans tossed with vegan feta, olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon juice and fresh dill.
• Eat steamed or pan-fried asparagus with a blood orange mayonnaise made by whisking together mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and blood orange juice. Top up with fresh parsley.

Make asparagus a meal by serving it with: Mushrooms, toasted walnuts, steamed and halved baby potatoes, green leaves and parsley. Dress with olive or walnut oil, white wine vinegar and a little mustard. Serve also with small chunks of steamed and cooled sweet potato, toasted pine nuts and torn basil leaves. Dress with a little mayonnaise or ranch dressing.

Spring Salad Ideas using Globe Artichoke
Store-bought marinated artichoke is great added to almost any salad, but nothing beats the taste of the freshly cooked variety. Preparation is the key and it’s worth it.

• To cook the hearts only, slice the top third off and rub the cut surface with half a lemon. Cut away any tough leaves to reveal the heart and remove the hairy choke by scraping it out with a teaspoon. Cut into quarters and soak in water mixed with lemon juice. Boil until tender, about 20 minutes.
• To eat raw, choose the smaller variety, remove outside dark leaves and cut off the top third. Cut into quarters and soak in water mixed with lemon juice until ready for use. Slice very thinly when adding to a salad.
• Make a traditional Italian salad by tossing together boiled hearts with cooked and peeled broad beans or steamed peas and dress with the best fruity olive oil and wine vinegar you can get your hands on. Alternatively, mix this vegetable combination through cooked pasta with a generous serve of cashew cheese and black pepper.
• As a raw salad, artichoke lives happily with witlof, capers, thinly sliced red onion, lemon and fresh dill. Dress it all up in fruity olive oil and vinegar.

Spring Salad Ideas using Fennel
This is an item that is great raw or cooked and if you like aniseed it is easy to become addicted. As a raw salad it goes well with bitter salad leaves like watercress, radicchio or rocket. Slice into thin rounds and add capers, walnuts or semi-dried tomatoes for an elegant side salad. Dress with a mustard, vinegar and olive oil dressing.

Turn fennel into a meal by blanching thin slices (or leave them raw if you prefer) and mix with small chunks of potato, spring onions and mixed leaves of your choice. Dress with extra virgin olive oil and a little vinegar.

Spring Salad Ideas using Peas
One of my fondest childhood memories is listening to the sound of peas being shelled. My grandmother used to have a big bowl of fresh garden peas on her lap and shelling them like a machine.

Like asparagus, peas should be lightly steamed for around 5 minutes, then refreshed under cold water for use in salads.

Make a pasta salad by adding steamed, freshly shelled peas and corn cut from the cob to freshly cooked short pasta. Add avocado and a blob of all-plant pesto and what have you got? Dinner.

Make an Asian-style salad with iceberg lettuce, a generous mound of bean sprouts, raw snow peas, and baby corn cut on the diagonal and lightly steamed and cooked and a handful of each of chopped coriander and chopped mint. Dress with a little sweet chilli sauce mixed with sesame oil and a dash of rice vinegar.

Onto a bed of couscous mixed with fennel seeds and ground cumin to taste add fresh coriander leaves, scatter cooked peas, a tin of drained chickpeas and a variety of roasted vegetables like red capsicum, onion and eggplant. Drizzle with a dressing of a teaspoon of tahini, a clove of crushed garlic and lemon juice to taste.

Spring Salad Ideas using Chinese Cabbage
I have to confess that I had never had Chinese cabbage until I moved to Australia several years ago. Compared to the cabbage I have known all my life; I find Chinese cabbage has more of a delicate flavour and I really like it. Even in a raw salad!

Try these:
Slice thinly and mix with chopped apple and celery. Toss with toasted mixed seeds or walnuts and a dressing of walnut oil, wine vinegar and a good grind of black pepper. Alternatively, dress with a light vegan mayonnaise and serve.

To make a colourful salad with more oomph in the flavour department, mix together with thinly sliced carrot and watercress tips. Dress with a mixture of oil, apple cider vinegar and a dash of ground cumin. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and toasted mixed seeds.