Salads can be served as appetizers, light meals or as tangy accompaniments to fish, meat or poultry dishes. They should excite the palate and satisfy the senses! There could be nothing more inviting than a bowl of fresh salad artistically arranged and seasoned with imagination, made especially for you, your family and friends.
SPECIAL AUBERGINE SALAD
(Exeretiki Melitzanosalata)
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| June's Special Aubergine Salad |
My dear friend June Marinos gave me this recipe for an exceptional melitzanosalata that is published in her popular cookery book “An Odyssey Into Greek Cooking”.
1 kg (2 lb) large aubergines
2 tbsp finely chopped cucumber
2 tbsp peeled, seeded and finely chopped tomato
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped spring onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp vinegar
225 g (1 cup) thick yogurt, mayonnaise, or sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Prick the aubergines well with fork and grill directly over a gas flame electric burner or charcoal for 20 minutes, or until the skin is charred and flesh is tender. This will give the aubergines a smokey flavour.
While still hot, hold them by the stem and remove all the charred skin, peeling from the bottom up towards the stem. Rinse lightly under cold water and squeeze out the excess moisture.
Put the aubergines in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add all the other ingredients and mix. Season with salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper to taste.
(Serves 10 – 12)
GREEN SALAD
GREEN SALAD
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| The Freshest and Finest Lettuce Leaves |
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| Prawns Cooked in a Tasty Court Bouillon |
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| Very Finely Sliced Fresh Mushrooms |
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| The Best Smoked Salmon |
This is a basic green salad. You might enrich it if you wish, with tasty boiled prawns or raw sliced mushrooms or ribbons of smoked salmon.
2 lettuces, the round heart variety, trimmed. washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp fines herbes* please see below
Plain Vinaigrette:
1 tbsp vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Stir the vinegar with the salt and pepper until the salt dissolves. Then add olive oil in a thin stream stirring constantly until the dressing thickens.
Milk and Lemon Salad Dressing:
This salad dressing thickens and tastes like mayonnaise. It keeps well in the fridge for about 3 days.
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (you could use scented olive oil if you prefer)
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp evaporated or fresh milk
½ tsp Dijon
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together until the dressing thickens.
Equal amounts of marjoram, parsley, chervil, tarragon and chives, washed and dried
(Chop each herb separately, marjoram and parsley finely, chervil coarsely and tarragon very finely. Also finely slice the chives and mix everything well together).
Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl, sprinkle with the herb mixture, toss well, cover with cling film and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then drizzle the salad with plain vinaigrette or milk and lemon salad dressing and toss gently so that every leaf is covered with the dressing and serve immediately. You can garnish with 2 cups prawns or 2 cups sliced mushrooms or 1 cup smoked salmon ribbons for a delicious, gourmet appetizer.
LETTUCE AND TUNNY FISH SALAD
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| Spinning the Salad Dry |
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| Small Spring Onions |
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| Fresh Parsley and Dill |
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| Tunny Fish |
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| Homemade Mayonnaise |
My husband used to love this salad.
1 Cos lettuce, shredded
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tsp chopped dill
225 g (7.5 oz) or more tunny fish tinned in water, strained and flaked
Sauce:
200 g (6.5 oz) yogurt, low fat if preferred
4 tbsp light mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
First prepare the sauce. Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and olive oil and mix well together. Taste and adjust if necessary, and set aside.
Place the lettuce, spring onions and dill in a glass bowl and gently toss until well mixed. Arrange the flaked tunny fish on top to cover the surface. Spread the sauce evenly over the tunny fish and sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground pepper. Chill for about 1-2 hours before serving.
BRIAM OR RATATOUILLE
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| Roasted Briam or Ratatouille |
This vegetable dish is usually cooked in a saucepan, I prefer it roasted.
2 onions, peeled and cut into sixths or eighths
2 carrots scraped and sliced on a slant
2 red peppers, stems, seeds and white ribs removed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 large aubergine or two smaller ones, cut into bite-size pieces
2 large potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
2 courgettes, trimmed and thickly sliced on a slant
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
Salt, pepper and Cayenne
½ cup olive oil
2 large tomatoes, skinned, seeded and cubed
250 ml (1 cup) tomato juice
¼ cup basil leaves or
1 tbsp fresh thyme
Mix the first 10 ingredients well together and place on a baking dish, double-lined with baking parchment, in a single layer. Roast in an oven pre-heated to 180 C (350 F) for about 35-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked, but still slightly crunchy.
AUBERGINES, COURGETTES AND PEPPERS IN TOMATO ASPIC
A Tomato Aspic Salad
Prepare this dish in summer, when vegetables are at their very best. You could use cubed carrots instead of aubergines with red and yellow peppers.
3 aubergines, the long variety
3 tbsp olive oil
4-5 medium-sized courgettes
2-3 sage leaves
1 clove garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper
2-3 red Florina peppers, roasted and placed in a plastic bag to cool
500 ml (2 cups) fresh tomato juice
1 large clove garlic, bruised
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp tarragon vinegar
1 tsp honey or more, to taste
A few drops Tobasco sauce
15 g (½ oz) gelatin powder
Parsley leaves for decoration.
Line a 25cm (10 in) loaf-tin with cling film and brush with olive oil. Slice two of the aubergines thinly, lengthwise and sprinkle with salt. After 5 minutes, rinse, dry and sauté the aubergines in olive oil and 2-3 tablespoons water and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.
Cut the remaining aubergines into cubes, follow the same procedure, and set aside.
Slice the courgettes lengthwise and simmer in salted water with the sage until tender. Dry on kitchen paper, and set aside. Also remove the Florina peppers from the plastic bag, peel and remove the seeds. Cut them lengthwise into quarters, drizzle with a little vinegar and sprinkle with salt and set aside for 10 minutes, Then pat dry and set aside.
Simmer the tomato juice gently for ten minutes, with the garlic, tobasco, vinegar, honey and salt. Discard the garlic, taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Soften the gelatin in iced water and add it to the hot tomato juice and stir well until completely dissolved. As the tomato starts to set, pour a little into the loaf-tin, garnish with parsley leaves, refrigerate and let it set
Line the loaf-tin with the aubergines slices, leaving about 5 cm (2 in) hanging over the sides. Pour a little of the tomato juice over, refrigerate and let it set. Add the courgettes sprinkle with 1/3 of the herbs and cover with tomato juice. Refrigerate and let it set once more. Continue the same procedure with layers of peppers and cubed aubergines, each sprinkled with herbs and tomato juice. Cover with the overhanging aubergines and cling film and chill for at least 6 hours.
Overturn on a serving dish, on a bed of crisp lettuce leaves, sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with crisp brown bread, Feta cheese and glass of white wine.
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