ESSENTIAL RECIPES- VEGGIES & SIDES
CHEF TIPS:
Replace goats’ cheese with feta, pecorino, or ricotta.
Replace the dukkah with chopped nuts or a mixture of nuts and seeds( sesame and sunflower seeds work well).
To keep salad fresh on a hot summer’ s day: crumple a piece of baking paper, dampen it under running water, squeeze out the excess moisture, and cover the salad. The paper will dry out, but the salad will stay moist. Redampen if necessary.
BUTTERNUT & GOATS’ CHEESE SALAD
By Heleen Meyer @ heleenmeyerfood
Goats’ milk cheese has a slightly sour flavour that balances the sweetness of the butternut perfectly. Enjoy this salad as a starter or light meal, or serve it as a side dish. The salad dressing can be used on any salad- make double and store it in the fridge.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
For the salad dressing:
• 100ml olive oil
• 45ml balsamic vinegar
• juice of 1 orange
• 15ml honey
• salt & black pepper
For the salad:
• 500g butternut, peeled & cubed
• 500g beetroot, peeled & cut into wedges
• 150g mixed salad leaves( including rocket & small beetroot leaves)
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 100g goats’ cheese, crumbled
• 75ml dukkah
METHOD
1. For the dressing: Mix all the ingredients and season to taste.
2. For the salad: Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Place the butternut and beetroot on a baking tray and drizzle a third of the dressing over them.
3. Roast for 30 – 40 minutes, or until tender.
4. Arrange the salad leaves on a large platter or individual plates. Place the roasted butternut and beetroot on top, then sprinkle over the spring onions, goats’ cheese, and dukkah.
5. Serve immediately with the remaining salad dressing. The salad is delicious when warm or at room temperature.
NECTARINE SALAD
By Lila Lerie @ thebigtastybite
This is an excerpt from The Big Tasty Bite by Lila Lerie, published by Penguin Random House South Africa, retailing at R420.
I’ m not a big fan of fruit in salad, but this one is fantastic. Try it, and then we can chat. It takes 5 minutes to put together. It’ s as simple as layering rocket, red onion, fresh nectarine, burrata, and roasted pistachios, then drizzling olive oil, balsamic glaze, and honey all over.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
• 1 tablespoon pistachio nuts
• 1½ cups rocket, washed & drained
20 | Summer 2025 / 26 • essentialflavours. co. za