Chicken and beetroot salad with orange, fennel and feta

From the layer cake of my last post to a salad. Huge difference, right? But there needs to be some kind a balance to what we eat. So, salad it is, and my favorite type of salad at that. One that is a full meal, with chicken, to fill you up and make you happy.

This is the type of meal I like on these early spring days, when it’s getting warm and I don’t want heavy dishes but rather light and bright ones. Salads are my go-to dishes during this time of year.

Colorful beetroots—golden, white, chioggia—that make the salad even more appetizing, greens, because I like my salads with a bit of green, feta, because I’m a feta fiend, and chicken, my favorite kind of meat.

With fresh, liquoricy fennel and a citrus dressing with orange zest, lemon juice, honey and olive oil to tie everything together. With crunchy walnuts, because when we eat something it’s not only the flavor that counts but also the texture, and some juicy orange segments, because, yes, we may all have fallen head first into the seasonal strawberries, but there are some luscious and tasty oranges left for us to savor too. So grab them while you still can.

The play of flavors is quite interesting in this salad—refreshing, sweet, sharp, earthy—making it a salad ideal for my palate. I hope it suits yours too.

Chicken and beetroot salad with orange, fennel and feta

Feel free to substitute the types of beetroot I used for regular red beetroot. Just be aware of the fact that red beets stain any other ingredient that has the audacity to share the same plate with them, so if your salad takes on a pink hue, don’t say that I didn’t warn you. Adding it at the last minute and tossing the salad ever so slightly, will save the situation though.

Use a mandoline, if you have it, to achieve those paper-thin slices. A mandoline would also be ideal to cut very thin slices of the onion and fennel.

If you don’t like feta—you don’t like feta????—use any other creamy white cheese you like that is sharp, not sweet.

I used two boneless and skinless chicken breasts that I seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne, and cooked them in a frying pan with a little olive oil. You can use, however, any leftover chicken you may have, from roast chicken to grilled chicken, and it can be any part of the chicken as long as you cut it into bite-sized pieces.

This salad can be eaten either for lunch or dinner as it is quite filling yet light.

Yield: 2 main-course or 4 salad servings

Ingredients
2 large oranges
350 g raw beetroots (golden, white, chioggia), peeled and very thinly sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 Tbsp orange juice
Salt
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
Freshly ground white pepper
150 g mixed baby leaves
½ large fennel bulb, trimmed and very thinly sliced, fronds reserved
1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
300 g cooked chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
80-90 g feta, cubed
50 g walnuts, roughly chopped

Special equipment: mandoline (optional yet preferable), rasp grater


Preparation
Grate the zest of one of the oranges and place it in a small bowl.

The way to cut the 2 oranges is by using a sharp knife. First, cut off the peel, then the white pith all around the fruit, exposing the flesh, and finally, cut free the flesh of the fruit from the membranes that are in between the wedges. Squeeze the juice out of the membranes and into a large bowl. They should be about 2 Tbsp. Add the thinly sliced beetroot to the bowl along with 1 Tbsp lemon juice and ¼ tsp salt and mix well. Let stand for 15 minutes so the beetroot softens a bit.

Make the dressing. In the small bowl that you added the grated orange zest, add the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, honey, the remaining 1 Tbsp lemon juice, a good pinch of salt and some white pepper, and using a wire whisk, blend well.

In a large bowl, mix gently with your hands the baby green leaves, fennel, red onion and the chicken. Add the oranges and the beetroot with its juices and mix gently with your hands. Scatter the feta and walnuts on top and finally pour over the dressing. Sprinkle with the reserved fennel fronds and again, using your hands, toss gently to combine all the ingredients.

Serve immediately with some fresh bread and a glass of dry white wine.

Turnip greens and halloumi salad with tahini and turmeric dressing

As with so many of the meals I cook, it all starts with a single ingredient, the inspiration if you will that’ll form the base of a complete dish. Sometimes it’s an intricate dish that may take hours to prepare and cook, and other times it’s a simple and quick one.

This time, it all started a few days ago when I bought a bunch of young turnip greens from the market. I didn’t know exactly what to do with them so they stayed in the fridge, almost neglected, until yesterday, when it suddenly hit me; I would make a meal out of a salad. I do this often, I love turning salads into main dishes. And so it happened.

I had halloumi in the fridge, cucumber that was leftover from a tzatziki I made the previous day and red onion, and then I began thinking about the dressing. I wanted something a bit different, more fragrant and earthy to counterbalance and complement the fresh flavors of the greens and cucumber. Tahini came to mind, an ingredient that is never absent from my kitchen, and turmeric. That was it.

I finely sliced the cucumber and the onion with my trusted mandoline, I whisked the ingredients for the dressing and grilled the halloumi in a hot pan until it was deliciously golden. The ingredients were tossed together, the deep orange-colored dressing was drizzled on top and a handful of toasted sesame seeds were sprinkled to decorate and add more flavor and texture to the salad.

That was yesterday’s dinner.

Young turnip greens, cucumber and red onion salad with grilled halloumi and a tahini and turmeric dressing

The classic turnip greens (turnip tops) are large, much like beetroot leaves. The ones I used in this recipe are young, small turnip greens from turnips grown specifically for their leaves.
Their flavor is slightly spicy and their stalks are tender. If you can’t find them where you live, you can substitute with baby spinach, rocket or tender beetroot leaves.
For those of you reading from Holland, they are called raapstelen.

This dressing is perfect on top of a grilled or baked piece of fish, on top of roast chicken, or mixed with simply boiled legumes like beans or chickpeas to give them flavor.

Yield: 2 main servings or 4 salad servings

Ingredients

for the tahini-turmeric dressing
60 ml (¼ cup) tahini
3½ Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¾ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper powder
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper

for the salad
150 g young turnip greens
120 g cucumber, with skin on, thinly sliced
Half red onion, very thinly sliced
250 g halloumi cheese
A handful of toasted sesame seeds

Special equipment: mandoline (optional)


Preparation

for the tahini-turmeric dressing
Add the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, turmeric, cayenne, a little salt and white pepper in a small bowl and mix well using a wire whisk. Taste and add more salt if needed.

for the salad
Cut the halloumi into medium-thick slices and lightly oil them on both sides with olive oil. Heat a skillet or non-stick pan on medium heat and add the slices in one layer. Cook them for about 3 minutes on either side until golden.

Rinse well the turnip greens under cold running water, cut off the roots and drain in paper towels. In a large bowl, mix the turnip greens, cucumber and onion. Arrange on a plate and add the halloumi. Drizzle generously with the dressing and finish with the sesame seeds.
Serve immediately with fresh bread.

You can keep the tahini-turmeric dressing in the fridge for a couple of days. It will thicken in the fridge so leave it out on the counter for half an hour before you want to use it.
Also, the dressing may split. It is only natural because it contains tahini, which always splits. Don’t worry about it, just give it a good whisk before using.

Watermelon radish, fennel and avocado salad with whipped feta dressing

Winter can be monochromatic, especially in northwestern Europe. There are days when it seems like a dark veil is covering the whole sky, allowing only a few rays of sun to pierce through; the continuous rain makes it even worse. It can be romantic—at least that’s how I viewed it when I first moved to Holland from Greece, and it still feels like that sometimes—but mostly, these gloomy winters can be quite tiring, affecting both body and soul.

Seeing bursts of color in the form of fruits and vegetables is invigorating. Citrus, beetroots (more on those later), radishes, cauliflowers, carrots and cabbages are the saving grace of winter.

With the glorious reds, greens, pinks, yellows, golden of the citrus, with the purple of the cauliflowers and cabbages and, of course, the unexpected and thrilling fuchsia-pink color of the watermelon radishes; that psychedelic color that only nature could have dreamed up.

With the green and off-white surrounding it, it looks like a tiny watermelon waiting to be savored. If only I had some black sesame seeds to artfully place on one slice, it would be magical, right?

Being an extremely visual person, I get turned on by color and hues and tones, and making this colorful salad was exciting. Even though pink is not my color by any stretch of the imagination, this one was rather cute and against the bright green of the avocado and the ivory of the fennel, it was really a color-fest if there ever was one.

The flavor of the salad was vibrant, refreshing and light with the crunchy, slightly peppery and bitter radish, the creamy, sweet avocado and crisp fennel, and the whipped feta dressing tying everything together, because this dressing, let me tell you, is key. It’s the secret of this salad and one of the most delicious dressings this feta-obsessed Greek has tasted. The salty tang of the feta is smoothed over by the (real) Greek yoghurt and Greek olive oil and the sprinkling of sumac is the proverbial cherry on top, adding a touch of acidity and a faint spiciness that balances the flavors of the salad.

Paired with a piece of grilled or oven-baked salmon and fresh bread, it is a perfect meal.

I leave you with this song. See you here again soon.

Watermelon radish, fennel and avocado salad with whipped feta dressing and sumac

The watermelon radish is an heirloom Asian Daikon radish. It is mildly peppery with a crisp texture and belongs to the same family as rocket, broccolo and turnips.
If you can’t find it, substitute with daikon or another type of mild-flavored radish.

Yield: 4 salad servings or 2 main-course servings / 400 ml feta dressing

Ingredients

for the whipped feta dressing
200 g feta (Greek of course!)
120 g (real) Greek yoghurt, full-fat
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp white balsamic vinegar (or white-wine vinegar)
Freshly ground white pepper, 4-5 grind of the pepper mill

for the salad
3 medium-sized watermelon radishes, peeled and sliced very thinly (preferably with a mandoline)
1-2 avocados, sliced thinly
½ large fennel bulb, sliced
Lemon juice
Olive oil

Fennel fronds (from the fennel bulb), for garnishing
Ground sumac, for sprinkling over the salad

Special equipment: food processor, mandoline (optional)


Preparation

for the whipped feta dressing
If your feta is too salty, soak it in cold water for 15 minutes (in one piece). Drain and use in the recipe.
Cut the feta in small cubes and place it along with the rest of the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor. Process until you have a smooth and creamy mixture.
Empty it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until ready to use. It will firm up a bit in the fridge.
You can make it 4 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.

to make the salad
Arrange the watermelon radishes on a large, shallow plate. Brush with a little olive oil.
Toss the sliced fennel with a little lemon juice (1 tsp) and olive oil in a bowl.
Brush the sliced avocado with a little lemon juice and olive oil to keep it from turning brown too quickly.

Top the radishes with the fennel and avocado and scatter the fennel fronds over the top.
Drizzle with a generous amount of the feta dressing and sprinkle with sumac. Keep extra dressing handy in a bowl at the table for extra helpings.
Enjoy!

Cherries: the salad

When the days and evenings are so hot like they’ve been lately, I can’t even contemplate stepping foot inside my kitchen for more than a few minutes. Summery salads come to my rescue.

Most of the times it’s a big Horiatiki (Greek) salad with juicy tomatoes and cooling cucumbers, other times and especially when I’ve made barley rusks, it’s dakos, the traditional Greek salad of rusks, grated tomatoes and feta, or a tuna salad, one of my favorites.

Salads incorporating fruits are the best during this season, combining sweetness with tartness, saltiness, brininess, freshness, crispness and overall deliciousness.

This time it was a simple salad of young and tender swiss-chard leaves, fresh mint leaves with sweet dark cherries, Kalamata olives, feta, and a garlic vinaigrette with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil.

Nothing extravagant or complicated, without any weird or exotic ingredients, a straightforward, summery, seasonal salad that was beautiful in every sense. Crisp leaves, sweet cherries, zingy vinaigrette with a garlic hit, creamy tangy feta, cooling mint. Refreshing, satisfying, and with a couple slices of rye bread and a glass of sharp Sauvignon Blanc, it made a pretty nice supper for one.

By the way, earlier today I finally couldn’t resist the cherry bounty lurking in my fridge. I turned on my oven and a sweet thing happened. I will share as soon as I can, because cherry season is so unfairly short, I don’t want to you to miss the opportunity to make it.

Young swiss-chard and mint salad with cherries, olives and feta

Use any kind of young green leaves you can get your hands on. Also purslane, watercress or baby spinach would work great instead. If you can’t find young chard leaves, use tender chard leaves that can be eaten raw, stalks and central veins removed.

Substitute feta with a different goat’s cheese or even mozzarella if you’d like.

If whole mint leaves is not your thing, chop them up so their flavor isn’t too pronounced in any one bite.

Some chopped walnuts or almonds would work beautifully in the salad.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
100-120 g young swiss-chard leaves
10 large, fresh mint leaves, whole, and some small ones for garnishing
16 sweet dark cherries, pitted and halved
12 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
100 g feta

for the garlic vinaigrette
1 garlic clove, mashed
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Special equipment: cherry and olive pitter (optional)


Preparation

for the garlic vinaigrette
In a small bowl, add the mashed garlic clove, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a little salt and pepper. Mix well using a fork or a small whisk. Check the seasoning and add more if needed.

for the salad
In a large bowl, add the swiss-chard and mint leaves, the cherries and olives. Mix with your hands. Add 1/3 of the vinaigrette and toss well using your hands to evenly coat the ingredients with it. Give it a taste and add more vinaigrette if needed.

Transfer salad to a platter and crumble the feta on top. Garnish with some small mint leaves and have a small bowl with the vinaigrette at hand in case you want to add some more. Eat immediately and enjoy!

This salad would be great to serve alongside grilled steak or chicken.

You can keep the vinaigrette in a small bowl, covered with plastic wrap for a couple of days to use in other green salads. Whisk well before using.

Spelt salad with roasted asparagus and radishes

Hello friends, I didn’t mean to stay away for this long but since we last spoke, I have been doing some recuperating. And I also have been cheating on you and posting on instagram rather than here. Sorry, it was easier and quicker. But now I’m back!

So, I had another wisdom tooth removed a couple of weeks ago and this time was worse than the previous one. I’ll spare you the gory details and I’ll just say that my fear of dentists is gradually taking epic proportions. I’m thankful that I have a clean bill of teeth health now and I hope I don’t see a dental surgeon again in my life.

As you can imagine, eating has been difficult, but I have been hitting the ice cream quite hard, homemade of course to keep me busy. I’ve been eating lots of soups, pasta and when I got a bit better, I made gemista (Greek rice and minced veal-stuffed tomatoes and peppers) which somehow brought a summery feel to our table and we absolutely loved it.

The other day however I made a dish that was very seasonal, full of spring bounty and quite easy to make. I have been on an asparagus kick for the past month or so but I wanted to do something different than eating them simply roasted or grilled with olive oil and lemon. I wanted to incorporate them in a dish that was light yet filling.

I made a grain salad with spelt, roasted asparagus, shaved radishes, goat’s cheese and a honey, Dijon mustard, lemon and olive oil dressing. It was great.

Fulfilling and flavorful with nutty and sweet notes from the chewy and ever-so-slightly al dente spelt, earthy bitter notes from the roasted asparagus that had lightly caramelized in the oven and vibrant peppery notes from the crunchy radishes. The fresh, sweet and pungent Dijon mustard dressing coated the grains and vegetables, and along with the tangy goat’s cheese that melted among the ingredients becoming creamy and luscious, gave the salad a beautiful shine and a lovely flavor.

Hope you enjoy it. I’ll be back soon!

Spelt and Roasted Green Asparagus Salad with Radishes and Goat’s Cheese

Spelt (also known as Dinkel) is an ancient species of wheat that has gained popularity over the last few years. I love spelt flour and have been using it extensively for bread and other baked goods for a long time, but only the last year or so have I been using the whole grain. It’s high in protein, fiber, vitamin E and magnesium so apart from being delicious, it’s also good for you.

French Breakfast radishes are less peppery than the regular ones and very tasty. Feel free to substitute with the regular small, round radishes, especially if you enjoy their heat. Slice them using a mandoline or a very sharp knife.

This salad is substantial and can easily be served as a main meal.

Yield: 4-6 salad / 2-4 main-course servings

Ingredients
200 g whole spelt (spelt berries)
450 g fresh green asparagus spears, trimmed
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
7-8 French Breakfast radishes (or regular radishes)
100 g fresh, firm goat’s cheese or homemade chèvre, crumbled
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

for the dressing
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1½ tsp Dijon mustard
1½ tsp runny honey (I used Greek pine tree honey)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh small purple shiso leaves, for garnishing

Special equipment: colander, large rimmed baking sheet, baking paper


Preparation
Soak the spelt in plenty of water for 3 hours (or according to your package instructions). Rinse it well under cold running water and add it to a medium-sized pan with plenty of water to cover it by 5cm. Place over high heat and bring to the boil. Put the lid on ajar and boil over medium-high heat for about 40 minutes or until the spelt is tender yet al dente. It will be somewhat chewy which shouldn’t surprise you as this is how spelt texture is. While boiling, skim off the scum that floats to the top with a metal spoon. Drain the spelt in a colander and leave to cool.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 220°C.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with baking paper and add asparagus in one layer. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and toss with your hands to coat the asparagus well.
Place on the middle rack of the preheated oven and roast the asparagus for 8-10 minutes or until tender and charred, checking and turning them over halfway through the roasting time.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the asparagus to cool. Then, chop them on the diagonal.

Prepare the dressing by adding olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and honey in a small bowl and whisking well to combine. Add a little salt and pepper to taste and whisk again.

In a large bowl, add the cooled spelt and season with salt and pepper. Add the asparagus, radishes, goat’s cheese and drizzle the dressing on top. You may want to add half of it first and give the salad a taste before adding the rest. Toss the salad well and check the seasoning.
Plate the salad, adding a few shiso leaves on top.
Serve immediately.

The salad doesn’t keep well, it becomes watery if you leave it in the fridge, so keep that in mind when you make it. You can prepare the spelt and dressing beforehand and assemble the salad at the last minute before you serve it.

Chioggia beet salad

Lately, I’m on a quest to eat more of the foods I don’t usually eat a lot. Even though I like the flavor of beets I only rarely put them on my grocery list.

The same goes with other vegetables and fruits but I am now doing a conscious effort to pay more attention to those neglected treasures. Especially when they are at their prime and are being sold at the market way cheaper than other, fancier vegetables.

The other day, purely by chance, I came across this type of beet, the Chioggia beet. I have never eaten it before and was dazzled by the red-fuscia and white rings when I saw it cut open and displayed at the market.

I had to have them. And so I did. As soon as I got home, I did a little research online and realized that if I cooked them, they would lose those cute rings and become pinkish-red instead. I couldn’t have that. I wanted to see those rings decorate my plate. We eat first with our eyes after all and I wanted this to be a feast for the eyes as well as for the appetite.

I decided to make a salad. A full-on delicious salad for Sunday lunch with goat’s cheese, pistachios, rocket leaves, dill and white balsamic vinaigrette. A perfectly balanced salad both flavor- and texture-wise.

Creamy, soft and slightly tangy cheese, raw, crunchy, earthy beets, toasty, nutty pistachios, fresh, bitter rocket, herbaceous dill and a zing from the vinaigrette tingling the palate, with the extra virgin olive oil smoothing all the flavors and making those bicolored beets look even more tempting.

Chioggia Beet Salad with Goat’s Cheese and Pistachios

The Chioggia beet hails from Northern Italy. It has a similar flavor to the regular red beet but it’s a tad sweeter and milder. If you can’t find them, use red beets.
The good thing about Chioggia beets is that they don't stain like the red ones, so you can handle them with less caution.

I chose white balsamic (like in this salad) because I didn’t want to stain the beautiful beets. You can use a champagne or a white wine vinegar instead.

It pairs perfectly with a grilled or poached piece of fish, or you can have it on its own for a light lunch or supper.

Yield: 4 salad servings or 2 lunch servings

Ingredients

for the vinaigrette
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp caster sugar
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper

for the salad
50 g rocket leaves
2 large chioggia beets
60 g fresh soft goat’s cheese
2-3 Tbsp shelled, unsalted pistachios
A handful of fresh dill leaves, chopped

Special equipment: mandoline (optional)


Preparation

make the vinaigrette
In a small bowl, add the olive oil, the vinegar and the sugar. Mix well with a fork or a small whisk. Add some salt and pepper and give the vinaigrette a taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

make the salad
Add pistachios to a dry, small pan and place over medium heat. Toast nuts, stirring regularly so they don’t burn, until they become fragrant. Empty them immediately onto a plate and once cooled, chop them with a knife.

Rinse the rocket leaves under cold running water, drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel. Toss them with 1 Tbsp of the vinaigrette.

Peel the beets and thinly slice them using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Toss them with 2 Tbsp of the vinaigrette.

Arrange the dressed rocket leaves on a plate and arrange the dressed beets on top. Crumble the goat’s cheese on top and scatter the pistachios and dill over the salad. Drizzle a little more vinaigrette over the salad.
Serve immediately.

Other recipes with beets:
Greek Beetroot Purée with Potatoes and Walnuts
Purple and Golden Beet Chips with Spicy Sour Cream Dip