The Times Magazine - UK (2020-11-14)

36 The Times Magazine

herbs, keeping back a few leaves for garnish,

then season the salad with salt and pepper.

Pour over the dressing and top with the

reserved almonds and herbs to finish.

5 THAI GREEN SALAD

Serves 4 (page 35)

This green raw salad takes a little work, but is

absolutely delicious. Perfect on its own or with

salmon and prawns. Use any combination of

greens, as long as everything is completely

fresh. You must not skip the shallots and garlic

• these and the dressing bring the salad alive.
  You won’t want to stop eating it!


• 1 cucumber, peeled into ribbons


• 100g asparagus, peeled into ribbons


• 100g pak choi, finely sliced


• 100g green beans, trimmed


• 50g Tenderstem broccoli, sliced


• 50g kohlrabi, finely sliced


• 50g fresh dill, pulled apart (keep
  the length)


• 50g fresh coriander leaves,
  roughly chopped


• 50g fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped


• 50g fresh Thai basil leaves,
  roughly chopped

For the dressing

• 2 tbsp tamarind paste


• 2 tbsp palm sugar, grated


• 1 tbsp soy sauce

For the garnish

• 300ml sunflower oil


• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced


• 3 shallots, peeled and finely sliced


• 50g white sesame seeds

1 First make the dressing. In a medium

saucepan, combine the tamarind paste, palm

sugar and soy sauce with 300ml water. Bring

to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer

for a few minutes until the liquid starts to

reduce and turns glossy. Stir well, then set

aside to cool completely. Store in an airtight

container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

2 To make the garnish, pour about 3cm

sunflower oil into a large deep frying pan

and place on a medium heat. Using a slotted

spoon, lower the garlic and shallots into the

hot oil in batches. They won’t take long to

crisp up and go brown. Be careful because

they burn very fast.

3 Put the crispy garlic and shallot garnish

on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb

excess oil. Repeat, working in batches to avoid

lowering the oil temperature.

4 In a dry pan, toast the sesame seeds. Keep

an eye on them so they don’t burn. Put the

seeds in a spice grinder and blitz to a powder.

5 Combine all the vegetables and herbs in

a serving bowl. Add the dressing, the toasted

sesame powder and fried shallots and garlic.

Mix everything together. Serve immediately.

6 TOMATO AND POMEGRANATE SALAD

Serves 4 (page 35)

This salad is wonderful on its own. I also love

it served with hummus and flatbreads.

• 200g red cherry tomatoes, halved


• 200g yellow cherry tomatoes, halved


• 200g vine tomatoes, chopped into 1cm dice


• 1 red pepper, chopped into 1cm dice


• 1 yellow pepper, chopped into 1cm dice


• 1 small red onion, finely diced


• 1 medium pomegranate, deseeded


• Handful of fresh coriander leaves


• Pinch of flaked sea salt


• Grind of black pepper

For the dressing

• 5 tbsp pomegranate molasses


• 3 tbsp olive oil


• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar


• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated


• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon


• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1 Put all the dressing ingredients into a jar or

bowl and shake or whisk until well combined.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for

up to 1 week.

2 Add all the prepared tomatoes, peppers,

onion and pomegranate seeds to a platter.

Toss to distribute everything evenly. Drizzle

the pomegranate dressing over the whole

salad with a spoon and toss to coat everything

well. Add the fresh coriander and season well

with salt and pepper before serving.

7 FETA, CRANBERRY AND

PISTACHIO COUSCOUS

Serves 6

I always thought couscous was bland and

boring until I made this.

• 200g couscous


• 4 tbsp olive oil


• 1 lemon, juiced


• Pinch of flaked sea salt


• 100g pistachios


• 100g dried cranberries


• 100g feta cheese, cut into 1cm cubes


• 10g fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped


• 10g fresh coriander leaves,
  roughly chopped


• 10g fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped


• 10g fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped


• Grind of black pepper

1 Place the couscous in a clear heatproof

bowl, pour over 300ml boiling water, cover

the bowl with clingfilm and leave to stand

for 5 minutes or until all the water has

been absorbed.

2 Fluff it all up with a fork, adding a touch

more water if it seems dry. Stir in the olive

oil, lemon juice and salt and mix well. Pop

the pistachios into a food processor and allow

them to go somewhere beyond chopped to a

textured dust. This adds a really lovely green

colour to the couscous.

3 Fold the crushed pistachios and dried

cranberries through the couscous to distribute

them evenly. Then stir through the cubes of

feta, gently so they don’t break. Add all the

chopped herb leaves.

4 Before serving the couscous, add more

olive oil and lemon juice to taste, or if the

mix seems dry. This is especially important

the next day once it’s been in the fridge. Season

with extra salt and black pepper if needed. n

Extracted from

The mymuybueno

Cookbook by Justine

Murphy (Meze

Publishing, £25)

Eat!

WINTER SALADS

The Thai green salad takes a little work, but is absolutely delicious

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