Another salad for your repertoire. Vibrant, colourful and super tasty. The apple adds a sweet note while the tahini dressing binds the whole lot with its creaminess. Roasted almonds for texture and that extra nutty flavour I love. Very green and very wholesome.
Adapted fro 101 Cookbooks
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 medium broccoli heads, cut into small florets
2 crisp apples (Gala, Braeburn...) quartered and thinly sliced just before assembling the salad
1 celery stick, sliced thinly
1/2 cup roasted or pan toasted almonds, chopped roughly
1/3 cup caramelised shallots (5-6 shallots sliced thinly and cooked slowly until golden in a tbsp of butter)
2 cups mesclun leaves or baby kale leaves
For the dressing:
1 garlic clove, smashed or pureed
1/4 cup tahini
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey or maple syrup for a vegan option
2 tbsp hot water
Salt and pepper to taste
In a small bowl mix all ingredients except for water which you'll be adding slowly whisking vigourosly until the dressing is emulsified. Taste for seasoning. Reserve
Method:
Cook broccoli in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, you want to keep the crunchiness, so drain immediately and cover with iced water to stop cooking process. Pat dry or spin in a salad spinner to get rid of the water, this will prevent the dressing from getting watery and affect the flavour.
In a medium bowl mix together broccoli, celery, apple and shallots and add two to three tablespoons of dressing. Toss until all veggies are coated lightly with the dressing. top with almonds and serve over the leaves.
This is a great starter or a nice side dish for grilled fish or roasted chicken.