SPRING SALAD
Serves 4 , Ready in 5 Minutes
Greens, Goat’s cheese, Pickled Walnut & Wild Garlic Spring Salad
I bought some pickled walnuts for another recipe and as soon as I tasted their sharp, nutty flavour, I knew they would work perfectly with the creamy tang of goat’s cheese.
Wild garlic really inspired this dish to life and it’s become my favourite spring ingredient! I love how it adds a fragrant richness to this dish and the fact you can eat the flowers just makes me love it even more!
I love the strength of watercress and chicory but if these flavours aren’t your cup of tea, you can adapt the recipe to use less peppery salad leaves.
INGREDIENTS
250g White chicory
4-6 Handfuls baby spinach
1-2 Handfuls watercress
1 Small bulb of fennel, finely sliced
1 handful red grapes, sliced
2 Pickled walnuts, sliced
150g Goat’s cheese log (e.g. chavroux), sliced
Small bunch of fresh thyme stems
Olive oil
Wild garlic pesto- See recipe
Wild garlic flowers
Greens, Goat’s cheese, Pickled Walnut & Wild Garlic Spring Salad Close Up
METHOD
On a chargrill pan, cook the chicory until lightly grilled. Set aside.
On a large serving dish, add a layer of spinach and top with the watercress.
Add a layer of the sliced fennel.
Sprinkle the grapes and pickled walnuts over the top.
Arrange the goat’s cheese evenly over the top of the salad and add some thyme stems, lightly crushing them as you add them to release their aromas.
Drizzle generously with olive oil and then with a little wild garlic pesto (to taste).
Lastly before serving, garnish the salad with wild garlic flowers.