What would you feed me…Karinna?

Another week, another lovely dish, from another lovely blogger…this week I bring you a guest post from Karinna from Cheesy Biscuit. Karinna and I share many tastes, both getting excited over spices and dishes packed with flavour; we are often to be found drooling over one another’s posts, so I am very happy to be sharing a dish from her with you…

So, Karinna, what would you feed me?   

Whilst I’m not vegetarian, I do eat masses of veggie food.  (Ok, I eat a fair amount of cakes, too, but only after I’ve eaten my savoury plate first.)  So when Elaine told me, quite some time ago, that she was going to be inviting herself around for dinner, I was lulled into a false sense of security.  Our mutual love of fresh vegetables and addiction to garlic, spices and herbs had to be a pretty good jumping-off point, I thought.  And then my ‘What Would You Feed Me’ deadline started creeping up.  It wasn’t that the list of banned ingredients was a problem, but more that I wanted to make something that I thought Elaine, as such a flavour lover and creative cook, would genuinely enjoy.  And then time ran out!  In the end, I made this salad, which in the spirit of Elaine’s mezze lunch feasts formed part of a tasty mishmash of plates and bowls to share with friends.  The salad was a bit of a risk – I think that raw endive always is, what with that bitter note that not everyone loves.  But there’s plenty of other flavours here to tone it down, what with the green veg, tangy tarragon mustard dressing and pink peppercorns.  I’d wanted to use some fresh tarragon in the dish but never got around to getting any – the whole thing packed in plenty of flavour regardless.  I hope Elaine forgives me for the distinct lack of garlic.  Oh, but the parmesan, by the way, happened to be vegetarian, so no issues there.  I just hope I didn’t break the brief with the use of honey 😉

Ingredients

 

About 4-6 endive (depending on size)

 

150g asparagus

 

150g purple sprouting broccoli

 

100g green beans

 

1 tbsp. olive oil

 

1 tbsp. mustard (I used a fancy tarragon mustard I’d been given, but regular mustard would still be good)

 

1 tbsp. lemon juice

 

1 tbsp. honey

 

1 – 2 tbsp. parmesan shavings

 

A grinding or two of pink peppercorns

 

A large bowl of iced water

Method

 

Begin by steaming or boiling the broccoli, asparagus and green beans until tender but retaining a little crunch.  Drain, then immediately throw into the bowl of iced water.

 

Make the dressing by combining the olive oil, mustard, honey and lemon juice.  

 

Once the green veg are chilled, remove from the water and pat dry with a clean tea towel.

 

Roughly chop the endive and arrange over your serving dish.  Give the dressing a final whisk, then pour over half.  Arrange the vegetables over the top and drizzle with the remaining dressing, then top with shavings of parmesan and, finally, a little crushed pink peppercorns.

What a wonderful fresh dish, perfect for beautiful spring weather we are now enjoying in the UK – and I forgive you the lack of garlic…this once!!! 😉 thank you so much, Karinna xx