Seasonal salads - dressed with love

Salads are for sharing


There are no rules when it comes to salads, though three vital ingredients to a successful salad are: looks, textures and taste.

If it looks attractive, has at least one contrasting texture and comes with a simple dressing that tastes delicious - you have a winner.

Sweet and savoury; cold and warm; juicy and crunchy; zesty and fiery. Almost anything goes.

Even the simplest bag of leaves can be dressed up to please with a scattering of pomegranate seeds, a few crunchy croutons, some dark juicy olives and a crumble of feta cheese - dressed lovingly with Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing.


When it comes to salads, 
             we dress them with love

Chicken Caesar Salad

This is an absolute classic that focuses on taste from start to finish. It's fit for an Emperor with nothing to concern himself with on the Ides of March.

You'll need:

• 4 chicken breasts, skin on
• 200 g of sourdough bread, torn into chunks
• 8 rashers of streaky bacon 
• 2 romaine lettuces
• Parmesan cheese for shaving

Here's how:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Fry the chicken breasts skin side down in hot oil for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Pour the cooking oil and juices into a large roasting tin with a little more oil, add the bread and coat it well. Put the chicken breast (skin side up) amongst the bread and lay the bacon over the bread.

Roast for 20 minutes, removing the chicken once cooked and give the croutons and bacon a further 10 minutes to crisp up.

The flavour of the bacon fat in the crunchy croutons combined with the chicken pieces and Stokes Creamy Caesar Dressing is amazing.

A really nice Niçoise

You'll need:

• 200 g of new potatoes, cooked and halved
• 2 medium eggs, hard boiled
• 100 g of green beans, cooked and cooled
• 1 romaine lettuce
• 2 tbsp of Kalamata olives, stoned
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 6 anchovies
• 1 x 197 g tin of tuna steak in spring water, drained
• (NOTE: if you don't like anchovies use 1 tbsp of drained capers)
• 2 tbsp of Stokes Garlic Mayonnaise.
• Stokes Orange & Mango Dressing.

Here's how:

Peel the eggs and cut them into quarters. Make a fan of lettuce leaves on the plate and dress them with a drizzle of Orange & Mango Dressing.

In a bowl, coat the potatoes in the Garlic Mayonnaise. Now artistically build the potatoes, beans, tomatoes, olives and anchovies on the dressed leaves.

The subtle flavours of the garlic aioli with the salty anchovies against the sweet fruity dressing is delightful.

Enjoy.

Cheats Chicken Couscous

Here's how:

Shred a pack of cooked chicken and mix it with a bag of salad leaves, a tub of pomegranate seeds  and a tub of fruity Moroccan couscous.

If you really want to make an effort, a few chopped mint leaves are a lovely addition.

Dress with Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing - and serve.

Who says you can't cheat - life's too short !

...and for dessert:

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More foodie thoughts for the week:







National BBQ Week and competition news here.









Caption competition and other social news here.










Baking with tomatoes - some surprising recipes here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150