Beetroot Rocket Salad with Brie

The other weekend, I uncharacteristically went and bought a bunch of stuff I usually wouldn't. It all started with this amazing salad I had at an Italian restaurant and I was craving it ever since! If I crave for a salad, then you can rest assured it was actually that good. I was almost successful in bringing the same taste at home the very next day!

Let's start with the Brie right here. Except for a couple of times I've had this with crackers at some fancy buffet, I've never bought Brie. That's totally changed now. I am a convert, to say the least.

Hello there, you creamy, evil mound of cheesy goodness.

Next we have Balsamic Vinegar. Again, its something I've had while eating out, I've come across it in other blogs but this is the first time I have ever owned a bottle of this. And while I was at it, I went and bought the best available bottle of balsamic vinegar in Singapore whose price shall not be discussed. Ever.

You are good, you know you're good.

This is what I ended up with. Like I said, it was pretty darn close in taste to the original thing I had in the restaurant. Here's how:

Beetroot Rocket Salad with Brie

Serves 2

What I Used:

4 cups lightly packed rocket lettuce leaves

1 small beetroot, cubed and steamed until cooked yet firm

Brie cheese cut into small pieces

Toasted sunflower seeds (the original recipe used pine nuts)

For the dressing:

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp sugar

A pinch of salt

Toss the salad leaves and other ingredients together. Mix the ingredients for the dressing well and combine just before serving.

There's something about rocket lettuce that makes me want to eat it all day. I am not much of a salad person but this salad totally makes me want to take that back.

The dressing used here is slightly sweet and very mild so it doesn't overpower the taste of the greens or vegetables. The brie gives a nice creamy feel to your bite and the sunflower seeds add a much needed crunch. Perfect!

What's more, its so photogenic! ;)

Basic Potato Salad Recipe

This is a quick one. I didn't make it intending to post it actually. I changed my mind after trying to find this recipe online, in vain. Ok, flashback time. 

TH sometimes talks about his childhood days in Abu Dhabi and how they went to Pizza Hut every now and then. He always talks very fondly about the potato salad they served there. Now me, I have not tried salad in Pizza Hut, ever! Pizza Hut is for pizzas. Period. Anyway, recently we attended a colleague's wedding where they had potato salad and TH went for a few helpings and forced me to try some too, which he never does, 'cuz really, I don't need to be forced to eat anything. I was just busy with other more tastier looking things on the table. I tried it anyway and I loved it! It tasted so 'simple', like you could make it with just 3-4 ingredients in the pantry. I didn't bother trying to figure what went into it because I was confident I'd find it online. 

I'm sure its out there somewhere but its not easy to find because there are a million ways you can make potato salad. So I gave up and threw in what I thought went into the salad we tried. Now I am sharing it with you :)

Potato Salad Recipe

Serves 4

What I Used:

Potatoes - 3 medium-sized ones (I used russet potatoes)

Spring onions - 1/4 cup, very finely chopped 

(You can also use celery or leeks or even cilantro instead of spring onions)

Mayonnaise - 1/2 cup (I used Kraft mayo, out of a bottle)

Cream - 2 tbsp

Greated cheddar cheese - 2 tbsp (optional)

Lime juice - 1 tbsp or more

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Boil potatoes until soft and cool completely. I cooked them in the pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside. 

2.  Whip together cream, mayonnaise and cheese with salt. Add lime juice to this and mix well. 

3. In a bowl, add the potatoes, the whipped cream-cheese-mayo mixture, spring onions and salt-pepper. Mix well without breaking the potatoes too much. 

Serve at room temperature. 

This is a great salad to serve when you have large number of people coming over and little time in hand. Its hard not to like it and it goes great with junk food like chips, burgers, tikkis, etc. Just make sure that you prepare it not too long before you need to serve it. Also, make sure you transfer leftovers to the fridge immediately in case you want to use it the next day. 

Paneer Tomato Salad

This recipe has been in my archives for a long time now, simply because its really not much of a recipe - just a concoction of different ingredients that I like. I took a picture and saved it since it was just too colourful to pass without doing atleast that.

Now I see a great opportunity to post it because this is for a cause. O Food For Ovarian Cancer Awareness. Its a competition that spreads awareness about Ovarian Cancer and features all ingredients that either starts or ends with O. The one I am featuring here is Tomato. For more details, please click here.

What I Used:

Ripe red tomatoes - 2
Paneer/Indian cottage cheese - 1/2 cup, cubed
Capsicum/green bell pepper - 1/2 cup, cubed
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp
Lime juice/vinegar - 1 tbsp or more
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Mix the chaat masala, pepper, salt and lime juice/vinegar well together.

2. Mix the tomatoes, bell pepper and panner together, adding a bit of salt. Mash some of the tomato pieces so there is some mush and juices for the paneer to soak in.

3. Pour the lime dressing over it before serving. Can also be served as a wrap in chapati or pita bread.

Corn Peas Tomato Salad

I am not much of a salad person. I mean, I do like them but not as a meal in itself. Most of the salads are ones I make as an accompaniment to the main course. Because of this I don't spend much time on them, especially the dressing. After beginning to work, I find myself pressed for time to make dinner and I feel bad when there is just one gravy and one curry with rice. TH never complains but still I feel guilty. So salads like these are my solution! I sometimes fill the gap with raita too, but about that in a different post :)

Now onto the salad.

What I Used:

Serves 2 (on the side)

Boiled Corn kernels - 1 cup
Boiled peas - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped onions - 1/2 cup
Finely Chopped tomatoes - 1/2 cup
Minced garlic - 1/4 tsp (1-2 cloves)
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (I used white)
Lime juice - 1 tbsp (or to taste)
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Mix the salt, garlic and pepper with the lime juice.

2. Mix all the veggies well and add the above lime juice mixture 10 minutes before serving.

*Notes*

- I sometimes mix this with plain steamed rice and serve it as a rice dish. It looks colorful and is a welcome change from just plain rice.

- This salad is also good for making rolls with chapatis. To hold the salad together, you can add some light mayonnaise.

- You may also like my Pear-Apple Salad with Honey Dressing.

Apple-Pear Salad with Honey Dressing

Summer is here and with it, end of March which brings in additional 'heat' of pending deadlines for events. I made this salad last week but was not very happy with the pictures. One would think I am quite used to posting bad pics on this blog but somehow, I feel bars have been raised now :D I didn't have time to make this again, so the post will have to do with bad pics.

Pears are known for its mild flavour and firmness. This is why I like them best in salads and maybe poached. Wiki also says that in some varieties, its difficult to tell apart apples and pears. This was quite surprising to me since we get only one kind of pear in Hyderabad and maybe a couple of varities of apples. And reall, its not difficult to tell them apart easily.

Anyway, I used up a couple of pears and one apple in this salad. I also experimented with some spices and flavours for the dressing and was quite pleased with the results.

What I Used:

Ripe pears - 2, cubed
Apple - 1, cubed
Honey - 4 tbsp
Lime juice - 2 tsp
Salt - 2 pinches
Cinnamon - a few small pieces
Chaat masala - one pinch

How I Made It:

1. Mix the cubed fruits well with salt, before they turn brown.

2. Sprinkle chaat masala over this.

3. Mix the honey, lime and cinnamon well and pour over the fruits just before serving.

The burst of different flavours was quite unique. I added more lime juice than necessary, so the measurement given here has been adjusted. Please check to make sure the measures are to your taste.

This fresh fruity salad goes over to Raaga's AFAM - Pears and Abby's Monthly Mingle - Fruit Sensations.