So hello spring, officially! The sun is shining… let’s not hold our breath… and we have just come back from a beautiful family Easter break… So everything’s looking oh so rosy right now!
Fattoush with blood oranges and grilled aubergines
I always say that come springtime, I happen to be in a better mood and that is purely because a) the sun is going to be out a lot longer during the day and although it may be cold, the idea of being able to dress like spring makes me happy and b) the markets are going to be filling up with beautiful fresh produce that only this time of year brings,.. I intend on visiting La Boqueria VERY soon!!!
So this simple salad is my “Welcome Spring” meal… it’s fresh it’s green it has fruit… It shows off the ingredients ina way that’s not depressing like a lot of vegan “bio” restaurants now days… I like my food to look alive and colourful.. not like cardboard… sorry tempeh and tofu lovers… but we CAN make veggie food actually LOOK good!! 🙂 no offense of course…
I like the idea of being able to chop and change things, especially recipes… just stick to a basic idea and give it your own flair and personality.. like in every single thing in life!! 🙂
Time to start eating out on the terrace..! Fingers crossed!
- 1 aubergine sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds
- Olive oil for brushing on the sliced aubergines
- 1 tablespoon dried pomegranate seeds.. if you can’t find dried then you can use fresh
- 2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced, reserving the juice for the dressing
- 2 pitas, torn into small pieces. Again you can use any old bread you have at home as well… I used focaccia that I had made the day before.
- 1 small head romaine or ice berg lettuce chopped roughly
- A handful of fresh mint leaves
- A handful of coriander leaves
- For the dressing:
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tspn sumac
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- left over juice from cutting the blood oranges
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 tspn salt
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C
- Brush the aubergines with olive oil on both sides and place on a baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Toss the torn pieces of bread in olive oil. Add these to the baking tray and turn the aubergine slices and baking for another 5 mins
- Assemble the salad, starting with the lettuce.top with the aubergine and blood oranges.
- scatter the crispy bread around the top and the pomegranate seeds.
- finish with a sprinkling of sumac and the dressing.
- So hello spring, officially! The sun is shining… let’s not hold our breath… and we have just come back from a beautiful family Easter break… So everything’s looking oh so rosy right now!
- I always say that come springtime, I happen to be in a better mood and that is purely because a) the sun is going to be out a lot longer during the day and although it may be cold, the idea of being able to dress like spring makes me happy and b) the markets are going to be filling up with beautiful fresh produce that only this time of year brings,.. I intend on visiting La Boqueria VERY soon!!!
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