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Salad

Salad

Pear, Pomegranate and Pistachio Salad

July 13, 2012

Pomegranate seeds are not only beautiful to look at, but also delicious to eat. They remind me of little red rubies, all glowing and shiny. They bring such freshness and colour to a salad, kind of like tiny drops of cold rain on a scorching hot summer’s day.  I created this salad with a few of my other favourite ingredients.  Pears are such an underrated fruit, but they have a fantastic flavour and texture. Conference pears are my favourite variety of pear. I also used a delicately flavoured Irish goat’s cheese to give this salad a touch of creaminess. Continue Reading…

Salad

Asparagus Salad with Blue Cheese

June 29, 2012

When asparagus is in season, I think it’s so delicious that it deserves its own course. I hate to see asparagus sidelined to the edge of the plate. It has such a delicate but distinctive flavour. This salad is the perfect summer starter with a chilled glass of white wine. It’s so bright and colourful, it just draws you in. A nice fresh vivid salad is so much more enticing than a drab collection of limp leaves and droopy tomatoes. I recently bought some lovely fresh green and white asparagus spears and married them together for this dish. Continue Reading…

Salad

Anchovy and egg salad with aioli

September 9, 2011

I think it’s probably safe to say that the Irish summer is well and truly over. Rain is pelting down and attacking the windows and the trees outside are being whipped of their leaves. Autumn is most definitely upon us, so this may be the last summery salad that I post for a while. I saw this salad on Rick Stein’s Spain on BBC and just had to make it. I am not generally a fan of anchovies on their own, though I like them in dressings or sauces. So, I wanted to try this salad as a way of starting to appreciate the humble anchovy. This salad really relies on the quality of ingredients, so good anchovies and free range eggs are a must. The accompanying aioli is so delicious, that, I’d nearly eat it alone with  a spoon. This salad makes a great starter or tea-time snack and it definitely convinced me to eat more anchovies. Continue Reading…

Salad

Smoked Mackerel Salad

August 18, 2011

I love smoked mackerel. It’s such a great fish, readily available and with the added bonus of being very good for you. I think some people find its flavour a bit too strong, so I created this salad which I think balances out the strong fishy flavour with some other great tastes. It’s best to prepare all the elements first and then assemble just before serving so that everything stays crunchy and fresh. I used segments of orange, but this salad would work equally well with slivers of grapefruit. The citrus fruit cuts right through the oily fish. The whole toasted almonds bring a lovely crunch and sweetness. Radishes and rocket offer a peppery bite and the honey and lemon dressing bring all the flavours together. The melba toast is for an extra bit of crispiness and a chance to make yourself some little canapés. If you don’t like smoked mackerel this salad might just convince you otherwise. Best served with a crisp white wine on a sunny summers evening. Hope you like it 🙂 Continue Reading…

Salad

Beetroot, Pear, Feta and Pistachio Salad

July 20, 2011

Back to simpler fare this week with another summer salad to test your taste buds. I got the idea for the beetroot and feta salad from this great blog called Taste Food.  However, I made a few adjustments. I love fruit in salads as it always entices me to eat more green leaves, when I add some sweetness in the form of fruit. Pears work so well with cheese and nuts but I was unsure how it would go with beetroot. Surprisingly beetroot and pear taste great together. The creamy, slightly acidic cheese offsets the earthiness of the beet and the sweetness of the juicy pear. The mild white balsamic dressing brings them all together and the pistachios add a great nutty texture. Try it and see what you think? Continue Reading…

Salad

Mouth-watering Watermelon Salad

July 5, 2011

As this was a sunny Greek inspired dish I thought it only natural to try and capture some sunlight for the picture. As I have a normal nine-to-five job I only get time to do my blog outside office hours, so I have a very small window of opportunity to capture the light. So, I waited and I waited and I waited. By the time a few watery rays of sunshine appeared, I was almost falling down with hunger. When the photos were finally taken, I grabbed the closest available prop and tucked in with gleeful abandon. The evening sun was now warm and bright and had illuminated the entire balcony as I savoured this sweet and salty summer salad. This is my favourite kind of summer snack – light, fruity and fresh with a bite of salty olives and crispy pistachio nuts. Haloumi and Watermelon are a match made in heaven and the honey and lemon dressing really brings out all the flavours. This salad takes only minutes to make and is a perfect after work snack. Continue Reading…

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I'm Vicky and Stasty is my simple and tasty food recipe blog. I love to cook and I love to talk about food, so this blog is really my ramblings and thoughts about cooking and eating. Some of the recipes are my own and some are ones that I found on the net or picked up from my favorite cookbooks. I cook everything in our little kitchen in beautiful Washington. I am aided and abetted by my I.T guru/tantrum-trouble-shooter/editor and chief-taster otherwise known as the OH or Nelius.