one delicious dressing two summer salads

Photographer: Kurt
Serves 6

This year my goal for my vege garden is to get a good grasp on sequential planting. Since I first decided to try my hand at growing my own veges my gardening ability has come along in leaps and bounds mostly through trial and error and lots of advice from all the friendly folk who have gone before me.  Still as beautiful and as perfect as my 6 heads of brocolli may have been, I just can’t do brocolli every night of the week.  This year I have meticulously replaced everything I have cut with a new seedling or a small row of seeds and so far it seems to be working.  As the years do bring variation in what tops the crops and what flops this year I seem to have a steady supply of fennel, broard beans and courgettes and so the inspiration for these delicious summer salads.

INGREDIENTS

Preserved lemon dressing
2 preserved lemons – rind only
40mL white whine vinegar
150mL extra virgin olive oil
Pepper

Fennel and Mozzarella salad
2-3 fennel bulbs, shaved thinly
3/4 cup Italian parsley leaves, torn
1/4 cup flaked almonds, lightly toasted
100g buffalo mozzarella, torn
1/4 cup preserved lemon dressing

Grilled Eggplant and Zuchinni salad
2 Eggplant
3 Zucchini
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup feta broken into small pieces
50g Pine nuts, lightly toasted

METHOD

Preserved lemon dressing
1. Place the preserved lemon rind in a food processor and process till quite smooth.
2. Add the vinegar, oil, and pepper and pulse to combine.
3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Fennel and mozzarella salad
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl
2. Transfer to a serving platter enjoy!

Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini salad
1. Slice the eggplants into 3/4cm thick rounds, and the zucchini into 1/2cm thick lengthwise strips.
2. drizel with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Heat the grill (bbq) and grill the eggplant and zuchinni, aiming for some nice charred bits.
4. Allow to cool slightly then lay the veges out on a platter and sprinkle over the pine nuts and feta then drizzel over the dressing.