Though summer has, technically, come to a close, there are still myriad opportunities to enjoy the warm weather and that last month of daylight savings time. Bring-a-plate soirees are perenially popular — often cheaper and easier than hosting a whole dinner yourself — and when it comes to choosing a dish for such an occasion, strategic recipes and some travel tips can make a world of difference.
For any celebration, when it’s hot outside, it’s possible the food might be sitting in a warm spot for some time, so we need to play it safe with our ingredients. We want olive oil-based dressings, no dairy (or only last-minute dairy additions), no mayo, lots of crunch, and vegetables that will hold their shape and texture. We want raw veges cut small and dressed big, roasted veges marinated in oil, big colours and lots of flavour. These salads check all of these boxes and are my go-tos when I’m asked to bring something to a lunch, but I also reach for them year-round, with some seasonal substitutions. They’re all special enough for a celebration feast, but easy enough for a casual barbecue.
There is a lot of flavour going on here for such a simple recipe. It’s such a winner not only to bring as a salad (with bread), but also as a bed for roasted meats, as a bruschetta topping, or perhaps tossed through pasta or layered into a crazy good lasagne. In short, please consider making double.
4 red capsicums, halved, seeds and membrane removed, then quartered
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 thyme sprigs
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp horseradish cream
- Preheat the oven to 160C.
- Place the capsicums in an ovenproof dish, making sure they fit fairly snugly. Sprinkle in the salt, pepper and thyme and pour in ¼ cup (60ml) water. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the cover, toss everything around and return to the oven for 30 minutes or until the capsicums are completely soft and have shrunk down quite a bit.
- While still warm, drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic and toss well. At this point, the dish can sit happily at room temperature for a few hours, then, just before serving, grate the horseradish over it or dollop on the horseradish cream.
Travel advice
This one is okay to leave out at room temperature for a couple of hours, and it will taste better, too. Transport in a tight container as there are lots of juices here that can seep and stain if yours has a dodgy lid. Speaking from experience …
Serves 6 as a side, 3–4 as a main
Bright, crunchy, packed with big flavours and very healthy, this salad ticks all the boxes. Plus, it sits beautifully at room temperature (within reason) as long as you add the cheese at the last minute. A good chopped ‘spoon’ salad is an underrated thing – so handy when you’re standing up at a party and only have one hand free to eat with. This salad is excellent as is, but if you want to, add a few chopped hard-boiled eggs, some hot-smoked salmon or tuna, or perhaps some poached chicken. If you haven’t tried raw broccoli, trust me, it’s really good!
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Advertise with NZME.⅓ cup whole almonds
2 Tbsp tamari
1 head broccoli
6 dates, stones removed, finely chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, zest and juice (about 100ml)
1 tsp honey
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
Pinch chilli flakes, to taste
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
¾ cup tri-colour quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to the packet instructions
120g mature cheddar, cut into small cubes
- Place the almonds and tamari in a dry frying pan and cook over medium heat, tossing often, for about 10 minutes or until the almonds look dry and smell aromatic. Let the nuts cool, then roughly chop and set aside.
- Finely chop the broccoli florets and peel and finely chop the stem. Place in a large bowl with the dates and chopped almonds.
- For the dressing, combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, garlic, chilli, some salt and pepper and the mustard in a small jar and shake well. Pour it over the broccoli, add the quinoa and toss to combine. Set your salad aside for at least 30 minutes before serving so that the dressing can “soften” the broccoli.
- Toss through the cheddar and serve.
Travel advice
This salad travels so well and really doesn’t mind being left out at room temperature for some time. In fact, it gets better with time, within reason – just make sure you add the cheese right before serving.
Serves 6 as a side, 3–4 as a mai
This is such a good, substantial salad for a picnic or any shared meal. It’s delicious hot or at room temperature, and don’t worry if the wedges fall apart while cooking – they’ll still taste and look the goods. If you fancy making this as a main dish, I’d smear a layer of yoghurt on the bottom of each plate and pile the cabbage and beans on top. Purists might argue this isn’t quite a salad, more of a vegetable dish. Either way, it’s delish!
100ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
400g tin butterbeans, drained and rinsed
2 lemons
½ savoy cabbage, cut into wedges
40g butter, cubed
1 handful dill leaves
2 Tbsp dukkah
- Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat and fry the beans for a few minutes, turning to crisp all sides. Remove from the pan and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the beans.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and then add the cabbage wedges. Cook them for about 5 minutes on each side or until browned all over. Add the butter, the zest of your remaining lemon and ¼ cup (60ml) water. Cover with a lid (or a layer of foil), then reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the cabbage is completely soft.
- Remove from the heat and sprinkle the beans, dill and dukkah over the cabbage. Finish with some salt and pepper to taste, a good squeeze of the zested lemon and a final drizzle of olive oil.
Travel advice
This travels beautifully — just keep the dill, dukkah and lemon juice aside and add at the end. Store in an airtight container and serve straight from that. It’s best at room temperature (within reason).
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Advertise with NZME.More travelling with food tips
For serving at room temperature, as a general rule, food shouldn’t be left out for longer than two hours.
Make sure food stays covered to keep heat or cold in and flies out.
To keep food cold — the usual suspects are your friends here: an insulated cooler and lots of ice and ice packs.
Fill your vacuum flask with a handful of ice cubes to keep drinks ice cold.
Find a tray or container that’s just bigger than the one you’ll fill with your salad or meat dish. Fill that with 3cm water and freeze overnight until solid. Place under your food container, wrap in a tea towel and transport in an insulated cooler. (This works well for short periods, but the ice will eventually melt and spill if left too long.)
Use smaller bowls and replenish them from the cooler or fridge as needed.
Edited extract from What Can I Bring? By Sophie Hansen, $55, published by Murdoch Books, available now.
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