Main Meal Salads

At the risk of appearing to think of nothing but food...today I'm thinking main meal salads. By far my favourite this last year is Maggie Beer's Smoked Chook Salad (using regular cooked chook!). You'll find her recipe here.

My other favourite is a warm lamb salad.

Herbed Lamb with Ricotta and Pea Salad

500g diced lamb
1/4 cup bottled mint sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup shelled fresh peas
100g sugar snap peas
100g snow peas
1 heat butter lettuce, leaves separated
100g cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
200g fresh ricotta (or feta)
Vinaigrette, to serve

1. Combine lamb, mint sauce and oil in a bowl; cover and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Blanch peas, sugar snap peas and snow peas in patches, in boiling water until tender, but still crisp and bright green; drain. Refresh in cold water; drain.
3. Preheat a bbq or char-grill to high; lightly brush with oil. Threat lamb on soaked skewers. Cook for 6-8 minutes, turning frequently, until cooked as you like it.
4. Meanwhile arrange lettuce, vegies, peas and tomatoes on plates; crumble cheese over. Drizzle with dressing. Serve with lamb.

Vinaigrette: Mix together 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1-1.5 tablespoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, sugar & salt to taste.

I'm not a huge fan of mint, so I marinate the lamb in garlic, lemon juice and olive oil (not overnight!) and I use chops, which are then sliced on the diagonal after cooking. It's much cheaper to use chops than diced meat.