Hellooooo, salad season!
Time to load up plates with crunchy veggies, zingy flavours, and minimal input. HUZZAH.
My inaugural no-longer-inclement-weather dish is this verdant lil’ salad, loaded with GREEN goodness.
The tenderstem broccoli is quickly blanched to preserve flavour, crunch, and nutrients, then tossed simply in a lemon + oil dressing. Ribbons of wafer-thin prosciutto add saltiness, plus a crumble of creamy feta cheese.
Top with a handful of toasted pepitas, a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, and a teaspoon of zest.
Welcome, sunshine.
Why And How Do You Blanch Vegetables?
Blanching is the fastest way to cook veggies. It’s also the best way if you want to boost the colour of green veg in particular, minimise nutrient loss, and preserve flavour.
To blanch your vegetables, simply bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, then add the veg. Keep tasting every 30-60 seconds until the vegetables are cooked to your liking (cook time is anything between 2-5 minutes). Next, remove veg from pot with tongs or slotted spoon, and plunge into a bowl of ice water—the green colour is amazing, right?? The taste? Even better!
ZINGY BROCCOLI AND PROSCIUTTO SALAD
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 2 portions 1x
DescriptionYum
A simple summer salad loaded with bright flavours and the goodness of green veg!
Ingredients
- 200g tenderstem broccoli, dry ends trimmed
- 70g prosciutto
- 1 lemon, unwaxed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 50g feta cheese
- Pinch flaky sea salt
- Handful pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
- Blanch broccoli by adding to a pot of boiling water for approximately 2-5 minutes (keep tasting to check desired crunch), then drain and plunge into bowl of ice cold water.
- While broccoli is cooling, grate the zest of the lemon and set aside. Then squeeze the juice into a small bowl and mix with olive oil. Set aside.
- Remove broccoli from ice bath with tongs or a slotted spoon, and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Arrange on a platter.
- Tear off ribbon lengths of prosciutto and draped over broccoli.
- Crumble over feta cheese.
- Pour over dressing.
- Heat a skillet or small pan on medium-high heat and toss in the pepitas. Keep shimmying until pepitas become fragrant, golden, and begin to ‘pop’. Remove from heat immediately and sprinkle over salad.
- Season everything with flaky sea salt to taste, and top with lemon zest.
- Devour.
This looks amazing!! I’m saving this to make later! Reminds me of something I’d eat in Italy – delish!
Thank you so much, Monica! Please let me know when you do! x