This has to be the prettiest spring salad ever! The delicate peppery taste of the pea shoots alongside the crispy, smoky pancetta, sweet peas, and creamy goat cheese is divine—or try using watercress instead. The dressing, lightly scented with orange, is my favorite with this salad, but if you are fonder of a lemon dressing, then simply replace the orange with a lemon. I recommend doubling up the dressing recipe, as it will last for up to two weeks in the fridge.
We have been serving our soba salad since we opened CIBI in 2008. When I created this dish, I wanted to add a touch of western flavor so that it became a cafe-like dish as well as a CIBI dish. Many of our regulars come in just for this salad. This is a simpler version that you can cook at home anytime. All you really need in your cupboard is soba noodles, soy sauce and lemon!
When I’m home late from a long day’s cooking but still craving something flavour-packed and comforting to round off the day, this is what I make. These are ingredients I tend always to have in my kitchen, but you could easily mix it up with whatever veggies are in your fridge.
There’s hardly a salad, sandwich, plate of eggs, cheese and charcuterie board, or platter of meat that wouldn’t be happier joined by a heap of pickled red onions.
Bright, refreshing, sweet, and tangy, these cucumbers work just as well next to (or inside) a hearty winter sandwich as they do at a summer barbecue. Any leftover cucumbers will keep well for a few days in the refrigerator, but they will continue to give off liquid; just drain it off and add another squeeze of fresh lime juice before serving.
My favorite members of the onion family get together here, all at their spring best. Long stalks of green garlic are one of the earliest arrivals at the farmers’ market. Chop the bulbs and the peeled, tender parts of the stalk for a very fresh-tasting burst of garlic flavor.
The Contessa's Rice Salad | Insalata di Riso della Contessa
When the farmers’ market delivers you fresh, tender, sweet-and-not-starchy beans, don’t bother to blanch them. A short stint under the broiler softens them and imparts a light char while maintaining their snappy texture.
The reason this salad holds up so well at room temperature is because you dress it twice. It absorbs the first round of dressing completely, the second addition keeps it glossy, and a fistful of walnuts and breadcrumbs means there’s always something to bite into.
If you’ve never had a bánh mì, it is a Vietnamese sandwich, typically made with salty-sweet marinated pork. It’s tangy, too, from the pickled radishes and carrots, and spicy from the jalapeños. It’s all of my favorite flavors housed between a crusty baguette. I’ve turned this classic sandwich into a lighter, plant-forward salad, fusing in a Tex-Mex avocado crema as the dressing. The honey–soy sauce roasted chickpeas, used in place of the pork, are good on their own as a snack. This salad takes a bit of work when done in a single breadth, but most of it can be made ahead, like the Quick-Pickled Radishes and Carrots, the croutons, and even the Avocado Crema. When prepped in advance, dinner takes no time at all to throw together and tastes this good.