health matte
Salads with substance
“Abounding with colour, texture and flavour, salads bring freshness and zing to the table. But as well as culinary joy, they can also bring nutritional benefits. I hope these recipes inspire you to enjoy at least one plateful of salad a day”
RIVER COTTAGE HEAD CHEF GELF ALDERSON
GELF’S STORY
He’s been at River Cottage for 10 years, where he works with Hugh F-W to delight guests with his innovative menus. Gelf was raised as a vegetarian, growing up on his dad’s homegrown produce prepared by his mum, yet he dismissed salads as ‘rabbit food’ until he became a chef, at which point he fell in love with them. He’s one of the pioneers who’ve helped make veg-centric cooking the new normal. These recipes are from his first book (see p100).
“Like most children, I had a few foods I couldn’t get on with – cauliflower was top of that list. As a chef, I’ve put a lot of effort into trying to overcome the aversion, and this way of preparing my old nemesis is my favourite”
Roast cauliflower with pumpkin seed satay
Fennel, celery and apple with creamy almond dressing
PHOTOGRAPHS EMMA LEE FOOD STYLING GELF ALDERSON AND GILL MELLER
Serves 4
Hands-on time 25 min
EASY SWAPS
Small chunks of root vegetables are a great swap for the cauliflower; parsnips and swede are especially good here. You’ll need to roast them for an extra 10-15 minutes before tossing them in the satay sauce as in step 4.