(36/100) our big salad party
2013 & the high street was dominated by sandwiches and big carbs. We felt that Londoners working in the Capital needed (and wanted) more choice. We’ve always been obsessed with big, bold beautiful salads with POPs of flavour and texture. And no one more so than our amazing Tricia who was born creating these beautiful babies.
Our style of cooking really started to come to life with our daily changing salad creations (five a day since 2013) a combination of Mediterranean flavours with pops of Asian influences through chilli, sweet and sour combinations and lots of citrus for freshness. We embraced pickling and fermentation and always looked to add additional textures through crumbs, crunches and layers of textures.
This is one of our early favourites - perfect for a hot day with a BBQ but also hearty enough to keep you going on a work day.
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH SWEET CORN SALSA
1 butternut squash (appox 1.5kg) cut into thin wedges
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
3 pinches of Maldon sea salt
3 pinches cracked black pepper
100ml good quality cold pressed olive oil
A big handful of rocket
100g feta (we love Graceburn)
400g fresh cooked corn (frozen or tinned can also be used)
½ medium red onion (thinly sliced)
1 sprig of spring onion sliced thinly
1 red chilli, deseeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 bunch coriander (50g)
Juice of a lemon or lime
For the squash: Wash the butternut squash and cut in half. De-seed and cut in wedges approx. 2cm thick. No need to peel the skin. Season the squash with ground cumin, 2 pinches of Milton salt & black pepper and 50ml olive oil. Place on a lined baking tray and roast @ 200c for 30 - 35 minutes. When cooked, set aside and let it cool.
For the corn salsa: Roast the corn @ 220c for 10mins. Set aside and let it cool, then mix with crushed garlic, sliced red onion, spring onions, chopped coriander, lemon/lime juice, chopped chilli, 1 pinch of salt & pepper and 50 ml olive oil.
In the large round white or glass dish, arrange the squash, spoon over the corn salsa and garnish with crumbled feta and rocket leaves. Be generous with the salsa & feta!