Zucchinimushroomwalnutandbluecheesesalad Recipes

ZUCCHINI, MUSHROOM, WALNUT AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat your oven grill to high. Put the cleaned mushrooms cap side down on an oven tin. Sprinkle seasoning salt and garlic into each mushroom hollow, and add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon virgin olive oil to each cap.
• Grill about 5 minutes, or until mushrooms just start shrinking. They should only be parcooked, not cooked through and shrunk. Remove from oven, carefully, to save the juices which have formed in the hollows of the caps.
• While mushrooms grill, cut the zucchini into thin strips with a potato peeler or mandolin.
• Make a bed of arugula or other lettuce in the bottom of a salad bowl.
• Slice the mushrooms and put in another bowl WITH the juices which have formed. This is important!
• Add the zucchini slices, spring onions, walnuts and blue cheese. Season with black pepper, add the lime juice, and toss. Taste the "dressing" -- you might want more lime or lemon juice for a tang.
• Add to the bed of arugula or lettuce.
• More salt might be needed: that depends on taste.
• * You might want to add more blue cheese: I did not measure and merely crumbled in a large chunk. You could use more zucchini too, if you like.

ZUCCHINI, WALNUT AND PARMESAN SALAD

Steps:

• Wash the zucchini and slice on the diagonal.
• Heat the butter or oil in a pan (use a ridged pan if you have it) and heat on high. Fry the zucchini slices in batches so they lie flat. Do not cook them, just "sear" them on both sides, then remove from pan to a bowl.
• Add the nuts, turn heat down, and shake them until hot. They burn easily: just heat them well. Add to the zucchini, and let it cool. (I also added the nice browned butter which was left in the pan).
• Sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar, nut oil and Tabasco Chipotle if using, and toss lightly. Season with flaky sea salt, tossing to mix. This way the zucchini absorbs a little of the extra flavours.
• Arrange salad leaves of your choice on a large plate.
• Toss the zucchini-nut mixture with the vinaigrette dressing, and arrange on the salad leaves.
• Add the Parmesan shavings to the salad, and serve.
• (If the salad has to stand awhile, cover with plastic wrap. The zucchini will become a little more limp, but the taste will be fine).

ZUCCHINI AND BLUE CHEESE SIDE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the zucchini and garlic in the skillet, cover. Cook until zucchini is just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; heat until warmed through. Remove from heat; sprinkle immediately with blue cheese. Cover, and allow cheese to soften before serving.

BLUE CHEESE, WALNUT, AND CHICORY SALAD

Steps:

• Stir or toss walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat until very hot to the touch and toasted, about 5 minutes.
• Mix Dijon mustard, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and pepper together in a bowl for dressing. Pour in olive oil, about 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking constantly, until thick and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust as necessary.
• Cut radicchio in half; cut out the core using 2 angled cuts. Cut each half in half again and slice across into about 1-inch pieces. Slice root ends off of endive and peel off about 1/3 of the leaves, leaving them whole for presentation. Slice remaining endive into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Transfer all radicchio and endive to a bowl and toss, making sure leaves are separated and evenly distributed. Crumble in about 1/2 of the walnuts and 1/2 of the blue cheese. Pour in dressing and toss with your hands until everything is perfectly coated.
• Place whole endive spears on a serving plate. Pile salad on top and scatter remaining walnuts and blue cheese on top.