Spring vegies, mozzarella, mint and rye recipe

Name: Spring vegies, mozzarella, mint and rye recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 eschallots, peeled; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp honey; 4 baby carrots; 100g sugar snap peas; 8 asparagus spears; 6 baby red radishes; 2 slices rye bread; Mint, basil and parsley; A handful picked watercress; 4 mozzarella balls; Salt and pepper

Darren Robertson and Mark LaBrooy

November 1, 2016

Crunchy vegetables and fresh herbs boost this refreshing seasonal salad. Photo by Edwina Pickles.Edwina Pickles

This salad is spring on a plate, enjoy on a lazy Sunday arvo with a glass of wine and good company. It's also nutritious and full of crisp, colourful vegetables. For maximum crunch and freshness, all the vegies are raw except the asparagus – charring it adds a beautiful sweet, smoky flavour. Use buffalo mozzarella if you can find it, or substitute bocconcini, ricotta or grilled haloumi.

Ingredients

2 eschallots, peeled
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp honey
4 baby carrots
100g sugar snap peas
8 asparagus spears
6 baby red radishes
2 slices rye bread
Mint, basil and parsley
A handful picked watercress
4 mozzarella balls
Salt and pepper

Green sauce

handful mint and parsley
1 tsp capers
pinch grated garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Method

1. Thinly slice the eschallots, put in a bowl and mix with vinegar, oil and honey.
2. Wash all the vegetables and thinly slice the carrots.
3. Halve the sugar snap peas lengthwise.
4. Season asparagus with salt and a little olive oil and cook in a chargrill pan on a high heat, three minutes for thin spears, five minutes for thick. (You can also fry them in a hot pan, put them under the grill or blanch in boiling salted water.)
5. Cut the radishes into wedges.
6. Brush the bread with a little olive oil and chargrill or toast.
7. Put the vegies in a bowl with the pickled eschallots and dressing. Tear the herbs, mozzarella and toast into pieces and add to the salad.
8. To make the green sauce, put the mint, parsley, capers, garlic, olive oil into a blender and whiz to combine. Seasons with salt and pepper and store leftovers in a jar in the fridge.
9. Add two large spoonfuls of green sauce, season the salad with salt and pepper, toss the sauce through and serve immediately.
Tip: tear up the mint and basil just before adding them to the salad, to give it more flavour.