CBC 15 - Broccoli, Feta and Tomato Salad

Chocoholics and baking fiends should look away, for the next few post have a decidedly savour bent to them!  Hubby and I have taken to packing our lunches for work and this salad has once again made its way back onto my weekly menu.  When I first moved to Edinburgh I made this salad for dinner quite a few times a week, its quick and easy to make, the ingredients cost pretty much next to nothing (this is a very important element to ones menu when one was on a temp!), its fairly healthy and above all else, it tastes pretty good too. 

Now is the part where I have to admit which cook book this comes from in order to qualify for my Cook Book Challenge .... deep breath, apply the same strategy as removing a band aid ... Ainsley Harriott's Friends and Family Cookbook.  I have nothing against Ainsley, except for maybe that hip shimmy, arm flailing in the air  like a maniac move he seems to love.  In fact most of the recipes of his that I have tried I seem to like quite a bit but I can't help but feel a little shameful for having bought this book.  I blame my local book retailer for reducing the price and shameless praying on my vulnerable book fetish.  How dare they!  ;0)

Broccoli, Feta and Tomato Salad
400g broccoli, broken into small florets
100g feta cheese, cut into cubes
225g cherry tomatoes, halved
6 tbsp mustard vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Blanch the broccoli for 1-2 mins in a pan of boiling salted water, then drain and refresh under cold running water.  Tip into a bowl and scatter over the feta and tomatoes.  drizzle over the vinaigrette and fold until well combined.

Serves 4
Adapted from Ainsley Harriott's Friends and Family Cook Book (said it twice now!)

Mustard Vinaigrette
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
a pinch of caster sugar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 small garlic clove, crushed
A small bundle of fresh chives, snipped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the vinegar in a screw topped jar, add the sugar and a good pinch of salt, then shake until the salt has dissolved.

Add the oil to the jar with the mustards and garlic and shake until you have formed a thick emulsion.  add the chives, season to taste and then chill until needed.

Makes enough to dress 1 large salad (serves 4)
Ainsley Harriott's Friends and Family Cook Book (thrice!)


To avoid the dressing from cooking the broccoli beyond the fresh, vibrant green that comes from blanching it, I pack the salad and dressing into separate containers to transport to work.