Yes, you've guessed it, it's time for another salad recipe. If you hadn't already noticed, I really enjoy making salads and trying to combine ingredients that are a bit different to make something new. What I love about complex salads is that every mouthful is a little different so the meal keeps on surprising you, it's basically the rollercoaster of lunch experiences.
It's definitely autumn now, it's that time of year when I have no idea what to wear in order to be warm and comfortable at all times with the added risk of rain at any second, I hope I'm not the only one who struggles. But it also means peaches, tomatoes and courgettes are no longer an option for my salads... Time to move on, thank goodness autumn has lots to offer too! Starting with parsnips of course.
I thought parsnips and pears would match each other well since they both have similar textures but one is quite nutty and savoury and the other quite sweet. It worked very well. From there I decided to add walnuts, because pears and walnuts... and then came the stem ginger to bring a bit of a kick and sweetness to the parsnips which meant that honey & lemon dressing was inevitable. Finally, olives came to join the party to add a bit more savouriness and saltiness.
And that was the salad's story. Now for the recipe...
Ingredients (2 Salads):
4 Parsnips
Stem Ginger (1 ginger and 2 Tbsp of the Syrup)
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Cup Walnuts
1/2 Cup Black Olives
2 Pears
250g Mixed Leaves (Spinach, Rocket, etc.)
Beans of your choice (I have a mix of Adzuki and Borlotti, but red kidney beans would also work)
Dressing:
2 tsp Honey
1/2 Lemon (Juiced)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Method:
Wash parsnips and cut them in about 1/8th. I like to keep the skin on, I'm not big an automatic peeler, but feel free to peel them if you want to, I won't judge.
Chop the stem ginger into thick slices.
On a roasting tray, place the parsnips, coat them with 1 Tbsp olive oil, the syrup from the ginger, add the garlic cloves cut in half, the stem ginger, and salt & pepper.
Roast in the oven at 200C for 20 minutes.
Peel and slice the pears
Cook the beans according to pack instructions (Note: you might need to soak them over night), mine took about 45 minutes on a simmer.
Make the dressing by putting all the ingredients in a jam jar and shaking
Roughly chop the walnuts
Assemble all the ingredients in a bowl and there you have it.
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