Persian Salad (Salad Olivieh)

Following a delicious meal at Rayhoon in Stockport and sampling flavours and dishes which were new to us, I decided to try and recreate one of the starters we had there.
It was the first time we'd visited that restaurant, and the food and atmosphere were great. We went on a Thursday night and they had a pianist performing all night which added to the ambience. The service was a little eratic, but nothing too bad really. The chef/owner even came out at the end of the night to apologise. We certainly didn't think the service that night was bad enough for the apology from the owner, but it was noted.
The food was very good, and as I've already said, we did try several different flavours, all of which were new to us. We will, no doubt, return, and then do a proper post about the place.

One of the starters we ordered to share between our party was Salad Olivieh, or Persian Salad. According to the menu this was "a combination of shredded chicken, gherkins, potato, egg, peas in a light coating of mayonnaise "a feeling of pleasure and fulfilment"". Interesting description. So all the ingredients we need to recreate it.
I since looked up Persian Salad on the internet and found a few recipes, all with the above ingredients, but with the addition of lime juice, and some with added carrot.
I decided to stick to the menu version.

Persian Salad (in a pre-served state)

We've actually started to notice a few mentions of Persian food here there and everywhere. A couple of issues ago, there was a recipe in Good Food Magazine, and in the September issue of delicious. there is a feature about blogger Sabrina's passions and a rather delicious looking recipe. Plus since visiting Rayoon, I've since heard of another very good Persian restaurant in the Stockport area. Maybe this is the flavour of things to come? Certainly could be in our house.

Red Pepper, Cheltenham

A few weeks ago we took a trip down to Cheltenham to say goodbye to a friend who was moving to Australia. We travelled down mid week, and since we arrived in good time, our plan was to find lunch at one of the many eating places in the town.A little research before hand and we chose Red Pepper Bistro. The menu looked good and it was a reasonable price for lunch, given that we were eating out in the evening.

 
I ordered the chicken and bacon salad and Tim ordered the fish cake with a portion of skinny fries on the side.

The chicken and bacon salad was vast. I couldn't finish it. And I believe the fish cakes were superb. The skinny fries were excellent too. All in all a very good value, very tasty and very filling lunch. Red Pepper is certainly recommended.
The restaurant is set out downstairs with a range of formal tables as well as sofas etc, while above there is a deli counter selling a mix of delights including interesting vinegars and chutneys.

Cajun Chicken Quinoa Salad

In celebration of receiving our first issue of our subscription to Good Food Magazine here is a recipe based on one we found in that, the April of the magazine.
This was another week day lunches solution and was very very tasty indeed. It has enough flavour from the seasoning and stock to stop the cravings for anything salty and fatty that might be calling to you from the vending machine (or is that just me?), and with the lentils as well as the quinoa it was very filling.
The recipe in Good Food Magazine uses apricots, but I'm not a big fan of those, so I used a couple of peppers instead. Not really a logical substitute, I know. Also the recipe says to use 4 chicken breasts, but I think this is because it is for a main meal for 4. I only used 2, to keep the costs down and to make it lighter.

2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
1 tbsp cajun seasoning
100g/4oz quinoa
600ml/1pint hot chicken stock
1 red pepper, cut into dice
1 green pepper, cut into dice
2 red onions, sliced
175g lentils
Olive oil

1. Heat the oven to 220C/gas 6. Coat the chicken with the cajun spice and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little oil and cook for about 20 mins until cooked through.







2. Cook the lentils according to the pack instructions. This involves, rinsing, and simmering for around 40 mins until tender.

3. Cook the quinoa in the chicken stock until tender. This takes about 15 mins and is when you see the germ start to separate from the grain.

4. Drain both the lentils and the quinoa and mix with the chicken and all it's juices.

5. Fry the onions and peppers in a little olive oil until soft, but not brown. Then mix with the rest of the ingredients.








This was so good, I will make it again and again. In fact I think I will be living off it for lunches at work for a while!

Quinoa Salad

Here's a recipe which was inspired by reading Gluten Free Girl, and by discovering the lunch options at Marks and Spencer. We were in Stockport the other weekend and needed a quick fix for lunch. I had read on another blog that M&S had now started doing gluten free sandwiches, so we went in in search. After asking the manager if they had any, we found out that this branch doesn't currently stock them, but there were other alternatives. So I picked up a pot of their Super Whole Foods Shaker Salad. This was full of quinoa, lentils, beans and other bits and bobs which made you feel healthy just by looking at it. It also came with a seperate lemon and herb dressing. So it was on this that I based my quinoa salad.

200g (Approx) Quinoa
Vegetable stock cube (gluten-free)
1 butternut squash
Handful of frozen peas
2 chopped tomatoes
the juice of half a lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh basil

1. Rinse the quinoa, and boil in enough vegetable stock until the germ seperates (in accordance with the pack instructions). Drain if needed and reserve some of the stock for the dressing.
2. Chop the butternut squash into small dice and roast in the oven until tender, but not falling apart.
3. Heat through the frozen peas in a little boiling water.
4. Combine the quinoa with the squash, tomatoes and peas, and tear up and add a generous amount of basil.
5. To make the dressing, mix the lemon juice with a little of the reserved stock and enough olive oil to give the balance you like. I like my dressings quite tangy, but taste as you go, you can always add more of each ingredient. Combine the dressing with the salad.

I kept the dressing seperate from the salad itself as it lasted me all week for lunches. This salad is a great way for gluten-free eaters to get a bit of whole grain, and I believe that quinoa is one of those superfoods that we should be eating more of. Or something like that! It is also high in protein so is good for vegetarians and vegans too. Actually, without a conscious effort it turned out that most of my meals last week were actually vegetarian, and that can only be a good thing in my mind. I'll be making this salad again this week, as it definitely adds a bit of variety and freshness to lunchtimes.

Garlic and Basil Drenched Chicken

And now for something a little bit healthy.  Fran normally likes a lot of sauce with her food so I took a chance with this one.  I caught a glance of a lovely looking healthy coleslaw by Rick Stein while half watching Good Food the other day.  He had served it as part of a Greek plate with kebabs and tzatziki but I didn't really fancy that so I searched for a recipe based on what I had in at the time.

In the end I went for a Garlic and Basil Drenched Chicken.  It is a very simple marinade and made use of the basil we had left from last week's fish dish.

First I prepared the chicken:

3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Tsp Salt
Handful of Chopped Basil
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Lemon Juice (a few drops)
2 Chicken Breast Fillets
Black Pepper to taste

Method

Blitz the garlic, salt, basil and pepper in a mini chopper
Add the oil and mix till it becomes a paste
Flatten the chicken in a freezer bag with a rolling pin and add the paste to coat the chicken
Keep in fridge till ready to cook

Then I prepared the Carrot Salad / Coleslaw:

2 large carrots
Quarter spring cabbage (Rick used Kohlrabi but I shop at Morrison's!!)
2 Tbsp Sunflower Oil
4 Tsp Cumin Seeds
4 Tsp Lemon Juice (about half a good sized lemon, juiced)
1 Tsp Salt

Shred the carrots and cabbage, add salt and mix.  Heat the oil and add cumin for about 30 seconds.  Mix with veg and add lemon juice:

Carrot Salad

When you are ready to eat cook chicken for 4/5 mins on each side on a hot griddle and serve with the salad:

Basil Drenched Chicken and Carrot Salad

The proportions in the salad make about 5 times what you see served here.  I am not sure how long it will last covered in the fridge but I reckon it would be ok for a few days.