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Sautéed Kale with Garlic Anchovy Crumb

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kale-with-garlic-anchovy-crumbThis dish is a simple, healthy flavour bomb. It takes just minutes to cook, gives you a good serve of greens and is absolutely loaded with garlic and umami to have your tastebuds dancing. It really shows you what a little dressing can do to make an ordinary side dish extraordinary!

This garlic anchovy crumb can be used to dress many things but goes particularly well with slightly bitter greens. To get the most out of it you want uneven breadcrumbs: some chunky for crunch and some finer to soak in the flavoured oils from your pan. These aren’t so easy to buy, but they are very easy to make yourself. Just take a stale end of a loaf, dried in a very low oven if need be, cut off any crust that’s too hard and chop roughly. If it’s dry enough it will naturally break up into some finer pieces too, if not give some chunks a few pulses in a small food processor to break them down further.

The key to the kale itself is quick cooking. Like most fresh vegetables if you overcook it you lose the flavour and are left with only the bitterness. Try to buy younger kale if you can: with thinner tender stems that you can keep as part of the dish. If your bunch has thick stems you may need to trim them out (you can always use these trimmings in a soup or stock).

Sautéed Kale with Garlic Anchovy Crumb
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Serves: 4-6 (as a side)
A simple, healthy flavour bomb!
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch kale, washed, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • For the crumb:
  • 1/3 cup rough breadcrumbs (make your own if you can)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 anchovy fillet, finely diced/mashed
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. To make the crumb: heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toss for 1 minute so they coat with oil and begin to colour.
  2. Add the garlic, anchovy and salt and continue cooking, stirring constantly until the crumbs are golden and fragrant. (Take care not to burn the garlic.) Set aside and wipe out the pan.
  3. Heat a fresh tablespoon of oil in the pan and add the kale. Sauté, tossing constantly, until just cooked (it only takes 1-2 minutes).
  4. To serve: spread the kale in a bowl and scatter the crumb over the top (so it stays crispy!).

 

Slow Roasted Orange and Fennel Carrots

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slow-raosted-orange-and-fennel-carrotsRoasting has to be the simplest way to bring out the delicious flavour of vegetables: a bit of oil, seasoning and time is all it takes. But it’s also becomes a bit predictable, so it’s nice to have a few simple flavour combinations up your sleeve to mix things up. This simple side is one such combination: the flavours of orange and fennel add a slightly sweet and bitter zing to gently roasted carrots. It’s best cooked slowly in a low oven, so makes the perfect accompaniment to my Moroccan Lamb Shoulder Tangia (or indeed another slow roast).

Slow Roasted Orange and Fennel Carrots
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Serves: 4-6 (as a side)
A different take on roasted carrots that’s a perfect side for slow-roasted meat.
Ingredients
  • 12 baby carrots
  • 100ml orange juice (from 1 large orange)
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
  2. Pour the orange juice and olive oil into a small oven proof dish, then add the carrots and toss to coat. Sprinkle with fennels seeds and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  3. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour. At this point take the cover off, toss the carrots in the juice and return to the oven for another 30-45 minutes. The carrots should be mostly tender (with just a little bite) and the juice reduced to a sticky sauce.

 

Rainbow Chard and Beet Salad

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The rainy weather in Sydney recently has been a downer, but there is the occasional ray of light. As the sun peeked from behind the clouds one afternoon the city was greeted by a stunning double rainbow. Cellular networks immediately melted down as Instagram and Facebook feeds across the country where overwhelmed by colourful images.

rainbow-chard-and-beet-salad

As it happened on the very same day my kitchen was filled with a rainbow of the chard kind. This glorious vegetable always draws the eye at the market, and on this occasion I yielded and bought a bunch. With vibrant colour on my mind I choose a mix of red and golden beetroots too: appearing in both sweet (roasted) and sour (pickled) guises here. The resulting dish is an explosion of contrasting colours and flavours: even the staunchest salad hater would have to admit this catches your eye and tickles your palate! It can be served at room temperature but is even better if the roasted beets are still a little warm from the oven.

Note: the recipe requires pickled beets; you can make your own quickly and easily using my Quick-Pickled Beets method!

Rainbow Chard and Beet Salad
Recipe Type: Salad
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Serves: 6 (as a side)
A hearty and stunning salad of contrasting colours and flavours!
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch rainbow chard
  • 400g beetroot, diced (3-4 medium beets)
  • 50g pickled beetroot slices (see previous recipe)
  • 80g persian feta
  • Small handful pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Pinch salt and pepper
  • For the dressing:
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinger
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
  2. Toss the diced beets in 2 tablespoons of oil and season well with salt and pepper. Wrap them tightly in an aluminium foil parcel, place in a baking dish and roast until just tender, about 1 hour.
  3. Prepare the chard by removing tough ends, washing, then separating the stems and leaves. Keep the colourful stems intact but chop the leaves into manageable pieces.
  4. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
  5. Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and blanch the chard stems until just tender (still firm enough to keep some shape when held horizontally), this could take anything from 3-10 minutes. As soon as cooked remove from the pot and cool in the ice water.
  6. Next blanch the leaves, these will only required 1-2 minutes. Again cool in the ice bath immediately to keep the vibrant colour and avoid overcooking. Set the cooked steams and leaves aside in a colander to dry until ready to serve.
  7. To make the dressing whisk the cider vinegar and olive oil well with a pinch of salt.
  8. To serve: arrange the chard in a large bowl and dress well, tossing to coat. Cover with layers of roasted and pickled beets, then top with hunks of feta and a scattering of pine nuts. Finish with cracked black pepper.

 

Quick-Pickled Beets

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Sometimes the difference between an average dish and a great one is simply seasoning and balance. Most people learn the importance of salt, but the importance of acid is not so well appreciated. If your dish tastes inexplicably flat, it might just need a quick spritz of lemon or dash of vinegar to lift it. Acid provides contrast and makes your mouth water, enhancing other flavours.

Use this to your advantage: transform everyday burgers with a tangy relish, or add a sharp pickle to your next salad. You’ll eat better, and be that much trendier too: pickling is So Hot Right Now ;). And it’s so easy — you don’t need to make huge batches packed into sterilised jars weeks in advance. You can start with something much quicker: almost any vegetable steeped in simple pickling liquid will take on a beautiful tang in 20 minutes. That’s fast enough to develop while you bring the rest of the dish together in parallel.

quick-pickled-beets

As inspiration here is a very simple beetroot version that will not only add acid to your salad but also stunning colour! The pickling liquid is hot to partially cook the beets, and turns vibrantly colourful itself as they pickle. They can be served warm or kept in the pickling liquid in the fridge for a few days (to store for longer you would need to sterilise and vacuum seal a jar full, but that takes the “quick” out of it!).

Quick-Pickled Beets
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Serves: About 150g
Lift a salad or sandwich from average to extraordinary with the colour and tang of these pickled beets!
Ingredients
  • 2 small beetroots
  • 125ml vinegar
  • 100ml water
  • 3 teaspoons sugar
  • 3 teaspoons salt
Instructions
  1. Peel and slice the beets very finely crosswise. A mandolin is best to get thin slices. Place the slices in a small bowl (use separate bowls if using different coloured beets as pictured).
  2. Add the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and immediately pour over the beets, then cover and allow to stand for at least 20 minutes before using.

 

Leek Saffron and Basil Frittata

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leek-saffron-basil-frittata-pan

Frittatas are a such a wonderfully easy way to feed guests. They can work at any meal, cook quickly, and the eggy base can take on so many flavours. In this case we have a triumvirate of taste: a sweet leek base, a fresh basil hit all laced with a little luxury: saffron. I know these gorgeous red threads are ridiculously expensive, but if handled correctly you only need a tiny bit to permeate an entire dish with their wonderful, unique  flavour. The key is to steep the threads in warm liquid: I usually use water but opted for milk here for a little extra creaminess. Just look at the colour!

leek-saffron-basil-frittata-infuse

This pinch of threads is only about a quarter of a tiny packet, less than $2 worth, and the flavour was amazing!

A few tips for this frittata:

  • I’ve included fried potato to turn this into a meal of its own. With a side salad, and perhaps a little bread, this makes a perfect lunch. To simplify the recipe (and cut the cooking time) you can leave out the potato and you still have a wonderful breakfast or side.
  • If you’re really in a hurry you can cheat further and mostly cook the frittata on the stovetop, almost like an omelet, then transfer to the grill to brown the top. It will cook in just a few minutes!
  • Always remove a frittata from the oven when it is slightly underdone as it will continue to cook in the hot pan. If you overcook it the eggs dry out and ruin the texture.

This is a versatile dish, so don’t be afraid to experiment!

Leek Saffron and Basil Frittata
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 leeks, halved lengthwise then sliced into 1cm pieces.
  • 2 waxy potatoes, diced into 1cm cubes
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • Pinch of saffron
  • Small handful basil, finely chopped (reserve a few leaves for the top of the frittata)
  • 50g butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. Heat milk to just below boiling and add saffron threads. Allow to stand and infuse while you prepare the other ingredients.
  3. Melt 35g butter with 1/2 a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Fry leeks gently, stirring regularly, until translucent and tender (about 10 minutes). Set aside.
  4. Melt remaining butter and oil over a medium heat. Fry potato cubes, stirring regularly, until lightly browned and almost cooked (about 10-12 minutes).
  5. While the potatoes cook whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl then add the saffron-infused milk, leeks, chopped basil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.
  6. When the potatoes are ready turn the heat back down then add the egg mixture to the pan. Top with a few extra basil leaves, then move to the oven to bake.
  7. Allow the frittata to cook until lightly browned and almost set (slightly undercooked in the centre), around 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for a couple of minutes to complete cooking.

 

Roast Sprouts with Crispy Chorizo

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roasted-sprouts-crispy-chorizo-bits

Sprouts have the power to divide families: much hated by those that had a soggy, bitter, sad version forced upon them in childhood. To the unfortunates I say: give sprouts another chance! When cooked well they are delicious: either sautéed in butter until just tender or in this case roasted at high temperature until charred and nutty. They also pair excellently with everyone’s favourite salty treats like bacon, inspiring this combination with crispy fried bits of chorizo. Buy a good quality chorizo that packs plenty of flavour and cook it until you have concentrated crispy bits of deliciousness! Of course it’s not the healthiest of additions to a vegetable side dish, but keep in mind you only need a small amount and cook most of the fat out of it. It’s a small caloric price to pay to convert sprout haters to this nutritious vegetable!

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Roast Sprouts with Crispy Chorizo
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Serves: 4 (as a side)
A scattering of crispy, salty chorizo complements the slightly bitter nuttiness of roasted sprouts to form a simple side to convert any sprout hater!
Ingredients
  • 400g brussel sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 60g chorizo
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Wash the sprouts and trim any excess stems. If you’re lucky enough to get small, young sprouts you can leave them whole, but may want to halve larger sprouts. Keep any leaves that come away while cutting.
  3. Coat the sprouts and leaves with oil and vinegar, then season lightly. Reserve loose leaves to one side. Place sprouts, cut side down where applicable, directly in a roasting pan.
  4. Roast for 10-15 minutes, then add the reserved leaves (these will char into crispy sprout chips!). Continue roasting until the sprouts are tender and charred, about 10 more minutes.
  5. While the sprouts roast, prepare the chorizo. Peel and dice into 5mm cubes. Fry over a high heat to render out fat and caramelise. When cooked, spread on a paper towel to absorb excess fat.
  6. When the sprouts are ready place them in a serving bowl and scatter over the chorizo bits. Serve immediately.

 

Zest Test: Matt Preston’s No Prove Bread

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The Recipe

The man with the cravats, Matt Preston, showed off some of his own cooking skills in the last season of MasterChef. One of his “cheats” recipes caught my attention: No Prove Bread. Probably more accurately called No Knead Bread, this is the simplest bread recipe I’ve ever seen. You just mix up the ingredients, leave in the fridge overnight and then plop on a baking tray and throw it in the oven. Other popular no knead recipes include a lot more fussing about with multiple proving and shaping stages. Frankly if I want to put in that much effort I’m happy to knead too: it’s fun! When you’re truly in cheat mode Matt’s recipe looks a lot more practical.

no-prove-bread-broken

My Tweaks

This recipe is magic: as Matt says by all the theory of bread making it “shouldn’t” work, but it somehow does. I didn’t dare mess with the magic with tweaks first time around. I did, however, halve the recipe — as written it makes 2 large loaves, nearly 2kg of bread which was too much at once. Although I could freeze some I figured: if the recipe is really this easy why bother? You can just cook another batch and enjoy it warm from the oven again!

Challenges and Tips

This really is a simple recipe, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

  1. Even a half batch is a lot of dough, and it will expand overnight. I used my largest mixing bowl to avoid overflow.
  2. The dough is very sticky to handle, so a plastic dough scraper or similar is very handy for getting it from the bowl onto your baking tray. Remember: you’re in cheat mode, there’s no need to perfectly shape your bread. Just get the size roughly right and plonk it on a tray.
  3. I made individual rolls, which the recipe says should take about 40 minutes to bake. Mine were ready in much less than that: under 25 minutes.

The main thing is to keep an eye on the bread as it bakes as oven temperatures and your roll sizes will differ. I possibly could have baked mine for another 2-3 minutes but at 40 minutes I would have had only charred disappointment!

Verdict

no-prove-bread-aside

This is a proper cheats recipe for bread: really minimal active time for a very good result! A crispy crust and soft innards that is delicious warm from the over. The texture is not perfect, a little on the heavy side, but shaped as small rolls the crumb opens nicely enough. Yes, you can make bread with a bit better texture, crust, and even flavour, but you need to work a lot harder for it.

Even as someone that enjoys the process of making bread I will be reaching for this cheat recipe plenty of times out of sheer convenience: if you think ahead it’s even easier than buying a loaf, and you can’t get fresher!

Honey Glazed Fennel and Lemon Salad

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fennel-lemon-salad-close

Honey and fennel is a wonderful combination that I explored previously with my Honey Balsamic Roasted Fennel with Sweet Potato recipe. For these warmer days I decided to use the same combo in a lighter way via a vibrant salad featuring slivers of fresh lemon. Fennel with citrus is a well-worn path; fine fresh fennel paired with orange makes a wonderful salad. But this is something different — a bold contrast of sweet and sour. It takes some care, the lemon slivers must be very fine (as you can see above they are thin enough to see through) and the lemon itself not too sour. If you’re worried then using a milder meyer lemon is a safer option. But when you get it right the result is truly mouth watering!

You could try lots of different leaves with this salad but for me watercress is just right. It has the right amount of crispness in the stems and a lovely subtle pepper flavour that combines well with lemon. Just make sure you break longer stems up a bit, or you’ll end up looking like a cow grazing on long grass!

Honey Glazed Fennel and Lemon Salad
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Serves: 4 as a side
A bold contrast of sweet honey and sour lemon build on the subtle aniseed of roasted fennel.
Ingredients
  • For the glazed fennel:
  • 2 fennel bulbs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • For the dressing:
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • For the salad:
  • 1 small bunch watercress
  • 1/2 a lemon
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Trim the fennel tops and the bottom of the core, leaving enough core to hold the slices together. Cut lengthwise into 2mm thick slices and lay out on lined baking trays. Reserve a couple of small pieces that fall away for later garnishing, sliced into very fine slivers.
  3. Add the olive oil and honey to a small saucepan and heat gently so the honey softens enough to combine them. Brush each slice of fennel lightly on both sides with the honey mixture.
  4. Roast the fennel for 15-20 minutes, until soft and golden. You may want to turn the slices after 10 minutes to get more even colouring.
  5. While the fennel is cooking prepare the lemon. Cut away the skin, including the white pith, then carefully slice out thin slivers. You should get 2-4 slices from each natural segment of the lemon, making them as thin as possible. Reserve some juice for the dressing while you do this.
  6. To make the dressing: combine oil, honey and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk well to combine. Season to taste.
  7. When the fennel is cooked remove and set aside for a few minutes to cool.
  8. To assemble the salad: roughly tear or chop the watercress and place into a mixing bowl. Add the dressing and mix well. Lay out a base of fennel slices on your serving plate, top with the dressed watercress then scatter over lemon slivers. Garnish with fine slivers of fresh fennel.

 

Hot Smoked Trout Herb Salad

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As a follow up for my previous post, here is a fresh yet hearty salad I’ve perfected recently. The initial inspiration for this recipe came from a similar salad at a local cafe Ciao Thyme. This is the closest answer Balmain has to the amazing Ottolenghi cafes (London, I miss you!). Yotam himself has a hand in this by introducing barberries into my pantry: these little Persian jewels look like ruby currants and have a wonderful burst of sourness that complements many dishes. I found mine at the local Essential Ingredient, but if you can’t get hold of them Ottolenghi suggests soaking currants in lemon juice as an alternative.

The base of this salad is fresh fresh fresh. Chunks of seasonal cucumber mixed with piles of mixed herbs then punctuated with crunchy pistachios and sweet and sour berries. This alone, with a simple lemon dressing, is sure to wake up your tastebuds!

smoked-trout-salad-base

Then you layer the real heart of the salad, which turns it into something new again. Flakes of delicate hot smoked trout, and those Perfect Salad Eggs. The smokiness and richness fleshes the whole dish out — with a bit of bread you’ve got lunch sorted.  Or throw it into the middle of the table as part of a dinner party feast, your guests haven’t tried anything quite like it before!

smoked-trout-salad-completed

Hot Smoked Trout Herb Salad
Recipe Type: Salad
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Serves: 4-6 (as a side)
A fresh green base laced with sweet and sour touches then topped with smoky fish and soft boiled eggs, this salad will wake up your tastebuds!
Ingredients
  • For the base:
  • 1 large cucumber
  • 6 spring onions
  • 1 medium bunch parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 small bunch mint, roughly chopped
  • 1 small handful dill, torn
  • 1/4 cup pistachios, lightly crushed
  • 2-3 tablespoons currants
  • 2-3 tablespoons barberries
  • For topping:
  • 100g hot smoked trout
  • 4 eggs
  • black pepper
  • For the dressing:
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (half a lemon will suffice)
  • a good pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Start the eggs first so they will be ready for topping later. Bring a small saucepan of water to a very gentle boil then add the eggs slowly (to avoid cracking the shells). Assuming the eggs are cold from the fridge they should be simmered for 7 minutes then drained and immediately added to a bowl of room temperature water to cool for later handling.
  2. Halve the cucumber lengthwise then scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Dice into 1cm cubes.
  3. Clean the spring onions and slice, on an angle, into 2mm thick pieces.
  4. Add the cucumber, spring onion, roughly chopped herbs, pistachios, currants and barberries to a mixing bowl.
  5. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl, then dress the base salad. Add extra seasoning at this point if desired.
  6. Move the dressed salad to a serving bowl then top with trout by flaking into small pieces with your fingers.
  7. Peel and halve the eggs and spread them over the salad. Garnish with a little extra dill and freshly ground black pepper, then serve immediately!

 

Perfect Salad Eggs

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Who needs a recipe to boil an egg? As it turns out: I did!  I love using eggs in salads, they add a richness and body that can turn a simple side into a meal. The problem is that boiled eggs can be tricky: if underdone they make a mess, if overdone the yolks are chalky and unpleasant.  So I’ve worked on a low-fuss, reliable way to get my boiled eggs Just So for salads, with the following requirements:

  1. The yolks must be as soft as possible while still holding in the egg when cut and (gently) tossed into a salad. Oozy eggs are great for other uses, but not my salads. Chalky eggs are good for nothing!
  2. It must work on standard sized eggs (around 55-57g, sold as large in Australia).
  3. It must work on eggs from the fridge. I don’t want to have to wait for eggs to come to room temperature, as that takes a long (and variable) amount of time.
  4. It must eliminate as many variables as possible, so it is reliable. For example, I don’t like methods where the eggs are put into cold water then brought to the boil, because the time to boil varies based on several factors (volume of water, heat of stove, starting water temperature).

After a bit of experimentation, I have a method that delivers all of the above, and is almost foolproof. Behold the results:

smoked-trout-salad-egg

As you can see the yolks are barely set, so they squish a little when cutting but hold in the whites. You can even quarter the eggs with care and the yolks will stay in place. These are my Perfect Salad Eggs!

Perfect Salad Eggs
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A simple method to get eggs Just So for use in salads.
Ingredients
  • 55g eggs, from the fridge
Instructions
  1. Prepare a bowl full of room temperature water, deep enough to cover the eggs, for cooling later.
  2. Heat a saucepan of water so that it is barely simmering, i.e. you see only a few bubbles rising.
  3. Using a spoon, carefully add each egg to the water. To avoid the shells cracking (from the sudden temperature change), dip and remove each egg a couple of times before gently lowering them to the bottom of the pan. This is the only part of the process that could go wrong, so take a little care.
  4. Keep the water on a bare simmer for 7 minutes, then drain and immediately add the eggs to the bowl of room temperature water to cool.
  5. When the eggs are cool enough to handle peel them by tapping the bottom on a hard surface to crack, then working the shell off from the bottom up with your fingertips.
  6. Leave the eggs whole until ready to serve, then halve (or quarter) and toss gently into your salad.
Notes
Eggs can be tricky to peel, as the shell can stick. There are a few supposed tricks to help, but the only thing I’ve found that makes a difference is using older eggs.

 

Check Out These Original Recipes

Rainbow Chard and Beet Salad
Jason’s Salsa Verde
Honey Balsamic Roasted Fennel with Sweet Potato
Earl Grey and Lavender Custard Tart
Baby Zest: Healthy Beef and Veggie Pasta Sauce for Toddlers
Cardamom Rice Pudding with Caramelised Banana

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