This is my second favourite salad all time…An incredibly surprising combination of flavours, and some lettuce and tomato to justify it.

There are 1001 variations of the Caesar salad, but I adore this one, a variation of Barefoot Contessa’s…What about you? Do you have a favourite salad? Do you know any tasty variations of the Caesar salad? I’d love to hear about it…

Ingredients:

- Romaine lettuce, washed and sliced

- tomatoes, peeled and sliced in chunks

- some olive oil, salt and ground black pepper

- bacon, in small cubes

- 1 yolk

- 2 tsp Dijon mustard

- 15 canned anchovy fillets

- 2 garlic cloves, chopped

- 125ml lemon juice

- 2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

- 180 ml olive oil

- 125g grated Parmesan

- optional: some extra Parmesan to serve

Cooking instructions:

Preheat the oven at 400°C. Put the tomatoes in a baking tin, toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes, until soft.

Cook the bacon in a skillet on medium-low heat, for 15 minutes.

Mix in a food processor the yolk, the mustard, the garlic, the anchovy fillets, the lemon juice, the salt and the pepper.  While still blending, pour down the feed tube the olive oil, slowly, and finally add the Parmesan and pulse 3 times. There you have it, your own delicious dressing!

On each plate, put some lettuce, some tomatoes, bacon, add the dressing and if desired, toss some extra Parmesan.

Enjoy!!

Let’s say you are at home, starving. Let’s say that you only have 10 minutes to prepare yourself a (preferably yummy) meal. Well, do not despair, this recipe will save you!!

Inspired by a recipe from Nigella, I gave it my twist and you may too! I would recommend searching your refrigerator for any fresh veggies you may have,  and throw them in the wrap. Feel free to explore different combinations of veggies too.

Ingredients:

- some mayonnaise

- a tiny bit of wasabi paste

- a couple of drops of sesame oil

- 2 soft flour tortilla wraps per person

- veggies cut into matchsticks: lettuce, cucumber, carrot, avocado…

- canned crab (crab sticks will do too)

- canned tuna

Cooking instructions:

If you keep the tortillas in the refrigerator, soften them a bit by heating them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Mix the mayonnaise, the wasabi paste and the sesame oil. Paint each tortilla on one side with this mixture.

Arrange a vertical row of veggies on each tortilla. Add on top the different layers of veggies. Top with crab or tuna.

Roll up the wraps beginning from the bottom. Fix with toothpicks if needed. Serve.

Enjoy!!

OK, here it goes…another Asian inspired dish, which I love and is quite quick to make as well.

Ingredients:

- 1.5 pound – 750 g minced pork meat (you can also use beef or chicken if you like)

- 1 onion, thinly sliced

- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped

Seasoning:

- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce

- 2 tbsp oyster sauce

- 2 tbsp regular soy sauce

- 2 tsp sugar

- 1 tsp pepper

- 1 tsp sesame oil

- 1/2 cup – 125 ml water

Garnishes:

- rice noodles, blanched in hot water

- salad: I used some lettuce and cucumber, which I seasoned with a sauce made of lime juice, brown sugar, chili peppers, fish sauce, water (for once, no oil involved in this)

Cooking instructions:

Fry the onion and the garlic in some oil. When they become transparent, add the minded meat, break up the lumps and stir fry until the meat changes colour. Add the seasonings and some water (so that there will be some gravy left). Continue to stir fry until the meat is cooked. Remove from the heat.

Serve with the noodles, accompanied by the salad.

Enjoy!!