Which is the best recipe from Mr. Wilkinson’s Simply Dressed Salads?
We put Matt Wilkinson’s salads to the test this week with six of our staff making recipes from Mr. Wilkinson’s Simply Dressed Salads for a blind-tasting.
These same staff were absolutely delighted (read: horrified) to learn that Matt himself would be acting in the capacity of guest judge, along with three other staff members.
Here are the results.
Stella Charls made Noodles with broad beans, peas & spicy lemon dressing (pg 69.):
I am not a confident cook, and was nervous about approaching these recipes – the book seemed so beautiful that surely these were dishes to admire rather than actually attempt? But, not wanting to miss out on the challenge, I picked the recipe that I thought best suited my limited kitchen skills (all you need is boiling water and fifteen minutes). Plus I really, really love peas.
I couldn’t find broad beans anywhere in the city, so opted for edamame (they’re both green and a similar shape?) instead. Luckily, I think the edamame worked to strengthen the dish, which already had a lovely Japanese flavour. Matt Wilkinson also suggests that tofu, poached chicken or salmon would suit the salad beautifully so my new culinary challenge is to learn how to poach chicken!
Judges’ comments
Jan: This dish has everything: the visual appeal of an exotic Japanese salad, the texture of long, soft noodles with green beans that pop in your mouth, the flavours of nutty sesame and fresh salad onion. The dressing is subtle with oil, lemon, tamari, garlic and a little chilli. I wouldn’t hesitate to whip this up for any weeknight dinner but I think I would serve it warm (does that make me a philistine?) with added bling, such as salmon fillet or poached chicken to make it the perfect healthy and flavoursome quick meal.
Nina: Simple, classic salad – the kind you could make for dinner any night of the week. The noodles were perfectly cooked, and the flavours subtle and refined. The kind of plain, simple, hearty salad I would happily eat every day.
Emily Harms made Brown rice & feta salad with hot n’ sour dressing (pg 142.):
I chose this recipe as I wanted a good excuse to use sorrel from our garden! I also love a hearty, textured salad with dried fruits and nuts. The beauty of this recipe is that it looks far more complicated than it actually is so if you want to get the WOW factor at a picnic or Sunday lunch this is the one for you.
I could only find a pack of pepitas and sunflower kernels together so rather than separating the two, I’ve added both. I have to confess that I’m now also having doubts as to whether it is actually sorrel that I’ve picked. Hopefully it’s still edible though and not noxious!
Judges’ comments
Jan: My own personal favourite, this is a true meal of a salad. Hearty brown rice and lentils are offset by a rainbow of lighter delights including capers, pickled green chilli (more flavoursome than spicy hot), sultanas, dried apricots and peppery sorrell, dressed with a beautiful tangy vinegar (chardonnay vinegar, no less) and then the whole dish is smothered in Danish feta softened with milk. This bold combination of ingredients was so spot on I could have eaten the whole serving platter (well, I would have had a go) and I will definitely add this to my bring-to-work lunch options. It’s deliciously satisfying yet healthy, a win-win!
Nina: A ‘big impact’ salad, with tons of ingredients and a fantastic texture. The feta cheese was a smooth and delicious addition. A sophisticated triumph.
Elke Power made Fossie’s charred corn & potato salad (pg 116.):
As a lifelong fan of potatoes, I couldn’t go past this enticing variation on the theme. Scanning through the other ingredients – including, among others, charred corn, chipotle chilli powder, jalapeños, coriander and lime juice – the combinations were appealing and unexpected, and the instructions didn’t seem daunting.
I had a lovely yet slightly unsettling conversation with the greengrocer during which we initially agreed that it was rather difficult to ruin a potato salad, however after we considered the risks of potential water-logging/undercooking, the seeds of doubt began to sprout. Naturally, I then decided to attempt the ‘Frenchman’s mayo’ as well. Happily, the other salad elements could be swiftly prepared and, despite my fears, no egg yolks were overwhelmed. I’ll definitely add this salad to my barbecue and picnic regulars.
Judges’ comments
Jan: Potato salad will never be the same again. So you could use shop-bought whole egg mayo to save time and effort, but this homemade version was prepared with care which shone through. The charred corn added sweetness and the coriander leaves brought calm to offset the rather spicy creamy mayonnaise. This was at the top of my (pathetically narrow) scale for spice tolerance but it was, and will be, a crowd favourite.
Nina: DELICIOUS! Spicy in a great way. The homemade mayo was an absolute stand-out. Creamy and very more-ish. Probably the best potato salad I’ve ever had. I went back for thirds.
Emily Gale made Zucchini with ajo blanco dressing & spiced nuts (pg 69.):
I chose to make this recipe because the vibrant greens in the photo seduced me and I knew that ajo means garlic, so it sounded like it would pack a punch along with the spiced nuts. I used my tiny balcony BBQ to start off the zucchini and aside from losing a few pieces (sorry, balcony below mine) this was a great way to do them all at once without setting off my smoke alarm. I think I used too much oil when I toasted the nuts but I found them really tasty and a good contrasting texture.
The dish is supposed to be served warm – which I didn’t because it wasn’t practical – and I think it would be a lot tastier that way. But I really liked the dressing and would definitely use it as an accompaniment to any roasted veg in the future. Or just eat it straight out of the food processor.
Judges’ comments
Jan: Chargrilled zucchini looks so impressive but, as we know, it doesn’t have a huge amount of flavour. So brilliant to pair the softened zucchini with those crunchy hazelnuts and walnuts. Were they roasted because they were soooo tasty and somehow more nutty than you can imagine? The rich creamy dressing was ajo blanco sauce. I’d not heard of ajo blanco before and could not place the ingredients until I was told they were bread, almonds, garlic, vinegar and oil. This understated dish would be great with a meaty BBQ.
Nina: Beautiful presentation – visually stunning. The zucchini were cooked to perfection, and the nuts and sauces worked wonderfully.
Bronte Coates made Avocado, sweet potato & walnut salad (pg 59.):
I picked this salad because I liked the way it was crafted. You essentially build all the ingredients on top of each other – sweet potato, avocado, fennel, walnuts, pickles, greens – and then slosh over the dressing with some freshly grated pecorino. All the elements are easy to prepare so when you assemble them it looks much more impressive than the actual work you put in.
The only cooking you do is for the sweet potato which is roasted before being peeled and sliced into rounds. Here I actually used a Karen Martini trick to save even more time … Instead of peeling the skin off the sweet potato, I’d sliced down the sides to turn the ‘rounds’ into ‘hexagons’ for a modern effect.
Judges’ comments
Jan: Very pretty in the bowl and containing a great combination of healthy yet still-tasty ingredients: sweet potato, fennel and avocado, topped with grated pecorino cheese and with the most delicate dressing. The first sensation on tasting was that it was just the right amount of dill, fresh and mouth-watering. This would be a perfect accompaniment to any simple grilled white fish.
Nina: Hidden within the many layers of this salad were a million gorgeous flavours. Sweet potato is always a personal favourite and this was no exception.
Chris Gordon made Peaches with grated macadamias & squashed blueberries (pg 133.):
Matt Wilkinson has now taught me that you do not need to cook peaches for a very long time. You simply blanch and then run them under cold water to skin those puppies. Next, cut and serve with a liberal amount of berries squashed into this kinda-wonderful-vanilla-vinegar-sauce-thing. Truly easy, truly delicious.
Now it’s also true that Matt, the great man himself, says you should then grate a macadamia nut over this sweet summer fruit but, look, I just do not have time in my life to grate a nut. And surely a chef uses recipes as an inspiration rather than as a manual … I could be wrong though. I used an a crumbled almond biscuit and thought the result was pretty darn good.
Judges’ comments
Jan: A fabulous end to the meal. While Mr Wilkinson’s recipe wasn’t strictly adhered to with crumbled almond biscuits substituted for the grated macadamias, the biscuits gave the dish a gorgeous Christmassy vibe. The grated macadamias would also have been a fabulous contrast to the sweet poached peaches and berries. The dressing on this was so surprising as the red wine vinegar wasn’t evident at all, having been countered brilliantly by the vanilla pod and sugar. So delicate and more-ish, not to mention wonderfully colourful, this dish cleared my palate beautifully.
Nina: Juicy, fresh and sweet, without being too sweet. A perfect dessert – decadent without making you feel guilty.
The winning salad was Noodles with broad beans, peas & spicy lemon dressing!
Of the salad Matt Wilkinson said, ‘The simplest dishes are often the hardest to get right and the chef has managed this one perfectly. I also definitely approve of the decision to use edamame as that is how the recipe was originally devised.’
He then presented the winning chef with an ‘IOU’ for two free breakfasts at his restaurant Pope Joan, on the proviso she order muesli and no more than one coffee…
Our guest judge also gave a highly commended to the Fossie’s charred corn & potato salad which he described as ‘bang-on’.
