Salads – Welcome to the Alkaline Canteen

What to do with celery…

THERE is always too much celery. It needs some attention. It is the needy child in the kitchen. You can serve it with cheese or as a base for canapés but that is a bit retro for me. Celery’s greatest virtue is as part of the base for any soup. It is a fast flavourContinue reading “What to do with celery…”

Braised chicory

CHIC-chic-chicory does not always have to be a salad. In winter it can also come warm. Wrapped in air dried ham with a béchamel is a man in course but as a vegetable its bitterness makes an interesting contrast with say chicken or indeed other things on a plate. Here I have quartered it lengthwiseContinue reading “Braised chicory”

What to do with beetroot…

THE markets are full of beets again. Hurrah. Bake them long and slow wrapped in foil. This is a good example using different colours served with an egg, herbs, caperberries, meaty enough to serve without meat…or just a drizzle of walnut oil?

Kohlrabi slices with chives

KOHLRABI get their funny name from the German. It is a cabbage (kohl) turnip (rabi). Seemingly no one in England or America could be bothered to give it a better name which is a bit remiss. But it is popular (Wiki says) in German speaking countries, also in India, especially Kashmir, although here its wildContinue reading “Kohlrabi slices with chives”

Snacking on seeds and berries

THIS is by way of a quiz more than a recipe – count the seeds and nuts here as an all day go-to bowl of good things – dried cranberry, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios. A fast DIY on the run.

Braised chicories

CHICORY obviously makes great, crisp salads but its bitterness also makes for a wonderful cooked vegetable. Here I have used red and green for contrast. Just cover with a little water, a little butter and off you go… Just cook down till all the liquid, or most of it has evaporated. It is a wonderfulContinue reading “Braised chicories”

Peas and curd

WELL there is hardly anything simpler than this or as alkaline or as delicious…peas (frozen is ok), pea shoots (tricky to find perhaps but you could substitute another sprouting bean) and goat’s curd….no dressing, no work, all alkaline. Fast work, even if you have to pod the peas.

Broccoli with Puy lentils and faro

In summer I do this with just lentils and avocado. There is always the nervousness that the avocados might not actually be any good, but if they are then the vinaigrette dressing of lemon and oil compliments both ideally. But this variation is a bit more earthy for colder, sharper days and swaps the avocadoContinue reading “Broccoli with Puy lentils and faro”

Making a grand salad

Salads are an easy way to control the alkalinity in the diet. You can see what you are doing as you go. The English used to make grand salads composed with five, six, seven even more ingredients. The trick is to get a good contrast of shapes and textures…this makes a great lunch 1. StartContinue reading “Making a grand salad”