Spring is in the air! This time of year makes me crave for healthy and light food, like salads. This salad is not only healthy, gluten free and very delicious but it’s also filling. This makes it popular with the men around me who normally seem to think they won’t leave the table feeling full when it comes to salads.
It takes some time to prepare this salad but trust me: it’s worth it. This will become one of your favourites.
Ingredients (4 portions):
Fresh spinach, around 300 grams
200 grams of green beans
200 gr of podded broad beans (fresh when available, but frozen ones work just as well)
200 grams of peas (same here: fresh when available, but frozen ones work just as well)
Red onions (3 big ones or 6 small ones)
One lemon (use an organic one for these don’t contain a wax coating like the regular ones do)
Ricotta
Olive oil
White wine vinegar
Sugar
Pepper
Salt
1. Make the caramelized onions:
Cut the onions in rings, toss them in a baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil, white wine vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt. Place them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius for around 25 minutes. Stir regularly.
2. Make the lemon oil:
Combine oil and strings of lemon zest (peel the lemon skin with a zester or a vegetable peeler) in a small saucepan. Set over low heat, and cook very gently about 10 minutes. Make sure the zest doesn’t burn. Take the pan of the heat for a bit when this starts to happen. Remove from heat; take the zest out and let the oil cool.
3. Toss the spinach in a big bowl.
4. Cook the beans and peas for a short while. I cook them separately, because the green beans take more time (approx. 5 minutes) then the peas and the broad beans (2-3 minutes).
5. Mix the beans and peas with the spinach.
6. Add the onions and your lemon oil. Mix everything together.
7. Serve with a bit of ricotta.
Enjoy your delicious meal!
Love,
Sophie