“Don’t just eat McDonald’s, get something a bit better. Eat a salad. That’s what fashion is. It’s something that is a bit better.” ~ Vivienne Westwood

One of the pleasures of being on the farm is wandering around the garden in the late afternoon, hunting out things to eat for dinner.

I have an abundance of kale and tiny sweet tomatoes right now, and the basil is fragrant and plump. Perfect ingredients for a simple salad that speaks of summer.

This is a throw-together recipe, so adjust your quantities according to how many people you are feeding, and whether you want left-overs.

The dressing for this salad is creamy and satisfying, and the food is perfectly filling without the need for carbs so it’s great if you are following a paleo, gluten-free or other kind of restrictive diet.

Ingredients to serve two:

Lamb – roasted, pan fried, or barbequed – 3/4 cup per person or to suit your personal taste. Two cups of kale, two cups of cherry tomatoes  1/2 cup of shredded carrot, 1/2 cup each of shredded red and white cabbage, 3 tablespoons of pine nuts, 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves. Note – if you LOVE salad feel free to throw in some more kale, cabbage or carrot.

Dressing:

2 tablespoons of tahini,1 teaspoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, 2 to 3 tablespoons of water.

Method:

Preheat oven to moderate (170 degree celcius fan-forced or 180 degree oven – 350 degrees fahrenheit).

Organise your lamb so that it will be cooked the way you like it. If you’re cooking for one go for a few small pieces of lamb rump or fillet. Pan fry to your liking and then rest for ten minutes. If you’re feeding a crowd roast or barbeque a butterflied lamb leg. You could also cook a traditional lamb leg with the bone in, but your cooking time will be much longer.

If you are roasting the lamb make sure there’s room on another shelf for your tomatoes!

No matter how you cook your lamb, set the cooked meat aside for at least ten minutes before slicing so the meat can rest and the juices can reabsorb into the meat, giving it extra flavour and tenderness.

Wash your tomatoes and then cut them in half. Place halves on a baking-paper lined tray and roast for thirty minutes. They will have shrunk in size, and be a little caramelised on the edges or underneath. Yum!

Shred your carrot and cabbage.

Strip the kale from the tough middle rib and slice it very finely.

Mix the cabbage, carrot and kale together in the bottom of your serving dish.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frypan over medium heat. This will take a few minutes. Keep moving them around so they don’t burn. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Shred the basil leaves finely.

To make the dressing add tahini, garlic and lemon juice to a small bowl and stir well. Then add the water a little at a time until the dressing is smooth, creamy and can be poured.

To assemble the salad place the roasted tomatoes on top of the raw greens.

Slice the lamb and add to the salad.

Drizzle the tahini dressing over the top, scatter the toasted pine nuts and then place the shredded basil in the centre of the dish.

It was a positively delicious dinner, so I was delighted there were left-overs for today’s lunch!