Both these salads work well with everyday vegetables, although each benefits massively from sourcing the best quality you can afford. The flavours in the tomato salad will be enhanced over time, so it’s actually better for being made in advance: you’ll get deeply flavoured juices as a result. And as the courgettes are served raw, marinating them ahead is also essential: you want their texture to soften slightly, without losing their lovely crunch.
Borlotti bean, tuna and tomato salad (pictured top)
This salad is all about simplicity: use good-quality ingredients and let them shine through.
Prep 5 min
Serves 2
300-400g tomatoes
Salt and black pepper
1 red onion, peeled
250g tinned tuna
1 x 400g tin borlotti beans
Extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch of basil (about 50g)
Red-wine vinegar
Cut the tomatoes into chunks and season with salt and pepper. Cut the red onion into wafer-thin slices, ideally with a mandoline. Drain the tuna and beans.
Arrange the tomatoes over a platter – they will be the base of the salad. Season the beans with salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil, then scatter on top of the tomatoes.
Break the tuna into generous chunks, without flaking too much, and scatter about the plate, then scatter over the sliced onions and torn basil leaves. Dress generously with more olive oil and a splash of red-wine vinegar, season to taste and serve.
Courgettes with hazelnuts, mint and pecorino
This is so easy to put together and amazingly refreshing. Use firm courgettes to give the salad a beautiful texture and crunch, which is offset by the sharp citrus finish.
Prep 5 min
Cook 2 min
Serves 2
500g courgettes, ideally a mix of yellow and green ones
50g hazelnuts
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 bunch mint (about 50g)
75g pecorino, or parmesan
Wash and dry the courgettes, then use a peeler to shave them into thin ribbons.
Gently toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan, then take off the heat. Gently crush the nuts to break them down into small but chunky pieces.
Finish and assemble the salad just before serving. Season the courgette ribbons with a good amount of lemon juice, a generous drizzle of the olive oil, salt and pepper, then put them in a bowl and scatter over the torn mint leaves and hazelnuts.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls of pecorino all over the salad, finish with another glug of olive oil and serve.
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Chris Shaw is head chef at Toklas, London WC2
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