This recipe is one of my favourites because it works well as an accompaniment for so many different dishes. It also makes a luscious main course with the addiion of grilled haloumi or feta and walnuts.
Whether as wine in a goblet or as the main attraction in a salad, sweet grapes offer an uncommonly good addition to your table on a Summer's day
Using the best of spinach leaves, fresh grapes and with the crunch of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, it offers glory for the eyes, and a range of textures and flavours that partner well with many dishes, from baked and grilled meats, poultry and fish, right the way to vegetarian and vegan food. I've also served this with snacks like Welsh rarebit or a ploughmans and it has worked very well that way too. You can make this with white or black grapes, but I personally prefer the red seedless variety, both for colour and flavour.
If you are looking for a hearty addition to a Welsh Rarebit, Burger or Ploughman's lunch, this will do the trick.
The recipe itself is very easy to make and it will keep until the next day, so any leftovers
can be devoured then with cheese on toast or as a side for your lunch, but when using this for a dinner with guests, make it just before they arrive so everything is bursting with flavour and texture.
This is one salad that you must dress at the table. Regardess of which dressing you use - apple or raspberry vinaigrette are particularly good - I find that dressing it before the meal causes the spinach to wilt which spoils the dish, so simply place a jug of dressing on the table and toss the salad as your guests sit down or serve the salad in side dishes and invite your guests to drizzle the dressing over their salad.
Prep time: 20 mins
Ingredients
1/2 large bag spinach, washed
20 red seedless grapes, washed and cut in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 spring onions, chopped
1-2 handfuls of raisins
1-2 handfuls each of sunflower and pumpkin seeds (the latter can be chopped)
vinegar (best combinations are apple, raspberry, red wine or balsamic)
2 tbsp honey or brown sugar, ground in a pestle and mortar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dijon mustard
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt, chilli flakes, torn fresh oregano leaves to taste
Method
1-Place the spinach leaves, red grapes, garlic, onion, raisins and seeds in a large salad bowl.
2-Blend the rest of the ingredients to make your dressing, season to taste and present the salad and dressing at your table when the rest of the meal is ready.
Notes
1-The flavour of this salad should be summery: a pleasing melange of sweet, juicy grapes resting on mellow leaves with the crunch of seeds and spring onion. Be sure to taste the grapes before you buy them, if you can - ask for the seller's permission. Use only the sweetest and crunchiest. Avoid using the watery kind which you will sometimes find masquerading as tasty produce.
2-You can vary this salad by adding apple instead of raisins, or pretty yellow sultanas for instance. I've also made a lovely version of this with vine tomatoes and croutons.
3-When making something in your kitchen, always think about the textures you will be creating to attract the eye - we eat with our eyes too - and for enhanced 'mouth feel' as it is called, which is the texture of the food when we chew and swallow it. When using tomatoes, cherry tomatoes look wonderful - cut them in half so they look like little shells. I do the same with the grapes.
4-Experimenting with herbs and spices is an excellent idea with this dish. Mint makes a heroic addition - use whole sprigs or leaves as a main ingredient or add chopped leaves to the dressing.
*****bon appetit*****
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