Spring Endive Salad with Lemon Balm
This fresh spring salad of chicory, walnuts, raisins and lemon balm is light, crunchy and aromatic. Delicious as a lunch dish, and also very suitable as a side dish with a spring or summer meal.
Serves: 4
Preparation: approx. 10 minutes
Cooking: approx. 15 minutes
Total time: approx. 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 heads of chicory
- 4 tablespoons walnuts (approx. 30–40 g)
- 2 tablespoons raisins or currants
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped lemon balm leaves
- 75 ml white vinegar
- 225 ml neutral vegetable oil
- ½ small onion
- 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley
Preparation
- Peel the half onion and finely chop it.
- Roughly chop the parsley.
- Roughly chop the walnuts.
- Wash the lemon balm, pat dry and finely chop the leaves.
- If needed, remove the hard, bitter core from the chicory and slice the chicory into thin strips.
Method
- Put the vinegar in a bowl.
- Stir in the wholegrain mustard until smooth.
- While whisking, slowly drizzle in the oil in a thin stream, so a lightly emulsified dressing forms.
- Stir in the sugar and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Add the finely chopped onion and the roughly chopped parsley and mix through the dressing.
- Put the sliced chicory and the raisins or currants in a large bowl.
- Pour some of the dressing over the chicory (you do not necessarily need to use it all) and gently toss until everything is lightly coated.
- Add the walnuts and the finely chopped lemon balm and gently mix through once more.
- Serve the salad immediately for the best crunch, or leave to stand for a few minutes so the flavours can develop a little.
- Serve the chicory salad in a large bowl or divide among four plates.
- Delicious as a light lunch with some bread, or as a fresh side dish with, for example, a piece of grilled meat, chicken or fish.
- Variation tip: add a small handful of finely chopped dried apricots to the salad for a slightly fuller, sweet note.
