This recipe is my swan song to winter. Depending on the year, you don’t always get artichokes by late winter, but when you do it’s an event! And at the same time, making my last winter salad is a celebration of the coming spring. There’s something unmistakably Mediterranean about this dish, with one key difference – the addition of spekboom, which brings a crispy juiciness to this salad that just puts a spring in my step.
Artichoke And Spekboom Salad
Prepping time: 40 minutes | Cooking time: 1 hour| Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
for the artichoke puree
300 g artichokes in brine
30 ml olive oil
80 g (90 ml) butter, salted
50 ml brine
2 g thyme, freshly picked
5 ml lemon zest
2 ml freshly ground black pepper
10 ml lemon juice to taste
for the vinaigrette
15 ml whole grain mustard
15 g (14 ml) light brown sugar
60 ml fynbos vinegar
375 ml sunflower oil
for the lemon zest confit
1 lemon
96 g (120 ml) granulated sugar
130 ml water
for the salad
310 g (375 ml) brown lentils, cooked
310 g (375 ml) red sorghum, cooked
350 g green beans, sliced, poached in butter with white pepper
200 g (210 ml) butter, salted
2,5 ml white pepper, ground
340 g asparagus, blanched
400 g artichokes in brine, drained
175 g parmesan cheese, grated
1 lemon, zested
Salt to taste
for the garnish
Picked spekboom
METHOD
for the artichoke purée
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter, add the artichokes and allow to caramelise until golden brown. Remove from the heat and place in a blender with the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. For an extra smooth purée, pass the purée through a fine mess sieve. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.
for the vinaigrette
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the mustard, sugar, and vinegar together using a balloon whisk. Once incorporated, slowly add the oil in a thin stream while whisking. Place in the fridge and whisk again just before serving.
for the lemon zest confit
In a small saucepan, blanch the lemon zest about five times to ensure the zest does not have a bitter taste. Over medium heat, bring the sugar and water to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan and allow to cook for 3 – 5 minutes making sure all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add your blanched lemon zest, allow to cool down completely before storing in the fridge.
for the salad
Combine all the ingredients above with the vinaigrette, finishing it off with the artichoke purée, lemon zest confit, grated parmesan and spekboom.
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