I get stuck in a comfort food rut this time of year – far too much rich, slow cooked food. So if I see an interesting winter salad or slaw I’ll give it a try.
M&S sent me this one to try – perfect for post-Christmas as it’s nice and light but also would be ideal for using leftover turkey, cheese, nuts and sprouts.
First job if you’re not using leftover meat, is to roast some chicken. For this one, I used a rotisserie chicken that cooks in a bag – new one on me, but came out super-tasty and falling off the bone.
Start the salad by toasting some blanched almonds in a dry pan. Pine nuts or cashews would work too. Tip them out onto a board and chop them into rough chunks.
In the pan, fry a chopped clove of garlic and pinch of chilli flakes in a little olive oil for a minute or so. Then add a couple of handfuls (about 200g) of shredded sprouts and stir fry for five minutes or until tender. If they dry out or start to catch, add a splash of water or white wine to the pan.
Take this off the heat and prep the chicken – needs to be in bite-size pieces. Stir this carefully through the sprouts and season well. Add the almonds and a couple of handfuls of watercress.
Make a quick dressing by whisking together one and a half tablespoons of olive oil with half a tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar – another new ingredient to me. Tastes very much like the usual balsamic but keeps the dressing light which looks better with the chicken.
Pour over the dressing and toss the salad gently together. Once it’s on the plate, shave over pecorino (or parmesan) and a few torn basil leaves.
The other good news is that it’s a pretty low calorie tea – around 350 calories per serving according to the original recipe. Also welcome this time of year!
M&S recipe pic – what the dish should look like
M&S kindly provided the recipe and ingredients for me to try this recipe.
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