Medium
By Peter Gordon
Published 2005
This is one of those salads that are great all tumbled together, packed with lots of different leaves and fresh crunchy vegetables. It makes the perfect summer lunch salad with a crisp baguette.
First make the apple balsamic dressing, place the apple juice and balsamic vinegar in a small pan and cook to reduce to about one-quarter of its volume. Season with salt and pepper, then leave to cool. Mix in the olive oil.
Using a potato peeler, peel ribbons from the courgettes, discarding the soft seedy part in the centre. Thinly slice the fennel into ‘rings’ (a mandolin grater is ideal for this). Cut the asparagus spears at an angle into short lengths. Cut the hazelnuts in half or roughly chop them.
Divide half the greens between 4 plates and place the remainder in a large bowl. Quarter the apples and remove the core (you can also peel them if you want), then thinly slice them and add to the bowl with all the remaining ingredients, including two-thirds of the dressing. Toss well together and divide between the 4 plates. Drizzle the remaining dressing over and serve immediately.
© 2005 Peter Gordon. All rights reserved.