Summer is coming and Chelsea Winter is bringing her signature flair to your table with some zesty dishes that are bound to become faves.

Roasted Beetroot Salad

There’s an air of sophistication to this salad. It celebrates the sweet, earthy beauty of the beetroot, which remains very much the star – but the lovely orangey vinaigrette enhances what’s there and livens it all up with citrus tang.

PREP 20 minutes

COOK 1 hour 30 minutes

SERVES 4–5 as a side

INGREDIENTS

6 beetroot (1.5kg), trimmed

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

8–10 fresh thyme sprigs

2 tsp liquid smoke (optional but delicious)

½ cup crumbled feta (plant-based if preferred)

chopped fresh mint or coriander

pinch chilli flakes (optional)

Vinaigrette

zest of 1 orange

¼ cup orange juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice or red wine vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

½ tsp dijon mustard

½ tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

½ tsp salt cracked pepper

Nuts

¾ cup macadamia nuts

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp maple syrup

METHOD

To roast the beets, preheat the oven to 200°C regular bake and line a
casserole dish or deep roasting dish with baking paper.

Place the beets in the prepared dish, massage in the oil, then toss in the thyme. Season with salt and pepper all over. Drizzle with the liquid smoke (if using).

Lay a second sheet of baking paper over the dish (this helps stop steam escaping) and cover with the lid or a tight layer of foil. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the beets are easily pierced with a sharp knife. Remove from the oven.

To make the orange vinaigrette, whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the skins (the flavour will have penetrated through to the beets). Cut the beets into thin round slices. Put them in a large bowl with half the vinaigrette. Toss gently to combine and set aside.

To make the candied nuts, put the macadamias in a small pan with the oil and fry over a medium-low heat, shaking the pan often, until golden all over.
Add the maple syrup and cook for a couple of minutes until it’s all sticky and caramelised and turning golden brown. Season with a little salt and pepper and transfer to a plate to cool down (the caramel will harden). Chop roughly before serving.

To assemble, arrange the beetroot slices slightly overlapping in a large shallow bowl or a platter. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette then scatter with the candied nuts, feta and herbs. Finish with a crack of black pepper, a small sprinkle of salt and a pinch of chilli flakes if you like.

Tabbouleh

This classic, stunningly fresh and flavoursome salad is hugely popular for good reason. It’s stunning served next to a protein as a simple meal, or proudly proffered as a bring-along for a potluck dinner or part of a summery barbecue spread. 

PREP 40 minutes

COOK 15 minutes

SERVES 6 as a side

INGREDIENTS

400g pearl couscous

1 tbsp vegetable stock powder

½ cup roughly chopped pistachios or pumpkin or sunflower seeds

3 tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice

1 small cucumber (170g), cut into 1cm dice

1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced on an angle

2 cups loosely-packed finely-chopped fresh parsley

1 cup loosely-packed finely-chopped fresh mint

2 tsp sumac (optional)

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fine black pepper

Vinaigrette

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 clove garlic, crushed

METHOD

Cook the couscous according to the packet directions, adding the stock powder to the water. Drain, toss with a little olive oil and set aside. Allow to cool fully before making the salad.

Preheat the oven to 180°C regular bake. Place the nuts or seeds on a small tray and roast for about 6 minutes, until slightly golden and fragrant. Give them a stir partway through if you like.

Toss the tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl with 1 tsp salt and leave to sit for at least 10 minutes. Drain off and discard the liquid.

To make the vinaigrette, place the ingredients in a bowl or jug and whisk to combine. 

To assemble the salad, place the cooled couscous in a large serving bowl. Add the drained tomato and cucumber, spring onions, herbs, sumac (if using), lemon zest, salt and pepper. Add the vinaigrette and toss to combine.

If you like, the tabbouleh can be served immediately — but it gets tastier if you let it rest for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to come together.

Serve sprinkled with the chopped nuts or seeds and topped with your choice of the pomegranate seeds, preserved lemon and/or extra sumac.

Tips & swaps

For another gluten-free option in place of the couscous, you could pulse half a medium cauliflower in a food processor to make ‘rice’. No need to cook it.

You can use halved cherry tomatoes instead of the regular tomatoes if you have them.

Zingy Potato Salad

This feels like a ‘grown-up’ potato salad – it may not be slathered in creamy mayo, but it’s still satisfyingly luscious to eat. That mouthwatering, mustardy, garlicky vinaigrette is popping, and those are all the flavours that tasty little steamed potatoes just luuurve to wallow in.

PREP 20 minutes

COOK 15 minutes

SERVES 4–5 as a side

INGREDIENTS

1–1.25kg baby new potatoes

4 gherkins, very finely sliced

fresh dill sprigs, for garnish

Dressing

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 shallots, finely chopped (about 1⁄2 cup)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp chopped capers (optional but yum)

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp dried dill or 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

2 tsp salt

½ tsp fine white pepper

METHOD

To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a jug or shake in a glass jar. Leave to sit for at least half an hour to infuse.

To make the salad, boil or steam the potatoes in salted water until just tender, but not mushy. Keep checking the progress, and when they are done, drain well and return to the saucepan. While they’re hot, add the dressing and toss to combine. Don’t worry if a few potatoes break up a bit – that’s nice.

Leave to cool to room temperature, then stir in the gherkins. Check the flavours and season to taste with salt and pepper if you think it needs it. It’s fine covered and left out for a few hours, and can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for a couple of days. 

Serve at room temperature, topped with extra dill.

Tips & swaps

If you don’t have baby new potatoes, you can use larger waxy potatoes and cut them in half.

Use floury potatoes if you don’t mind it all going a bit mushy.

Lemon Cream Pie

If you’re a lemon fan (and honestly, who isn’t?), you’re gonna want to try this because I have not held back on the zesty citrus injection. It’s such a refreshingly easy recipe to make – I especially love the crust part because there’s no precarious rolling, flipping or transferring of pastry and no faffing with baking beads or sagging during cooking. Just smoodge the base evenly into the tin, bake naked (the tart, not you), cool, then add the cooked lemon filling (also a cinch to make). 

PREP 40 minutes, plus 6+ hours setting time

COOK 15 minutes

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

Base

½ cup ground almonds

½ cup brown rice flour

½ cup buckwheat flour

2 tbsp tapioca flour, arrowroot flour or cornflour

⅓ cup coconut sugar

2 tsp psyllium husk

½ cup coconut oil, melted but not hot

2 tbsp just-boiled water

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Filling

2 cups full-fat coconut cream

½ cup + 1 tbsp agave syrup or maple syrup

3 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp plant-based butter

3 tbsp lemon zest

½ cup lemon juice

¼ tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup cornflour mixed with

¼ cup plant-based milk to make a slurry

To serve (optional)

fresh berries, such as raspberries, blueberries or sliced strawberries

edible flowers

whipped cream (plant-based if preferred)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C regular bake and have a 23cm round pie tin, tart tin or springform cake tin ready.

To make the base, combine the ground almonds, flours, sugar, psyllium husk and a pinch of salt in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the coconut oil, hot water and vanilla. Stir until the mixture just comes together.

While it’s still warm, crumble two-thirds of the mixture around the edges of the tin (the sides of the crust will be a little thicker than the base) and press it 3-4cm up the sides of the tin (you can use the back of a dessert spoon for this). You want the edges to be an even thickness.

Crumble the remaining dough over the base and press it down into an even, smooth layer (you can use the back of the spoon or the base of a metal measuring cup for this). It should end up about 5mm (¼ in) thick. Take care that it’s not too thick where the base meets the sides, or it ends up like a massive wedge. Lightly press down any jagged ridges on the sides with a finger. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before filling.

To make the filling, place the coconut cream, agave or maple syrup, oil, butter, lemon zest and juice, turmeric and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir in the cornflour slurry. Place over a medium heat and stir constantly with a whisk until thickened – it might take a while, then suddenly start thickening, so don’t leave it alone. It should start to bubble a bit and be
the consistency of thick, shiny custard. 

Remove from the heat, transfer to a mixing bowl and to allow to cool – don’t refrigerate it. If you like, you can lay a piece of clingfilm on the surface to stop a skin forming.

When the filling is lukewarm, whisk it quickly to smooth out any lumps, then scrape it into the baked crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set properly – leave it overnight if you can.

When ready to serve, scatter the top with berries and edible flowers (if using).

Serve with whipped cream on the side if desired. Leftovers can be stored
in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two.

Tips & swaps

Dairy-free whipping cream is now available at all good supermarkets.

Extracted from Tasty by Chelsea Winter. Photography © Tamara West. RRP$55. Published by Allen & Unwin NZ.