A mixture of simple salads and some sausages

Hello again people. BBC1 here, and I did say I’d post the simple salads we had with the Tandoor Style Indian Chicken Wings the other day for our Early Years Buffet.

These are all so simple and that’s why I’m putting them all in one post. I am sure many of you already do your own or even better versions!

Raita:
1/2 cucumber chopped into a small/fine dice
1 cup of plain/Greek yoghurt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garam masala

Mix all ingredients into serving dish and refrigerate for half an hour before serving.

Tomato and Red Onion Salad:
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes – cut in half or into quarters if larger
1/2 red onion diced very finely
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
3 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix all ingredients into a serving dish and refrigerate. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

‘Pedorf’ Salad:
2 green apples, such as Granny Smiths, cored and diced into bite sized pieces
3 sticks of celery, cut into bite sized pieces
200gms cheddar cheese cut into centimetre cubes
150gms pecans, half whole, half chopped in half
4 large tbs of good quality mayonnaise
1 tbs of double cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients into serving dish, ensuring all is thoroughly combined and that all ingredients are coated in the mayonnaise and cream. I like to prepare this an hour before serving and refrigerate, but this is a personal preference. Others prefer this at room temperature.

Tuna Pasta Salad:
1 red, yellow, and green bell pepper. Deseeded, and cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup of sweet corn, either fresh, tinned or frozen
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tins of tuna in brine – not oil!
250gms pasta shapes – bows or twirls work well
5 to 6 large tbs of good quality mayonnaise
2 tbs of double cream

Cook pasta, al dente, according to instructions. Refresh pasta under cold running water, once cooked, and drain in colander. Open tins of tuna and pour brine over the cooled pasta.

Break up tuna in tin with a fork. Then in a large serving bowl, mix all ingredients ensuring all is evenly coated and distributed. Do not add salt, because of the use of the brine, but feel free to add some ground pepper.

Honey and Mustard Coated Sausages:
36 pork chipolata sausages or any thin basic sausages
4 heaped tbs of whole grain mustard
3 tbs of your favourite honey

Pre-heat oven to 180c fan. Place sausages into baking tray, pre lined with tin foil, and bake for thirty to forty minutes, turning them over half way through. Five or so minutes before the sausages are ready, remove from the oven and drain off excess fat. Place the honey and mustard into a microwaveable dish, mix thoroughly, cover, and heat for thirty seconds on high. Then coat sausages in the honey and mustard mixture thoroughly and return to the oven for five minutes. Then Remove carefully to a serving dish – be careful as, like sugar, honey can be very hot when heated.

By the way, it may be obvious, but we call it a Pedorf salad instead of a Waldorf salad because we use Pecans instead of Walnuts!