I had two ideas for salads pop into my mind because it’s summer and I cannot be bothered with cooking just right now. I mean I can’t be bothered with Summer Main Dish cooking: ribs, burgers, whole chickens, you know what I mean. I’m happy just eating bowls of side salads right about now. Less time in the kitchen, you know. Something about being busy. And these salads are more ideas than anything else, really.
First, I roasted sliced grapes with a little olive oil until soft, then I sprinkled a bit of feta on top. Ok, two things (plus oil) don’t really make a proper recipe, but then again, it’s super fast and easy. And it tastes like perfect roasted fruit, plums even, and while I probably couldn’t eat an entire bowl of this, it’s marvelous once it’s on a plate with anything smoky/garlicky/sticky/salty. Oh man, it really is. It’s the perfect compliment to probably any grilled meat you might be cooking. That makes me happy. Plus I love feta. You could add more to it, really.
The next salad is one I could easily eat an entire bowl of. And I did, after shooting this photo. It’s a Corn, Frico and Dill Salad, and there are no measurements, you just gotta eyeball it. About the most difficult component in this salad is making frico, those small little discs of melted parmesan that come out just like cheese crisps. They get crumbled into fresh corn kernels, tossed with freshly chopped dill, a few tablespoons of olive oil and done. You can add a bit of salt and pepper if you’d like, but the cheese is mighty salty enough.
There you have it. Simple salads that take no time to prepare, leaving you with enough time to run out of time. Did that make sense?
Roasted Grapes & Feta
Slice grapes and toss with a bit of olive oil. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 375˚ or until soft, you decide. Let cool and sprinkle crumbled feta on top.
Corn, Frico and Dill Salad
You can roast ears of corn, grill them, boil them, whatever. Once cooked, slice off the corn and toss with crumbled frico and a few tablespoons of fresh dill. Add some olive oil and dig in.
For the frico: Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan onto a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment or a silpat. Because you’ll be crumbling them you don’t have to be too careful about making perfect pretty circles. Bake at 350˚ for around 10 minutes, but keep checking as you don’t want them to burn (they’ll taste slightly bitter). Let cool and crumble into the salad.
-- Also published on MattBites.com