Recipe by Steph Peirce from Everything Salads
Spring’s arrival sees the garden coming back to life. So much planting is able to happen all around the garden. Spring lets new plants settle into their new homes before the hot, dry summer comes. As temperatures warm, we can also start planting our key summer crops.
For our September harvest, we’ve got a seasonal salad recipe from Steph Peirce of Local & Friday. Growing up amidst orchards in Central Otago, Steph’s passion for food began early, sparking a culinary journey that led her to become a chef, working in Melbourne and travelling across Europe and Asia. Now back in New Zealand, she’s on a mission to make healthy, delicious food accessible to everyone.
With her vibrant cookbooks, Steph shows how to transform humble, seasonal vegetables into flavourful masterpieces. Her recipes are all about fun, flavour, and embracing the joy of cooking — perfect for your next garden harvest.
But first, some tips on in-season produce this month…
September — Harvest
Avocados and the last of citrus.
Brassicas, salad greens, parsley, coriander and many root vegetables.
September — In season, in store
In reality, despite our best efforts, not many of us can grow everything we need in the vegetable garden. Time, space, knowledge, climate & patience are all factors. If you can, find a local grower and buy the fresh seasonal produce you need. Here’s a some of what you should be able to find at your local produce store or supermarket for a reasonable price this month:
- Avos
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Kiwifruit
- Leeks
- Lemons
- Oranges
September — Edible planting
Seedlings (homegrown or store-bought), tubers or fruit you can plant out this month:
Roots
Beetroot, Carrots
Brassicas
Cabbage, Pak choi, Kohlrabi
Salad greens
Lettuces, Mizuna, Rocket, Spinach, Silverbeet
Tubers
Jerusalem artichokes, Potatoes, Kumara
Other
Spring onions, Globe artichokes, Peas, Celery, Leeks, Onions, Rhubarb
Herbs
Basil, Chervil, Coriander, Dill, Marjoram
Perennial herbs – Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, Parsley, Fennel
Fruit
Deciduous fruit trees (Apples, Pears & Stonefruit), Citrus, Feijoa, Passionfruit, Berries, Tamarillo
Recipe | Golden cauliflower salad with red cabbage, curried cashews & garlic yoghurt
Gluten-free
Serves 4-6 as a side
Ingredients
1 cauliflower, outer stalks removed
1 tbsp curry powder
4 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
3 large handful of salad greens; rocket, lettuce, spinach
100g red cabbage
½ red onion, finely diced
1 handful of coriander, leaves and soft stalks
1 large handful of curried cashews (recipe below)
½ cup of Garlic Yoghurt (recipe below)
¼ – ⅓ cup Zingy curry lime dressing (recipe below)
Method
PREHEAT oven to 200 degrees fan bake.
CHOP the cauliflower in half. Lay each half flat on the chopping board, cut it into 2cm slices, and then chop through the centre crossways to make the pieces smaller.
TOSS the cauliflower with olive oil, curry powder, ¾ tsp sea salt and a good grind of black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
SCATTER over a large baking tray; make sure there is space between the cauliflower pieces; use two trays if needed.
ROAST for 25-30 minutes or until tender and browning around the edges. Set aside to cool.
PREPARE the Curried Cashews, Curry Lime dressing and Garlic Yoghurt.
FINELY CHOP coriander stalks and roughly chop the leaves.
USING a mandoline on a fine slice or a large sharp knife, finely shave the cabbage and transfer it to a medium-sized bowl. Add green salads and chopped coriander and toss to combine.
ASSEMBLE the salad in a shallow serving bowl by scattering half of each quantity of ingredients in the following order: salad greens/cabbage, roast cauliflower, dollops of garlic yoghurt, diced red onion, and curried cashews. Drizzle half of the dressing over. Repeat this with the remaining ingredients in the same order.
**Layering the salad ingredients like this allows the salad to stay fresh and present nicely without the yoghurt and dressing coating everything.
Dairy-free alternative: Swap garlic yoghurt for cashew creme or garlic tahini sauce
Pro Tips: This salad is fantastic with grilled chicken thigh, roasted chicken, seared salmon, pan-fried white fish, or finely sliced medium-rare steak.
Transforming a simple vegetable dish into a show-stopping salad is all about the right accessories. Just like the perfect jewellery and lipstick can elevate an outfit, you can enhance your salad with textures, flavour bombs, and exquisite dressings. These versatile additions can also be used in other salads, grazing platters, or as sides to elevate your meals. Get creative and explore all the possibilities with the recipes below!
Garlic yoghurt
Ingredients
½ cup yoghurt
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt
Method
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for 30 minutes to allow garlic to infuse into the yoghurt before using.
Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
—
Zingy curry lime dressing
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients
3 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp agave syrup or honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp curry powder
⅓ tsp turmeric powder
¾ tsp sea salt
1 clove garlic
⅓ cup olive oil
Method
COMBINE all ingredients in a medium glass jar, seal the jar tightly and shake until the dressing is well combined. Shake well before each use.
STORE in the refrigerator. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before using to bring back to room temperature.
Keeps for 1-2 months in the fridge.
Pro Tip: This is a great dressing to add to classic sales, such as grain salads, roasted pumpkin or kumara salads, or a drizzle over roasted potatoes with garlic yogurt.
—
Curried cashews
These curried cashews are a burst of flavour in your mouth. They’re a tasty blend of sweetness, saltiness, crunchiness, and a hint of golden curry. They’re a great addition to your salads, grazing boards or pack a stash for road trip snacks.
Ingredients
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
4 tbsp water
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ tsp mild curry powder
150g roasted cashew nuts
50g pumpkin seeds
Method
PREHEAT the oven to 150deg, and line a baking tray with baking paper.
START BY HEATING a small pot over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, olive oil, turmeric, sea salt, and water. Stir until the mixture comes to a simmer. Continue stirring for 30-90 seconds until the liquid thickens into a thin glaze.
ADD the cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds and curry powder
STIR constantly for another 1-2 minutes until the nuts and seeds are coated in a sticky glaze. All other liquid has evaporated. If you go slightly too far, the glaze looks gloopy and may need a splash of water to return to a silky glaze.
TRANSFER to your prepared baking tray, using a spatula to spread the nuts and seeds.
BAKE for 10 minutes, stirring once, halfway through baking. This is to dry the nuts and seeds so they are crunchy but not to toast to a dark colour.
COOL on the baking tray before roughly chopping the nuts and storing them in a glass jar, sealed tightly.
Keeps for 1-2 months.
