Recipe by Steph Peirce from Everything Salads: Spring + Summer Cookbook
October — Harvest
Harvest broccoli while the florets in the centre head are still tightly closed (when they start to open you’ve left them a bit long).
Continually pick lettuces and salad leaves so they don’t go bitter and tough.
Don’t let celery go woody – pick a few stalks at a time if you can’t eat a whole one.
Celeriac, Florence fennel and globe artichokes should be ready around now.
Asparagus is in its prime this month. Eat as fresh as possible.
Check your strawberries! You may have some sneaky ones ready now.
October — In season, in store
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:
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Brassicas
- Beans (early varieties)
- Citrus (late lemons, grapefruit, oranges)
- Hardy greens (cavolo nero, silverbeet, kale)
- Onion weed
- Spinach
October — Edible planting
Seedlings (homegrown or store-bought), tubers or fruit you can plant out this month:
Roots
Beetroot, Carrots, Celeriac, Radish
Brassicas
Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauli, Pak cho
Salad greens
Lettuces, Mizuna, Rocket, Spinach, Silverbeet
Tubers
Jerusalem artichokes, Potatoes, Kūmara
Other
Spring onions, Globe artichokes, Peas, Celery, Leeks, Onions, Beans, Courgettes, Tomatoes, Chillies, Eggplant, Capsicum, Cucumber, Pumpkin, Sweetcorn, Florence fennel
Herbs
Basil, Chervil, Coriander, Dill
Fruit
Citrus, Passionfruit, Tamarillo, Rhubarb, Melons
Recipe | Almond satay noodle salad with cucumber and green beans
Dairy free
Serves 4-6
Easy swaps for allergies or what veggies you have in the fridge:
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free noodles or gluten-free buckwheat soba noodles.
Veggies: Broccolini, broccoli (finely sliced), and asparagus would all work well in place for green beans or cucumber.
Ingredients
150g soba noodles
100g green beans, ends removed
1 cucumber
3 spring onions, ends removed
A handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup caramelised chilli cashews (see recipe below)
Almond Satay Sauce
2 tbsp almond or peanut butter
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice (½ lime)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chilli sauce, e.g sriracha
2 tsp rice vinegar
3cm piece ginger, finely grated with a zester or the fine side of a cheese grater
1 clove garlic, finely grated with a zester or the fine side of a cheese grater
Method
BOIL a medium pot half full of water. Add the soba noodles and cook for 5 minutes. After 3 minutes, add the green beans and cook for the last 2 minutes. Drain the noodles and beans and refresh them under cold water.
COMBINE all ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk for the satay sauce.
ADD the cooked noodles and green beans to the satay sauce
SLICE the cucumber in quarters lengthways. You will have four long strips. Roughly chop these on an angle. Add to the noodles.
SLICE spring onions finely from the white end up, using ¾ of the spring onion, and discard the remainder of the green tops. Add to noodles.
ADD coriander leaves and half of the cashew nuts.
MIX the salad with tongs until the sauce coats the whole salad.
SERVE the salad in a shallow serving bowl, garnishing with the remainder of the sticky cashews and a few extra coriander leaves.
Keeps for up to two days in the fridge.
Photo by Daniela Aebli
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Caramalised chill cashews
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp olive oil
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp water
100g roasted cashew nuts
1 tsp cumin seeds
Good pinch of chilli powder
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, cumin seeds and chilli 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.
Everything Salads: Spring + Summer Cookbook by Steph Peirce
The ultimate kitchen companion for creating elevated salads. 45+ recipes packed with insider cooking tips, kitchen must-haves, herb guides and genius time-saving hacks.
From essential salad dressings to mastering grains and creating flavour bombs. Whip up most of these salads in under 30 minutes, ensuring that healthy eating is just as speedy as grabbing fast food — only, you’ll feel a hundred times better afterwards!
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