Grilled goat's cheese salad
Crisp toasted French bread is spread with a rich red onion marmalade flavoured with balsamic vinegar and rosemary, then topped with creamy goat's cheese and finished under the grill. Served with a beetroot, pepper and lamb's lettuce salad, this makes an impressive starter.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 small red onions, about 300 g (10½ oz) in total, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 slices French bread, about 115 g (4 oz) in total
- few sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 200 g (7 oz) goat's cheese, cut into 4 slices
- 85 g (3 oz) lamb's lettuce
- 115 g (4 oz) cooked beetroot, peeled and cut into thin strips
- 1 small red pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
- salt and pepper
- Balsamic dressing
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Method
Prep:25min ›
Ready in:25min
- Preheat the grill. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and sugar, and cook for a further 5–8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft, browned and caramelised. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- Lightly toast the French bread on both sides under the grill. Divide the onion marmalade among the slices. Top each with a few rosemary leaves and then a slice of goat's cheese. Add a sprinkling of pepper.
- Cook the cheesy toasts under the hot grill for 3–4 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.
- Meanwhile, to make the dressing, whisk the oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste in a mixing bowl. Add the lamb's lettuce, beetroot and red pepper and toss. Divide among 4 plates. Top with the goat's cheese toasts, garnish with rosemary and serve.
Some more ideas
Try baby spinach or baby red chard leaves in place of lamb's lettuce. * Instead of onion marmalade, rub the slices of toasted French bread with 1 cut garlic clove, then spread with 4 tsp sun-dried tomato paste. Top with the goat's cheese and grill. Serve with a salad made from 1 small Oak Leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces, 225 g (8 oz) halved cherry tomatoes and 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips, tossed in a dressing made with 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp sun-dried tomato paste and seasoning to taste. Garnish the toasts with fresh basil leaves. * Top the toast slices with goat's cheese and add a drizzle of walnut or hazelnut oil (omit the onion marmalade and rosemary). Grill, then serve on a bed of mixed green salad leaves tossed with toasted walnuts or hazelnuts and a vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil and a little walnut or hazelnut oil.
Plus points
Beetroot is a good source of folate, which is needed during the early stages of pregnancy to reduce the risk of spina bifida. It is also rich in potassium, a good intake of which can help to balance out the adverse effect of a high salt intake on blood pressure. The leafy tops of beetroot can be cooked and served like spinach. * Red onions have been shown to contain higher levels of flavonoids – compounds that may help to protect against heart disease – than white onions.
Each serving provides
A, B1, B6, B12, C, E, niacin * B2, folate * calcium, selenium
