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Spring Salad with Asparagus and Halloumi, with homemade Aioli

Spring Salad with Asparagus, Halloumi, and Homemade Aioli

A crisp, fresh, vibrant salad, packed with all the amazing things that make life wonderful.

Ingredients
  

For the salad2 Red Peppers

  • 600 g New Potatoes
  • 300 g Halloumi
  • 250 g Asparagus
  • 200 g fresh Green Beans
  • 200 g Radishes
  • 100 g Baby Chard
  • 1 Red Onion
  • 4 tsps Sunflower / Canola Oil
  • 1 tsp Flaked / Kosher salt

For the salad dressingJuice from one Lemon

  • 3 tbsps Olive Oil
  • 2 tsps freshly ground Black Pepper

For the Aioli1 Egg Yolk

  • 2 cloves of Garlic minced
  • Juice from half a Lemon
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ~200ml Sunflower or Canola oil

Instructions
 

  • Start off by making the aioli - Add the minced garlic, lemon juice and salt into a large bowl with the egg yolk and whisk together well. Drizzle in the oil very slowly, whisking vigorously all the time until the aioli reaches a good thick consistency. You may need to add a bit more, or less oil.
  • Next, place the red peppers under a hot grill or broiler for about 10 minutes, turning regularly until the skin is blackened and charred. Remove from the grill and set aside to allow to cool.
  • Place the potatoes on to boil in a large, covered pot of water. While they're boiling, heat 2 of the 4 teaspoons of oil in a large frying pan on the stove. Cut the halloumi into good chunks and then fry them in the hot oil on both sides until golden brown.
  • Set the cooked potatoes and halloumi aside and then heat the remaining 2tsps of oil in the frying pan. Cut off the woody parts from the asparagus stalks, and slice the spears at an angle. Trim the ends from the green beans and then fry them for a couple of minutes. Add in a drizzle of the lemon juice for the salad dressing and continue frying for another 30 seconds or so before removing. Place the asparagus and green beans into a large salad serving bowl.
  • Quarter the potatoes and add into the salad bowl along with the halloumi. Wash the chard and radishes. Chop the radishes into quarters and add into the salad bowl as well, before peeling the red onion, slicing finely and adding to the salad bowl.
  • Peel away the skin from the red peppers and remove the seeds and stalk. Slice the flesh into long strips and add into the salad bowl.
  • Drizzle over the olive oil for the dressing and add the lemon juice. Finally, sprinkle over the black pepper and salt for the salad. Mix everything together well with your hands, massaging the oil and lemon juice into the salad ingredients.
  • Serve immediately along with the aioli, and preferably a nice piece of fresh bread.

Notes

You don't need to discard quite as much from the asparagus spear as if you were boiling or steaming it. Since it will be fried, you can be a lot more economical with the stalks!