Baked fennel, watermelon and goat’s cheese summer salad

By: David Frenkiel, Luise Vindahl Andersen
From: Green Kitchen At Home
Serves: 4
Photographer: David Frenkiel

One of the most important traits of a good salad is its texture. You want both the creamy and the crunchy, the large leaves and the small nutty bits, vegetables that are roasted until soft and tender mixed with thinly shaved raw ones. And, finally, something fresh and fruity that splashes on your teeth as you bite into it. This salad has all that – it is absolute heaven on hot summer days.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
1	fennel bulb, stalks removed
2 tablespoons	extra-virgin olive oil
	sea salt
	freshly ground black pepper
1/4	small watermelon, rind and seeds removed
4	heirloom tomatoes, tops removed
1	raw beetroot, trimmed, tops removed and peeled
1	carrot, top removed and peeled
1	red apple, cored
1/2	cucumber, topped and tailed
1	small head cosmopolitan, romaine or Cos lettuce, stump removed
150g	Quick quinoa, cooked amount
1 tablespoon	extra-virgin olive oil
150g	soft goat’s cheese, sliced

Yoghurt Dressing

Quantity	Ingredient
8	fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
120ml	full-fat unsweetened plain yoghurt
1/2	lemon, zested and juiced
	sea salt
	freshly ground black pepper

To serve

Quantity	Ingredient
	roughly chopped toasted walnuts
	torn fresh basil leaves
	extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cut the fennel into wedges, toss with the oil, season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to the baking tray. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until tender and caramelised. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Stir together the ingredients for the dressing in a small mixing bowl. Season to taste and set aside.
To assemble the salad, cut the watermelon and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, shave the beetroot and carrot lengthwise with a mandoline or potato peeler and thinly slice the apple and cucumber. Tear the lettuce leaves into large pieces and toss with the quinoa and oil, then place on a serving dish. Arrange the all the vegetables, fruit and goat’s cheese on top. Serve with the yoghurt dressing, a scattering of walnuts and basil and a drizzle of oil.

Tips

For a nut-free alternative, replace the walnuts with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

For a vegan alternative, replace the goat’s cheese with a vegan soft cheese and the yoghurt with a plant-based yoghurt.

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Baked fennel, watermelon and goat’s cheese summer salad

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