Griddled cucumber, asparagus & feta salad

Name: Griddled cucumber, asparagus & feta salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 Essential Cucumber, halved lengthways, cut into chunks; 2 x 230g packs asparagus, woody ends trimmed, then cut into short lengths; 250 g Merchant Gourmet Glorious Grains; 1 preserved lemon, pulp discarded, rind finely chopped; 4 sprigs mint, leaves chopped, plus a few little leaves to serve; ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil; ½ Essential Lemon, juice; 1 small clove garlic, crushed; 40 g Essential Greek Feta

Griddling cucumber totally reinvents it and brings a wonderful smoky sweetness to this salad. It also works really well in salsas.

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VegetarianHealthySource of fibre2 of your 5 a day

Serves2
CourseLunch
Prepare10 mins
Cook15 mins
Total time25 mins

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Ingredients

1 Essential Cucumber, halved lengthways, cut into chunks
2 x 230g packs asparagus, woody ends trimmed, then cut into short lengths
250g Merchant Gourmet Glorious Grains
1 preserved lemon, pulp discarded, rind finely chopped
4 sprigs mint, leaves chopped, plus a few little leaves to serve
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ Essential Lemon, juice
1 small clove garlic, crushed
40g Essential Greek Feta

Method

Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Add the cucumber and griddle, turning occasionally, until well charred. Allow the cucumber to cool a little before chopping into smaller chunks. Boil the asparagus for about 2 minutes, until just tender, then drain and place onto a tray lined with kitchen paper to dry.
Heat the pack of grains in the microwave for 40 seconds. Add them to a large bowl, along with the preserved lemon rind, mint, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Season well and gently toss together.
Gently fold the asparagus and cucumber into the grains. Transfer the salad to a platter, crumble over the feta and scatter with a few extra mint leaves to serve.

Cook’s tip

Make sure you adjust the asparagus cooking time based on its thickness. If in doubt, under-do it a little as it will continue to cook as it cools. And don’t waste those trimmed asparagus ends – keep them for making stock for soups and sauces.