There used to be a comedy show called Seinfeld on television that my younger brothers and I tuned into every week. It was promoted as a show about “nothing” whereas I liked to think of it as a show about EVERYTHING! The four main characters had an interesting and usually humorous perspective about the people, places, events and objects that would pop up in the course of their daily lives. 

The show made me laugh. Out loud and still many years later after it had finished screening. In fact, there are lines and scenes that I have told my children about because they relate to our daily routine and even the six year old chuckles as she hears them retold. 


The central female character was called Elaine and she had a fair few obsessive traits. One of them was food, or more specifically particular foods she liked to eat, including salad. Now it could not be any ordinary salad, it had to be a bowlful of greens called a “Big Salad”. I remember one episode where the diner – they ate in diners a lot, never actually cooked up a meal in their home kitchens – didn’t have a “Big Salad” on their menu. The harassed looking waitress suggested Elaine orders two salads and then simply combines them at the table. Elaine was aghast! What no “Big Salad”, combine two little ones – whatever was she going to eat? 

This is my version of a “Big Salad” – I call it my Big Beautiful Salad – which Elaine would have surely engulfed with enthusiasm. Packed with seven freshly sliced vegetables, plump olives and a generous slab of Greek feta, it could be a light meal on its own. A light, tangy dressing drizzled over the top particularly complimented the plump grilled salmon tails hot off the plate from our local fishmonger, Ocean Foods. Even the most stubborn non-salad eater in your family would find this salad tempting with its colourful ingredients, varied textures and mouthful of flavour. 

This salad and the salmon really hit the spot with everyone in my family this evening, who had ample appetites even after the home cooked food dished up throughout the day. It started with a batch of baking for breakfast this morning – fluffy scones straight from the oven with warm strawberry jam and vanilla bean cream, served alongside a seasonal fruit salad. I also put a large pot of my Napoletana sauce loaded with fresh basil, zucchini and mushrooms on to simmer. Some of the sauce was ladled over spinach filled ravioli for lunch and the remainder frozen for a rainy day.

Big Beautiful Salad to serve 8 – 10 people

Wash and dry all your vegetables prior to peeling and chopping. It makes the preparation process faster and cleaner. 

Ingredients

1 x iceberg lettuce dried in a salad spinner then sliced into thick strips.
2 x Lebanese cucumbers – I like to leave some of the skin on to create a stripy effect which also aids digestion. Slice into long, thick batons.
1 large carrot – use a potato peeler to slice off long thin strips which can then be cut into thirds.
1 – 2 long sticks of celery – peel the outside to remove any fibrous strings
1/2 fennel bulb with green fronds – remove the outer layer, then slice into super thin pieces using either a sharp knife or potato peeler. 
1 x punnet sweet grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 x large avocado – cut into chunky slices
150 g of olives – I used creamy green Sicilian olives, but Kalamata olives work just as well.
200 – 200 g Greek feta cut into 2 cm cubes

Gently toss all of the ingredients together, with the exception of the avocado and feta, into a large, wide salad bowl. Dot the avocado and feta over the top. 

Just before serving drizzle over the dressing or provide this in a separate small jug for diners to add as they please. Small children often prefer the crunchy salad without dressing so the side option works well in this case. 

Fresh and Tangy Dressing
Ingredients
2 x tablespoons verjuice
Juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
good grind of sea salt and black pepper

Place all ingredients into a screw top jar and shake vigorously. Pour over the salad or into a serving jug.