Roasted asparagus salad with wild rocket and balsamic-braised nectarines

If I had to pick a favourite season, it would most definitely be spring: not just because you can finally have outdoor-events without freezing your nose of again, but also because a whole lot of delicious fruits and vegetables are in season – just like asparagus. I am especially a fan of green asparagus with its savoury yet mild flavour that works perfectly in a wide range of dishes. This salad is a perfect quick lunch or dinner that you can prepare in less than 15 minutes – and you won’t even have to prepare the dressing for it! The oil from roasting the asparagus and the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar from the braised nectarines will combine to a perfectly delicious dressing that will have you wanting to lick your plate clean. (Believe me, I’ve been there.) You can of course swap a peach for the nectarine – I just used what I could get at my local market. 

Spicy chickpea salad with wild rocket and dried tomatoes

Summer has finally arrived and with the long hot days, my motivtion to actually cook something has magically disappeared – mainly because I don’t want my flat to get any hotter than it already is. So cold food it is! Light summer salads are a just perfect for this weather, you have all your ingredients in you fridge or pantry an need no more than 5 minutes to create a crisp and delicious meal. This salad here is actualy a bit more filling, so you can also pack it for uni or your job and don’t need any additional bread or anything. The chickpeas and dried tomatoes are simply a great combination, and addding wild rocket just gives it a nice, fresh crunsh. I went for a quite spicy dressing based on harrisa for this, so it is a nice change from any oil- or yoghurt-based salads. Just be careful not to add to much harissa, or you salad will end up far from being cool…

Pasta with wild rocket goat cheese sauce

Wild rocket is one of my favourites in summer – it’s peppery taste works perfect combined with fruits or cheese in salads and with some leaves you can simply jazz up every sandwich. But it also works in other dishes than salad. This dish combines wild rocket with mild goat cheese for a perfect pasta sauce – go try yourself!

Wild rocket salad with mozzarella and strawberries

Just in case I haven’t mentioned it before: I LOVE strawberries. I could eat nothing but strawberries for three days without complaining. But if you know The Uni Cookbook, then you know that I also like to experiment with different tastes and flavours, so I tried to mix some sweet strawberries with peppery wild rocket and mild mozzarella. The spicy-sweet-and-mild combination is also mirrored in the dressing. To cut a long story short: simply delicious!

Lemon spaghetti with wild rocket

You need:

• 80g spaghetti (wholemeal or “normal”)
• 20 g wild rocket
• 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 talbespoon of parmesan
• 1/2 chili pepper (or less if you want it less spicy)
• garlic
• salt
• pepper

Cook the spaghetti until done. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and gently roast the garlic and the chopped chili pepper (be careful with the heat, burned garlic gets a very bitter taste). Shortly before the spaghetti are done, mix the lemon juice with the oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Finally drain the spaghetti and mix it with the wild rocket. Top with the grated parmesan.

Italian salad with wild rocket

You need:

• 30g wild rocket
• 1-2 tomatoes
• 60g mozzarella
• some leaves of fresh basil
• a few green olives
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• a pinch of sugar
• salt
• pepper

Wash the wild rocket and cut the tomatoes and mozzarella in cubes. Prepare a dressing from the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and the spices. Arrange the wild rocket, basil, tomatoes and mozzarella on a plate and sprinkle the dressing over it. Top with the olives. Serve with some fresh ciabatta or other bread.

Note: If you don’t have mozzarella in the fridge, try to use another cheese. Feta, brie or camenbert work great as well!