With the focus almost always on main dishes, the rest of the meal is often an after-thought and can fall short on 'wow factor'. The three Canada Day salads from ACE Bakery contain some unexpected ingredients to surprise the palate, yet remain quick to make and are guaranteed to kick Canada Day menus up a notch, making them instant entertaining hits.

As ACE Bakery co-founder and cookbook author, Linda Haynes puts it, "The hardest things to find are great salads for that summertime BBQ. The standard meats and fish are easy to select, but salads with a little pizzazz can be a real struggle. These recipes really take the meal to an extraordinary level without a whole lot of effort."

Each one notably playing up one or both of Canada's colours - white and red - and with ACE artisan breads as their perfect complement, guests are sure to be impressed this Canada Day by any of these three recipes.

Summer Radish, Cucumber and Italian Parsley Salad
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients
1 English cucumber
10 to 12 radishes
½ bunch fresh Italian parsley, large stalks removed, about 3 loose cups (720 mL)
3 Tbsp (45 mL) minced fresh chives
¾ cup (180 mL) coarsely crumbled feta
½ tsp (2.5 mL) granulated sugar
½ tsp (2.5 mL) kosher salt
1½ Tbsp (22.5 mL) white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. Cut the flesh into 1/4- to 1/2-inch (6-mm to 1.2-cm) cubes and place in a serving bowl.

Wash and thinly slice the radishes and add to the cucumber along with the parsley, chives, and 1/2 cup (120 mL) feta.

In a small bowl, stir the sugar and salt into the vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in the oil and the pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning -- it should be light in taste with a slightly pronounced vinegary tang.

Toss the vinaigrette into the salad, top with the remaining feta, and serve immediately.

© Adapted from the More from ACE Bakery cookbook.

Potato Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomato in a Caper Mayonnaise
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
2½ lbs (1.1 kg) white potatoes, peeled and halved (cut them into 1- to 1½-inch [2.5- to 3.8-cm] cubes if you're in a hurry)
2 ears of corn, shucked
1 large handful of green beans, cleaned and washed
4 Roma tomatoes
¾ cup (180 mL) good store-bought mayonnaise
1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped capers
2 to 3 Tbsp (30 to 45 mL) finely chopped fresh chives
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Instructions
Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked through. Drain, and cool. Cut in cubes, and place in a serving bowl.

Cut the corn off the cob and blanch in boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, and shock in cold water. Drain again and add to the potatoes.

Boil the beans in salted water until cooked through. Drain, shock in cold water, and drain again. Add to the serving bowl.

Cut the tomatoes; remove the seeds and all the insides. Cut the outside flesh into ¼-inch (.6-cm) slices and add to the serving bowl.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the dill, capers, and chives. Add the lemon juice until the mayonnaise has a bright citrus flavor and has thinned considerably. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon over the vegetables and toss.

Cover and keep in the refrigerator until 15 minutes before serving.

© Adapted from The ACE Bakery Cookbook.

Minted Zucchini and Almond Salad
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
¼ cup (60 mL) almond slivers, not flakes
5 medium, unpeeled zucchini, washed and stemmed
1 Tbsp (15 mL) rice vinegar
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp. (20 mL) safflower oil
¾ tsp (4 mL) lemon zest
2 tsp (10 mL) finely chopped fresh mint
Large pinch kosher salt
Pinch granulated sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp (10 mL) finely minced green onion
1/8 tsp (.5 mL) chili powder (optional)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and toast the almonds on a baking sheet for 5 minutes or until golden.

Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini in paper-thin slices, lengthwise. Shock the zucchini slices in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until just softened. They will become flexible. Immediately plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process, and, once cool, drain and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, lemon zest, mint, salt, sugar, and pepper, and whisk together to make the dressing.

Gently toss the zucchini, almonds, and green onions in a serving bowl. Pour the dressing over the mixture and toss again. Sprinkle with chili powder, if using.

© Adapted from the More from ACE Bakery cookbook.

Photo of the "Summer Radish, Cucumber and Italian Parsley Salad" by Doug Bradshaw.

For more information, contact Philippe Gaudet, 416/241-3600 x341, pgaudet@acebakery.com.


  Send this article to a friend.

  previous article   |   next article