Autumn Vegetable Salad With Saffron Dressing

• Prep : 35 mins
• Cook : 15 mins

Indulge in the exquisite flavors of this magnificent autumn salad, perfect as a delightful accompaniment to your dinner party. This enticing dish showcases a vibrant combination of carrots, courgette, broccoli, tomatoes, and olives, all beautifully dressed with a saffron-infused vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 12 rainbow carrots, tops left on, washed and peeled
• 1 medium courgette, sliced
• 8 stalks long-stem broccoli, any thick stalks halved lengthways
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 100g mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced at an angle
• 3 plum tomatoes, scored, blanched, peeled, deseeded, and cut into small pieces
• handful of black olives, stoned and sliced
• ½ cucumber, cut lengthways, seeds removed and sliced at the angle
• 3 tbsp roughly chopped basil

For the Dressing

• 20ml cider vinegar
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• pinch saffron strands
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 50ml extra virgin rapeseed oil
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped

Method

1. STEP 1: Prepare your griddle pan by heating it over medium-high heat. Take a generous mixing bowl and combine the carrots, courgettes, and broccoli. Give them a gentle seasoning and toss them together with a drizzle of rapeseed oil. Once the griddle pan is hot and ready, add the vegetables in small batches and allow them to char slightly for approximately 3-4 minutes. Once charred to perfection, transfer them back to the mixing bowl. When all the vegetables have acquired their delightful charred marks, introduce the remaining salad ingredients to the bowl. Toss everything together meticulously and set it aside for later enjoyment.
2. STEP 2: In a bowl, whisk vinegar, mustard, saffron, sugar, and a pinch of salt until the sugar dissolves. Gradually whisk in oil, then add shallots. Dress salad and serve.