Gill says: “Like most vegetables, cauliflower is delicious raw as well as cooked. Lots of people like to whiz up cauliflower florets in a food processor, which gives them a fine, grain-like texture, a little like couscous or bulgur wheat. But sometimes it’s nice to let the little florets have a bit more of a say, and as it turns out, they have a lot to talk about. In this salad I’m tumbling the cauli together with Puy lentils, celery and apples before binding them up in a lightly curried mayonnaise. I like to add a few raisins for extra sweetness and some rocket for its peppery hit.”

Ingredients

• 100g Puy lentils, rinsed
• 1 cauliflower
• 4–5 tender celery stalks, cut into 1cm slices
• 2 dessert apples, quartered, cored and cut into 1cm slices
• 75g raisins
• 3 tbsp cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 2 heaped tsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp chopped lovage leaves (optional)
• 2 handfuls of rocket leaves
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Put the lentils in a medium pan, cover with plenty of salted water and set over a high heat. Bring up to the simmer, then cook for 18–25 minutes, until the lentils have softened but retain some bite. Drain them, then leave them in the colander and allow the steam to evaporate.

Cut the cauliflower florets away from the thicker stalks. Then continue to divide the florets until you end up with little tiny ones. As you do this you’ll need to trim back some of the stem each time. Place the mini florets in a bowl and add the celery, apple, raisins and cooled lentils, along with one tablespoon of the vinegar and one tablespoon of the olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper and tumble everything together. Set aside for 30 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, make a dressing by combining the mayonnaise and yoghurt with the curry powder, lovage (if using) and the remaining oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and stir thoroughly to combine. (Or, put the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake.)

Spoon half the dressing over the cauliflower and apple mixture and tumble everything together. Then, scatter in the rocket leaves and tumble again. Turn out the salad into a large salad bowl or onto a platter, dot over the remaining dressing and serve.

From Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower by Gill Meller (Quadrille, £27), out now

Trine says: “Brussels sprouts are called rosenkål in Danish, meaning ‘rose cabbage’… My apologies, but it’s a much better name, because this little green cabbage is perfectly created; layer by layer the leaves close around the centre just like the petals of a rose. What a shame that so many families and school canteen cooks have boiled this miniature cabbage to death, serving it brownish-yellow and smelling like hell. That is not the fault of the Brussels sprout. Cooked correctly – by which I mean fried quickly and intensely – they reveal a sweet and slightly bitter flavour that is quite addictive; I can’t stop eating them. Eaten raw, sprouts have a fresh, green and nutty taste that is perfect with apples or pomegranate. Or separate the leaves and just toss them in a bit of vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper. Or borrow some Middle Eastern flavours, as I do here.”

Ingredients

• 50g cashew nuts
• 150g Brussels sprouts
• 150g curly kale, coarse ribs removed
• 125g feta cheese
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp sumac
• sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Set a small dry frying pan over a medium heat and fry the cashews, stirring, until they turn a shade darker and smell toasted. Tip out on to a plate and leave to cool, then chop.

Slice the sprouts, chop the kale leaves roughly, and put them both in a large bowl. Crumble the feta and mix it with the greens.

Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together and fold into the salad with the chopped cashew nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with the sumac. Serve right away.

From Scandinavian Green by Trine Hahnemann (Quadrille, £26), out now 

Gill says: “Cooking has lots to do with confidence. When I’m teaching people to cook, I always encourage them to have a go at new combinations or experiment with ingredients they might not have used before. When I talk about a specific ingredient, I always try to describe, in words, how it tastes. I try to describe its texture and how it makes me feel when I eat it, and sometimes I explain the memories and associations I have with it. This salad whisks me back to an English vineyard, after the last harvest. I made it for all the pickers, with grapes straight from the vine and celeriac from the farm next door.”

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1/2 small or  1/4 larger celeriac, peeled
• 2 dessert apples, quartered, cored and cut into thin wedges
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• a couple of handfuls of red grapes
• 75g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
• 2 thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
• 2 tsp runny honey
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place a dry frying pan on a medium heat. Add the sunflower seeds and cook, stirring regularly, for a few minutes, until the seeds are toasted and fragrant. Set aside.

Using a large, sharp knife, cut the celeriac into thin matchsticks. There is no right or wrong way to do this – it takes time, but the more you practise, the more likely you are to devise your own effective technique. You can, of course, use a mandoline fitted with a matchstick-slicing blade, but these sinister contraptions can be unnerving. You can also, I have seen, get clever vegetable peelers that produce neat, ready-to-go matchsticks with each drag over the veg. Clever stuff.

Toss the celeriac matchsticks with the apple wedges, half the olive oil and half the lemon juice, and season with some salt and pepper. This dresses the components, but also prevents the apple and celeriac from browning. 

Choose a large serving platter or four individual starter plates. Scatter the apple and celeriac mixture equally over the plate(s), followed by the grapes, crumbled cheese and toasted seeds. Sprinkle over the thyme leaves.

Trickle over the runny honey, spritz with the remaining lemon juice and trickle over the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the table.

From Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower by Gill Meller (Quadrille, £27), out now

Ben says: “This one-pan, creamy spiced grain bowl, which also happens to be vegan, is going to become your Monday night regular. A casual little freshie.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500g courgettes
• 1 lemon
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 2–3 tbsp harissa paste, plus extra to serve if you like
• 3 x 250g pouches of pre-cooked mixed grains
• 1 bunch fresh dill
• olive oil
• salt and black pepper

Get ready

• sharp knife
• chopping board
• large frying pan (skillet)
• garlic crusher
• wooden spoon
• tablespoon
• small bowl
• spoon
• large serving dish
• 4 serving bowls

Method

Thinly slice the courgettes into half-moon shapes. Cut the lemon in half.

Get a frying pan over a high heat and drizzle in a good glug of olive oil. Chuck in the courgettes. Crush in the unpeeled garlic cloves. Fry, stirring occasionally, for five minutes until the courgettes are softened and slightly charred.

Meanwhile, put the tahini in a small bowl and squeeze in the juice from the lemon halves. Stir, then slowly mix in enough warm water to make the dressing a thick drizzling consistency. (Adding the lemon juice may make the tahini seize up at first, but when you add the water it will turn smooth.) Season with salt and pepper.

Back to the courgettes. Add the harissa paste to taste. Squeeze the unopened grain pouches with your hands to break up the grains, then open and tip them into the pan along with a splash of water. Stir and leave to heat through while you chop the dill.

Stir the chopped dill through the grain mixture, season to taste with salt and pepper and pile onto a large serving dish. Drizzle over the tahini dressing and serve with extra harissa, if you like.

Speed hack:
Make the tahini dressing while the courgettes are frying so that they have time to get nicely charred, and crush the garlic cloves into the pan with their skins on.

From Speedy MOB: 12-minute meals for 4 people by Ben Lebus of MOB Kitchen (£14.99, Pavilion Books), out now

Kylee says: “Sometimes, it’s simplicity I crave. Simple flavour combinations to get me through the day. I love hearty root vegetables, and for a healthier take on comfort food Puy lentils are my go-to. This may be a common go-to for you, too: roasted beetroot and squash, a bit of creamy feta chucked in for good measure, rocket (arugula) for a peppery punch… However, this time try it with a sharp twist to the plot and add the pickled beetroot you made up weeks ago. It doesn’t even need a dressing, just a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of quality olive oil and a good season with salt and pepper. You’ll end up adding pickled beetroot to all your salads.”

Serves 2–4

Ingredients

• 300g Puy lentils, or green speckled lentils, rinsed
• 600ml vegetable stock
• 500g butternut squash, skin on, cut into wedges 2cm thick
• 3 tbsp light olive oil, or rapeseed or vegetable oil
• 1 large red onion, cut into thick wedges
• 60g pickled beetroot, cut into wedges/chunks
• 60g feta cheese, crumbled
• 30–40g rocket leaves, or fresh tarragon leaves
• juice of 1 lemon
• about 3 tbsp good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 heaped tbsp pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.

Combine the lentils and stock in a large saucepan, cover with the lid, and bring to the boil over a medium–high heat. This should take seven to eight minutes. Reduce the heat and keep at a steady simmer with the lid ajar for 15–20 minutes. Remove the lid for the last five minutes of cooking time to evaporate the remaining water. The lentils should be cooked but with a slight bite, so test them along the way – you don’t want mushy lentils in the salad.

Meanwhile, place the butternut squash in a large roasting pan and drizzle over the light olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper and use your hands to toss, coating the squash evenly. Bake in the middle of the oven for eight to 10 minutes.

Remove the squash from the oven and turn the pieces over, then toss in the onion wedges, coating them with some of the cooking oils. Bake for a further 10–12 minutes or until cooked.

Remove the squash and onions from the oven and let rest for 6–7 minutes. If necessary, drain any excess water from the cooked lentils then gently toss them through the baked vegetables. Toss through the pickled beetroot, feta and rocket.

Serve on a large plate, drizzled with the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with the toasted pumpkin seeds.

Notes

• Use pickled radish, pickled carrot or pickled red (bell) peppers as a substitute for the beetroot. Or if you find you don’t have any of these pickles in stock, just add any of your favourite vegetables to the roasting pan instead.
• You can also try this salad without the butternut squash and shred some grilled (broiled) salmon or trout through instead – mix it up a bit.

From The Modern Preserver’s Kitchen by Kylee Newton (Quadrille, £22), out now