Beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, pumpkin, Brussell sprouts... almost anything can go into an autumnal salad, says Chrissie Lahood from Big Fig, the Wanaka cafe famous for hearty salads and slow cooked food served up fast.
She shares two recipes inspired by her Middle Eastern heritage – Freaky Beets and Roasted Vegetable Fattoush.
Freaky Beets is a salad made with freekeh (a roasted young green wheat with a smoky flavour), roasted beetroot, walnut and feta.
Roasted Vegetable Fattoush is a seasonal take on the classic fattoush salad which replaces tomatoes, cucumbers and pepper with Brussels sprouts, anchovies and capers.
Chrissie's salad tips
The most important element of a salad is the dressing, Chrissie says.
Some of the Big Fig dressings have 16 ingredients.
"You can have a four-ingredient salad, but if it's got a banging dressing you're good to go."
At Big Fig, they use "tonnes of fresh herbs" – mostly mint, parsley and coriander.
Although testing can get a bit tiresome, lemon zest and orange really kick things up in a salad, Chrissie says.
"Don't just use the juice, chuck the zest in, as well."
Rocket and spinach are good go-to leaves for a salad you're not going to eat right away.
A lot of other leaves will start looking sad an hour after they're dressed, she says.
And finally – "I live by 'everything's better with fetta'".
Recipes:
