Seasonal
Flower Garden Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Lightly bitter nanohana (rapeseed blossoms) with a honey mustard dressing, layered with red onion, mixed beans and baby leaves like a spring flower bed. The dressing is just stirred together.
- Serves
- Serves 2
- Time
- About 10 minutes
Ingredients
- Nanohana (rapeseed blossoms; or broccoli rabe)4 stems
- Red onion1/8
- Mixed beans, cooked40 g
- Baby salad leaves10 g (about 1 cup)
Honey mustard dressing
- Wholegrain mustard1 tbsp
- Honey1 tbsp
- Lemon juice1 tbsp
- Olive oil1 tbsp
- Soy sauce1/2 tbsp
Method
- Trim the tough ends of the nanohana and blanch for about 30 seconds in salted water (salt not listed). Cool in cold water, squeeze out the water well and cut into 1 cm lengths. Set aside a few flowers to decorate.
- Cut the red onion into 1 cm squares. If it tastes too sharp, soak it in water for about 5 minutes and drain.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl until the honey dissolves.
- Arrange the baby leaves, nanohana, red onion and beans on a plate and top with the reserved flowers. Pour over the dressing just before eating.
Tips
- Overcooked nanohana lose their colour and bite. Blanch briefly and cool in cold water. Tender tips can also be eaten raw.
- The dressing suits the slight bitterness of the nanohana. Add it just before serving so the leaves stay crisp.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup to make it fully plant-based.
- Use any beans you like, such as chickpeas or lentils.
- The dressing keeps for about 3 days in the fridge.
Scatter the yellow nanohana flowers and red onion over the plate, as if making a small flower garden.
First published in ELLE gourmet (Japan).
