Grilled Veggies Salad

If you are looking for a simple yet extravagant side dish to go with the meat (or in fact just to eat on its own as a light lunch) do not go further. It has all summer has to give. The fragrance, the colors and last but not least the scrumptious taste.

This recipe could not be more simple. Various veggies, part of them grilled, beans blanched the rest left raw, with a basil and lemon dressing poured over and topped with feta cheese and olives. That’s it.

Step 1: Ingredients

3 corns on the hob - in their husks

3-4 small zucchini

2 handfuls of tomatoes (mid-sized ones and cherry tomatoes)

150 g green beans (I got these funny looking beans at least half a meter long but haricot beans are just as good)

1 red pepper

green salad of your choice (I used rocket and nasturtium leaves)

onions (I used green and red onions)

feta cheese

chili threads or flakes

black olives

2 peaches

edible flowers for decoration (I used nasturtium, borage and marigold flowers)

for the dressing:

juice of 1 lemon

70ml extra virgin olive oil

a bunch of fresh basil

salt and pepper

tools:

grill

sharp knife

saucepan

cutting board

blender

bowls

Step 2: Make the Dressing

Prepare the basil: remove the leaves from the stem, put them in a bowl, add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend. You may strain your dressing but I think that the small bits of basil actually make it better.

Step 3: Blanche the Beans

Bean-time, dead easy:

1. Pour water (about a liter) into a saucepan, bring it to boil.

2. Wash the beans.

3. Cut them into bite-sized pieces.

4. Put them into the boiling water for 2 minutes.

5. Help them cool completely right away by putting the beans in a sieve under cold running water or over ice.

Step 4: Cook the Corn

Put the corns into the microwave in their husk, sprinkle them with water and microwave them at 1000 W for 5 minutes. Remove the husk and silk. Cut the corn into 3-4 cms parts. In fact, cutting can be done either before or after grilling - as seen in the pictures.

Step 5: Prepping Other Veggies for Grilling

Slice zucchinis into 8-10 mm thick slices.

Wash and dry red pepper and mid-sized tomatoes.

Step 6: Grilling

Prepare your grill. When the fire's ready, place the corns on the grid, cook, turning once in a while until charred. Add the zucchini, the red pepper and finally, the tomatoes. Somehow tomatoes escaped being photographed, so you just have to believe me. They were there.

Step 7: Raw Stuff

Finely chop the onions and peel the peaches, cut it into cubes.

Step 8: Red Pepper

Remove the skin, slice it.

Step 9: Assembly

Combine everything cooked or grilled (corn, zucchini, red pepper, tomatoes, beans) and everything raw (onions, green salads, cherry tomatoes, peach) in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over.

Step 10: Finally!

Top with olives, feta cut into cubes, chili threads, and edible flowers. The most colorful and savoury summer salad I ever made.