A date with arugula and blue cheese salad

In my world, a salad has to be spectacular, the freshest of greens and vegetables, the brightest of colours and a delicious splash of flavour. This is one of those salads.

This is a contemporary Middle Eastern twist on the famed Waldorf salad. It pairs bitterness with greens, beautifully complemented by sweet vinaigrette, crunchy walnuts and dates, and pungent blue cheese. The flavours pair well, making this a rich salad that is a favourite with my guests. This is a salad I can make every day. As a note, I always use Medjool dates, they are richer, softer and more delicious than the other varieties I have tried.

This is a wonderful cookbook that I do not cook from enough. The flavours are spectacular, and not all recipes are as demanding as this one. It highlights the region's cuisine, featuring well-written recipes and stunning photographs. Palomar restaurant in London is a go-to destination for modern Middle Eastern cuisine. It is on my bucket list.

For more recipes from this fantastic cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the caramelised walnuts:

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup walnut halves

For the citrus vinaigrette:

2 small garlic cloves. minced finely

1/2 cup orange juice

Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon

1 tablespoon date syrup

1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard

Salt, to taste

4 tablespoons oil

For the salad:

4 cups chicory or arugula

1 small head of red cabbage or radicchio, thinly sliced

1 Granny Smith apple

6-7 Medjool dates, pitted and cut into quarters longitudinally

4 oz. Blue cheese

Salt, to taste

Heat a large frying pan with the sugar. The sugar will melt naturally; do not move or shake the pan to form a light syrup. Cook the syrup until it turns a dark caramel, but do not burn it. Remove from the stove and add the walnuts, tossing them well with a spatula. Let the mix cool slightly and remove the walnuts in single pieces onto a silicone sheet or parchment paper to cool completely. Note: the walnuts will not be entirely coated with sugar, but that is okay. Store in an air-tight container.

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing well. Allow to sit for 1 hour for the flavours to come together.

To serve the salad. Layer an individual-sized bowl with the green and toss some of the red cabbage on top. Cut the apple into thin slices and place on top. Add 2-3 slivers of the data on top. Add a thin slice of blue cheese to the centre. Drizzle with two tablespoons of dressing and salt and scatter the walnuts. Serve immediately with extra dressing on the side.