Savour: Salads for all Seasons

Thistles and Kiwis

It is summer here in the southern hemisphere, though to be frank we have been having a bit of what I call a ‘Scottish summer’ (ie rubbish) until the past few days. Our seasonal holidays are over, and we are back at work, and with our plan to eat a bit more healthily than we did at the end of 2024 (work travel was partly to blame I say) we are enjoying vegetables, grains, stone fruit and berries, along with lean meats and fish.

So for Jo’s BKD Bookclub this month I am turning to an old favourite of mine which always offers up inspiration, Peter Gordon’s Savour. I have made a number of things from this book over the years from the patty-pan squash, roast olives and potato dish, to chickpeas with feta and spicy red onions to the minted baby potatoes with peas and crème fraîche. We also ate in his recently closed restaurant in Auckland, Homeland, back in 2021, and had the good fortune to meet him while we were waiting for a taxi. What a charming, warm and lovely man he is.

So to the book, full of salads of all sorts for all seasons. If you like reading a cook book as much as cooking from it, then you will probably enjoy this. The descriptions ring out as much as the fresh ingredients. For this post I decided to make the bulgur, grilled carrots and broccoli, capers, pecan and lemon salad which we had with chicken. I do love a grain based salad, and leftovers make a perfect office lunch.

You can see from the picture above this is not the first time I have made this, with splashes of something showing this is a well used book. I used miniature carrots of three different colours this time around, and was able to find some tender-stem broccoli this week.

You can put the bulgur on to soak while preparing the vegetables, which each are cooked for a minute in boiling water, before being tossed in olive oil than further cooked on a cast-iron or heve based pan. I have an old Le Creuset one that is perfect for this job. Once cooked, toss with pomegranate molasses, lemon and olive oil.

Add the toasted and roughly chopped pecans, mint, and capers to the bulgur, and mix well before topping with the vegetables. This is a lovely, fresh and tasty dish, which could be made in any season. So simple, yet bursting with flavours and goodness. The recipe can be found here.

Just a side note for: I have a couple of cook books that I enjoy by Molly Baz, who some of you may follow on YouTube or Instagram. If you do, then you will have seen that her home was burned down in the recent fires in Los Angeles. She, her husband (designer Ben Willett), dog and child are all safe, but obviously their lives are totally disrupted. If you are a fan of hers, then consider signing up for her news letter and club.

Entered in the cook book challenge hosted by Jo of Brookford Kitchen Diaries. Next month is ‘seasonal eating’ which for me means summer. I have a couple of ideas in mind….let’s see what I decide.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis.

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

39 Comments

  1. I’m really glad you chose this book. It’s one that I own but, I’m ashamed to say, have not yet cooked from. You’ve inspired me to do so.

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  9. That looks delicious! I used to eat bulgur often, but somehow forgot how much I liked it, thanks for the reminder. I eat grilled vegetables from my garden (now in the freezer) as the main dish at least one day a week, and several days I eat them steamed as a side dish. On lazy days I grab a handful of sprouts that I sprout on the kitchen counter as a side.

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  18. The salad looks delicious, colorful, and healthy! This post inspires me to check out reading cook books. I haven’t done so…maybe a new reading genre for me. Have a great rest of the weekend. 🙂

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