The New York City-based food writer is on a mission to expand people’s ideas about what salad can be.
Hetty McKinnon has dedicated her career to reimagining salads, a mission that began with her bike-powered food delivery service, Arthur Street Kitchen, in Sydney in 2011. It’s no surprise, then, that she has strong opinions on the topic.
In her latest cookbook, Linger, McKinnon challenges conventional thinking. “Society, even the food industry, often places limitations on what a salad is and can be,” she writes. “Since Arthur Street Kitchen, my mission has been to expand everyone’s imagination by showing them the limitless possibilities of salad.”
Her first and most important rule is simple: Salads don’t always need leaves. McKinnon explains that in the hundreds of recipes she’s created, leaves are rarely the main ingredient. Instead, she uses them primarily to “add freshness and lightness”.
Here are three recipes from Linger that rewrite the rules about what salad can be.
Roslyn Grundy, Good Food recipe editor
Whole roasted cauliflower with a mountain of dill
The inspiration for this whole roasted cauliflower comes from an unlikely source – the “green devils” (devilled eggs topped with dill oil, a heap of fresh dill and optional-but-not-optional hot sauce) at Brooklyn restaurant Agi’s Counter. It is a spectacular mouthful.
I took elements of this dish and applied them to a whole roasted cauliflower, one of my favourite ways of cooking this sweet brassica. While it takes longer than roasting florets, it requires virtually no preparation, and I love how charred and crispy the exterior gets while the interior stays soft and creamy.
The dill oil is a cheffy move, I admit, but it is pleasingly refined, almost like a dill-infused essence that rains magic over the dish – though you can skip this part of the recipe if you like. The whole cauliflower is then buried under a mountain of fresh dill, which is mandatory because dill is the power move that makes this vegan and gluten-free dish unforgettable.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 head of cauliflower (about 900g)
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
- 60g (¼ cup) tahini
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (from ½ small lemon)
- 30g (1 cup) chopped dill
- hot sauce, Tabasco or chilli oil, to serve
Dill oil (optional)
- 30g (1 cup) dill
- 80ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
- If you’re making the oil, place the dill and olive oil in a high-speed blender or small food processor. Blitz until it is as smooth as you can get it. Transfer the mixture to a jar and leave it for 2 hours at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge). Strain it through cheesecloth or a very fine sieve, squeezing the cloth or pressing down onto the dill with the back of a spoon to extract as much oil as possible. Transfer the oil to a clean jar and discard the dill sediment.
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
- Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and trim the stem so it can sit flat. Place the cauliflower on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 50-70 minutes, until the cauliflower is golden and tender all the way through – you can test by inserting a bamboo skewer through the centre core and if it goes in easily, it is ready (the exact cooking time will depend on the size of your cauliflower, so check regularly).
- Combine the tahini, garlic and lemon juice with 2-3 tablespoons of water and whisk until smooth and pourable. Season with ½ teaspoon of sea salt and a big pinch of black pepper.
- To serve, drizzle the tahini all over the cauliflower and add drops of the dill oil, if using (use as much or as little as you like). Top with the dill and a few drops of hot sauce, Tabasco or chilli oil.
Serves 4
Cauliflower larb
Larb is originally from Laos but is also popular in the north-eastern and northern regions of Thailand. Traditionally a meat salad seasoned with fresh herbs, this vegan version features finely chopped cauliflower which soaks up the spicy, citrusy sauce like a sponge.
The ground rice is a traditional addition, and while it may seem fussy at first, it takes only 5 minutes and transforms the texture of the dish, adding a lovely aroma and nuttiness while also thickening the sauce. You can skip it if you’re short on time. I’ve served the larb with lettuce leaves for a light salad, but you could eat it with sticky rice (or regular rice) for a more substantial meal.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp glutinous (sticky) or jasmine rice
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- ½ medium cauliflower (about 450g), chopped into small florets
- sea salt
- 1 lemongrass stem, outer layer removed and tender stem finely chopped
- 1 eschalot (Asian shallot), halved and thinly sliced
- 4 makrut lime leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 cup mixed Asian herbs, such as mint, Thai basil, basil, coriander, chopped spring onion
- thinly sliced red chilli, to serve
- crispy fried shallots or onions (store-bought is fine), to serve
- 1 lettuce, such as butter, oak or cos, core removed and leaves separated
- handful of Asian leaves, such as perilla or shiso, to serve (optional)
Spicy lime dressing
- 80ml (⅓ cup) lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- ½ tsp red chilli flakes or ½–1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
METHOD
- Make the spicy lime dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisking until the sugar is dissolved.
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the rice and stir constantly until golden with a nutty aroma, 3-4 minutes. Use a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or small blender to grind the rice until it is a coarse powder (you don’t want it too fine; some texture is nice). Set aside. Wipe out the pan for the cauliflower.
- Place the pan back over medium-high heat. Drizzle with the oil and add the cauliflower, seasoning with sea salt. Stir for 5-6 minutes, until the cauliflower has softened slightly, then add the lemongrass and eschalot and cook until the cauliflower is tender and starting to turn golden in parts, another 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
- To the cauliflower mixture, add the dressing, rice powder, makrut lime leaves, herbs and about 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Taste and add more sea salt if needed.
- You can serve this dish two ways. Place the cauliflower larb, chilli and crispy fried shallots or onions into separate bowls; arrange the lettuce, shiso or perilla (if using) on a large platter and place the bowls around the leaves. Alternatively, layer the lettuce with the shiso or perilla leaves (if using), then spoon the larb into the leaves, garnishing with crispy fried shallots or onions and chilli.
Serves 4
Note: halved button or swiss brown mushrooms or extra-firm tofu are good substitutes for the cauliflower.
Vegemite slaw with crispy Vegemite chickpeas
I have longed to create a salad centred around the iconic Aussie sandwich spread. But given the punchy, often divisive flavours of Vegemite, it took a decade or so of internal deliberation to arrive at an idea I felt would work.
This salad came about from the Vegemite chickpeas I made one night for fun because I was craving the salty spread. The chickpeas are coated in Vegemite and butter (with a slightly higher ratio of butter to Vegemite, as you would on a sandwich), and when they come out of the oven they are crunchy and salty, with deep umami that highlights the caramel notes of the yeast extract.
This mild yet textural slaw is a mellow canvas for the dark flavours of the chickpeas and the vinaigrette. Since the roasting time for the crispy Vegemite chickpeas is considerable, I recommend doubling the chickpea recipe so you have extra for snacking.
INGREDIENTS
- ½ small savoy or green cabbage (about 350g), core removed and thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots (about 180g), julienned
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- handful of coriander leaves, handful of mint leaves
Crispy Vegemite chickpeas
- 40g (2 tbsp) vegan or dairy butter, melted
- 1 tbsp Vegemite
- 250g cooked chickpeas (about 1 × 400g can, drained)
Vegemite vinaigrette
- 4-5 tsp Vegemite
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
- To make the crispy Vegemite chickpeas, place the butter and Vegemite on a medium baking tray or dish and transfer to the oven for 1-2 minutes to allow the butter to melt and the Vegemite to soften (you could also do this in the microwave if you prefer). Remove from the oven and use a spoon to stir the butter and Vegemite together as much as you can – it won’t emulsify fully. Add the chickpeas and toss to coat them in the buttery Vegemite. Place in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes until the chickpeas are golden and crispy.
- Meanwhile, make the Vegemite vinaigrette. Place the Vegemite in a small bowl and warm in the microwave for 8-10 seconds (or in a small saucepan on low heat, stirring until it softens). To the softened Vegemite, add the rice vinegar, garlic, brown sugar or maple syrup, olive oil and 1 tablespoon of water, then whisk until smooth.
- Place the cabbage, carrot, green onion, coriander and mint in a shallow bowl. Add the dressing and toss to combine. To serve, top with the crispy chickpeas.
Serves 4
Tip: For gluten-free, use gluten-free Vegemite.
Substitutes:
- Cabbage: Brussels sprouts
- Carrot: beetroot, celeriac
- Vegemite: Marmite, Promite
This is an edited extract from Linger by Hetty Lui McKinnon, photography by Hetty McKinnon, published by Plum, RRP $44.99.
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Hetty McKinnon is a cook and food writer with a passion for vegetables.
