Roasted Onion, Rocket and Pecorino Salad & Puy Lentil, Red Onion and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad

Adapted from 100 Meals In Minutes by Ainsley Harriott

Roasted Onion, Rocket and Pecorino Salad

12 baby onions, cut in half (or 3 brown onions cut into 8)
3 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
50g Pecorino or Parmesan
100g rocket leaves (I used baby spinach because Michael hates rocket)
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Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F)

Toss the onions with the olive oil and season to taste. Roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and soft.

Drizzle balsamic over onions and let them cool until they're room temperature.

Shave the cheese with a vegetable peeler and toss with the rocket. Drizzle with the pan juices from the onions and toss together.

Arrange the rocket salad on a platter (as chalantly or non- as you like) and top with the onions. Serve!

Puy Lentil, Red Onion and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad

2 tins lentils, rinsed and drained
100g Danish feta, crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red onion, chopped
50g semi sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
4 tbs olive oil
a handful of parsley, finely chopped (plus any other herbs you have lying around; I also used chives and basil)
salt and pepper to taste
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Combine everything and season to taste (mine didn't need salt because the feta was salty enough).

Let it sit for a while so the flavours soak into the lentils.

Serve both salads with some roast chicken, perhaps if you feel like it.

"Summer Panzanella"

Adapted from 'This Is A Cookbook: Recipes For Real Life' by Eli and Max Sussman

4 heirloom tomatoes or 6 plum tomatoes, cut into big pieces (I used 2 punnets of cherry tomatoes)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs EVOO
1/4 cup olive oil (not EV)
1/2 cup basil leaved, packed, cut into chiffonade
1 loaf crusty sourdough bread, unsliced
1 ball mozzarella
Salt and pepper, to taste

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Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F)

Combine the tomatoes, garlic, vinegars, EEVO and basil in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Tear the bread into 2cm pieces (the book said to cut the crusts off first but I tried both ways and I couldn't tell the difference) and put them on a baking sheet. Drizzle over the olive oil and salt to taste and toss everything together so it's all coated in oil.

Bake bread for 12 minutes or until crispy outside and still chewy inside.

Add croutons to bowl with tomatoes. Tear in mozzarella and toss everything together. Serve straight away.