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Quick And Easy

20th Dec 2016

A Proper Hearty Summer Salad With Bacon, Avocado And Kale

niallharbison

Ingredients
  • Smoked Bacon
  • Avocado
  • Pasta
  • Kale
  • Vine Tomatoes
  • Balsamic deduction
  • Buffalo mozzarella

When it comes to this time of year, there’s nothing better than a good salad – but the big issue I always have is that I am fucking starving five minutes after eating one.

I wanted to come up with another recipe that tasted absolutely whopper, was easy to make and was properly wholesome. The result is this kick-ass little recipe. Gorgeous so it is!

Instructions

Step 1

I say it in all recipes but you need to really focus on getting awesome ingredients for this. It’ll make all the difference if you get quality smoked bacon in a butchers, the very best mozzarella and perfectly ripe avocados.


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Step 2

Pick the kale. Just basically take any of the big stalks out and leave yourself with the little leaves.


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Step 3

Lash the bacon into a chargrill pan to cook. Nice high heat. A frying pan would do but the marks on the bacon look all pretty and stuff in the salad.


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Step 4

When you’ve flipped the bacon, lash in the kale. Not a conventional way of cooking it but the juices from the bacon and the heat will help it steam and cook in no time.


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Step 5

Lash in a good glug of olive oil and stir the whole thing up. The kale should only take a couple of minutes to cook.


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Step 6

Lash the pasta on to cook. I’m using a fancy one called long fusilli but any type will do really. Big pot of water, lots of salt and boiling furiously.


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Step 7

Throw the kale and bacon into a big bowl or tray like I’m using with loads of room to mix it all up.


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Step 8

Slice the stalks out of the tomatoes and quarter the bastards up into the mix.


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Step 9

Use your hand to crumble in the mozzarella; if you’ve bought a good one it will fall apart pretty easily.


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Step 10

Peel the avocado and chop it into rough-sized pieces and throw it in as well.


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Step 11

When the pasta is cooked strain it off and then run it under cold water until it’s totally chilled. Strain off every last drop of water (nothing worse than wet salad!).


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Step 12

Lash in a big amount of olive oil and some salt and pepper to season it. This is a crucial step, so season it all up well.


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Step 13

Toss it all together and you could serve it like this in a big bowl with the balsamic drizzled over the top, family-style.


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Step 14

Plate it up by piling a nice mound into the middle of the plate and then drizzle the balsamic over the salad to make it look like you are a pro chef. Now walk outside and pray that it is sunny and eat the shit out of it! Amaze.


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The best thing about this is that I always make double the quantities so as I have enough to do me the next day as well for my lunch in the office. The key is getting good fresh ingredients to make it taste incredible. Go on and give it a lash, you won’t regret it.

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