Green Food Zone

Ingredients
3 carrots
3 raw beetroots (different colours if possible)
1 bunch of radishes
1 celery heart (with leaves)
½ a small radicchio , or 1 baby gem lettuce
1 fennel bulb
1 lemon
½ a bunch of fresh mint
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Wearing a pair of rubber gloves, use a Y-shaped peeler to carefully peel the carrots and beetroots over a chopping board, discarding the peelings.

2. Using the Y-shaped peeler again, shave the carrots and beetroots into nice thin wavy strips, then place in a large mixing bowl.

3. Carefully cut the tops and tails off the radishes, then finely slice and add to the bowl.

4. Trim and finely slice the celery, including any paler inner leaves, then add to the bowl.

5. Trim and finely slice the lettuce, discarding any tatty outer leaves and tough stalky bits, then add to the bowl.

6. Pick the leafy fennel tops and put to one side, then finely slice the fennel bulb and add to the bowl.

7. Cut the lemon in half.

8. Squeeze the juice into a small bowl or a jam jar, using your fingers to catch any pips.

9. Pick and finely chop the mint leaves, keeping the baby ones to one side, then add to the small bowl or jam jar, discarding the stalks.

10. Add the extra virgin olive oil and whisk together with a fork or put the lid securely on the jar and shake well.

11. Taste the dressing and season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper, if you think it needs it, then pour over the root vegetables and taste again to check you’re happy.

12. Toss the vegetables in the dressing, then transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle over the fennel tops and reserved baby mint
leaves and dig in.

Ingredients
1 medium ripe tomato
200 g ripe cherry tomatoes
1 beef tomato
1 medium red onion , peeled
1 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 handful fresh dill
1 handful fresh mint leaves
1 large handful black olives , stoned
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons good-quality Greek extra virgin olive oil
200 g block feta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Method
I think it’s quite nice to have different shapes and sizes in a salad, so cut your medium tomato into wedges, halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the beef tomato into large rounds. Put all the tomatoes into a large salad bowl. Slice the onion very finely so it’s wafer thin and add to the tomatoes. Scratch a fork down the sides of the cucumber so it leaves deep grooves in the skin, then cut it into thick slices. Deseed your pepper, slice it into rings and add them to the salad along with the cucumber.
Roughly chop the dill and most of the mint leaves, reserving the smaller ones for garnish. Add the chopped herbs to the bowl of salad, then squeeze your handful of olives over so they season the vegetables, then drop them in.
Add a pinch of sea salt, the vinegar and the extra virgin olive oil. Quickly toss everything together with your hands. The minute all those flavours start working with the veg is when the magic starts to happen. Have a taste, and adjust the flavours if need be.
To serve, pop the block of feta right on the top of the salad. Sprinkle the oregano over the top along with the reserved mint leaves, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and take it straight to the table. It’s confident and scruffy with a bit of attitude. Delicious.
PS I’ve been known to pop leftover Greek salad into a liquidizer with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a few ice cubes, then blitz it up to a smooth consistency so it's basically a Greek gazpacho. It’s not a classic thing to do, but it is very delicious, not to mention a great way of using up leftovers!