yummy nigel slater salad:
Chicken salad with watercress, almonds and orange
The main-course salads I value the most are those that are refreshing. This, with salty soy-toasted pumpkin seeds and the clean fresh taste of oranges, is one of the best. You could serve couscous with it if you wish, or perhaps a Lebanese tabbouleh.
3 tbsps olive oil
1 heaped tsp grain mustard
2 tsps red-wine vinegar
3 tbsps pumpkin seeds
a little dark soy sauce
2 tbsps whole, skinned almonds
50g watercress
1 large orange
250g cooked chicken - grilled or left from a roast
Make the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, mustard and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
Put the pumpkin seeds on a grill pan or in a non-stick frying pan and sprinkle them with soy sauce. Toast them under a grill or over a moderate heat for a couple of minutes until they smell toasty. The soy will have dried.
Toast the almonds under a hot grill or in a dry non-stick frying pan. Be careful - they burn in seconds.
Wash the watercress. Peel the orange, scrupulously peeling away the white pith with a sharp knife. Slice the orange in half, then into thin slices, catching as much of the juice as you can and tipping it in with the dressing.
Put the orange slices in the dressing. Tear the chicken into large, juicy pieces, then add it to the dressing. Divide the watercress between two plates, lay the chicken and orange on top, drizzle over some dressing, then scatter over the almonds and pumpkin seeds and serve straightaway. Serves 2.
obv. you'd need to increase the quantities, but you could assemble all the bits there. pancetta works well instead of chicken too.