Avocado and Mango Salad

Ingrediants :
1/2 red onion
1 tbsp Italian red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp sale
2 avocado
2 baby cos lettuce
1 mango

Viniagrete
juice of 3 limes
1tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil

Method :
1. For Vinegrette, combine lime juice, sugar, soy sauce in a medium bow. While whisking, slowly pour in olive oil.
2. Grill avocado and season with salt and olive oil
3. for Salad, marinate red onion in red wine vinegar.

Thai Beef Salad

Ingredients :
450g Fillet steak
6 tablespoons of light soy sauce.
4 cloves of garlic put through garlic press
2 limes, juice off, you could save the zest for a bit of extra zing in the dressing.
2 cm piece of ginger, grated, use the peelings as well.
2 bird's eye chillies chopped.
4 Kaffir lime leaves (I grow fresh leaves if you cannot get them). Cut into strips.
300g assorted lettuce leaves
2/3 cup mint leaves
2/3 cup basil leaves (Thai basil if possible).
2/3 cup coriander leaves.
1 Lebanese cucumber sliced in strips (take the seeds out with a spoon).

Dressing
2 Red chillies diced
6 tablespoons of light soy sauce
6 tablespoons of lime juice, about 2-3 limes
4 teaspoons of palm sugar (get at Thai grocer, or from me)
4 Kaffir lime leaves shredded into fine strips - julienne.

Method :
1. Mix the marinade together. Add the beef and allow it to marinade for an hour or two to cure it. Turn it every half hour or so. It is even better if you marinade it for 4-6 hours.
2. Prepare the dressing and set aside.
3. Cook the beef to rare or medium rare, basically to your liking. I normally chuck it in the oven for 12 minutes. It depends on the thickness of the meat for the cooking time. Set the beef aside for at least 15 minutes to rest.
4. Mix and arrange the lettuce leaves, basil, coriander, mint and cucumber on a platter.
5. Slice the beef quite thinly, (I think rump steak would need to be very thin).
6. Place beef strips on top of the salad.
7. Stir the dressing, and pour over your salad.
8. Bring the salad to the table to great applause!

This is a modern dish, the Thais even put fish sauce in, so I think you can do whatever you want as you will find the right balance in the flavours.

For wines, I have tried Pinot Grigio and Semillion / Sauvignon Blanc. (Voyager estate, Evans Tate are good). Even a light Grenache would work well

Roast Red Pepper Salad

Ingredient
4 large red peppers
6 canned anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained, finely chopped
4 new-season garlic cloves, peeled, finely sliced
1 heaped tbsp baby capers, drained and rinsed
½ unwaxed lemon, juice and rind, rind peeled into three long strips
3 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
handful fresh mint leaves, chopped (optional)
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped (optional)

Method
1. Preheat the grill to its highest setting. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil.
2. For the roasted red pepper salad, when the grill is hot, place the peppers onto the prepared baking tray and grill for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the skin is blackened and blistered on all sides.
3. Transfer the blackened peppers to a bowl, cover with cling film and set aside for 10-15 minutes, or until the skins have loosened and the peppers are cool enough to handle.
4. Peel and discard the blackened skin from the peppers using your fingers. Cut each peeled pepper in half over a serving bowl, catching any juices in the serving bowl.
5. Remove the seeds from the peppers, then tear the flesh into long strips 1cm/½cm wide, using your fingers. Add the pepper strips to the serving bowl.
6. Add the anchovies, garlic and capers to the bowl containing the peppers. Twist the lemon rind strips and add them to the bowl, then pour over the lemon juice and olive oil. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix the salad ingredients until well combined and coated in the dressing. Set aside for at least one hour to allow the flavours to infuse.