Recipe: Maz's layered garden salad

When the weather warms up, it’s time for friends and family to gather around the barbecue and enjoy good company and food. A good friend makes this salad for such occasions, and not only does it look fabulous, but it’s also easy to make and tastes great.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ lettuce – washed and shredded
• 2 cups frozen peas (or if using a packet of dehydrated peas, cook and cool)
• 1 or 2 carrots – grated
• 2 or 3 hard boiled eggs – mashed lightly with a fork or thinly sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms – thinly sliced
• ½ cup grated cheese
• 1 cup mayonnaise and/or plain Greek yoghurt
• 2 tsp sour cream
• 2 tsp French mustard
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 6 spring onions – thinly sliced
• 1-2 tomatoes – sliced or cut into wedges (or use cherry or roma tomatoes)
• 4 rashers of bacon – sliced/chopped and sautéed until crispy (can also use sliced ham)
• 1 tbs fresh parsley – chopped

METHOD

• Get everything together and prepared before you start layering. Ingredient quantities can vary, depending on how many you’re feeding. This amount will serve a large group.
• Using a large bowl (if at home, use a glass one), place the lettuce evenly in the bottom of the dish.
• Arrange the following, layer upon layer: uncooked frozen peas, carrots, eggs, mushrooms and cheese.
• Combine the mayonnaise/yoghurt, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice and spring onions and mix until combined. Spread this mixture evenly over the cheese (it’s easier if you dollop spoonfuls over the cheese as close together as you can and then gently spread it out).
• Arrange the tomatoes over the mayo mix, than sprinkle over the bacon and parsley to finish.
• Refrigerate for at least an hour, and then serve.

VIV'S HINT

You can mix up the layers before you add the mayo mix however you like. Also add whatever vegetables you like and substitute vegetables out that you don’t. Corn, snow peas and sliced radish mix well.

For more recipes: Check out Ron & Viv Moon’s website or follow their Facebook page.

VALE

I’d like to dedicate this salad to our very good friend, and Maz’s partner, Big Pete Dwyer, who passed away suddenly in September 2014. He was well known and respected throughout the four-wheel drive industry and Vic 4WD clubs, and he will be very sadly missed. He really enjoyed this salad and thought it looked great.