prosciutto and leek salad with mustards dressing dsc 1170

Get your greens with this hearty salad

Nick Duell (writer)28/10/2021

This salad is a hearty and flavoursome way to increase your intake of nutritious, green salad leaves, using any combination. We’ve suggested some with strong, distinctive flavours like rocket and watercress, which complement the spiciness of the mustards.

And you can certainly get your fix of vitamins and minerals with this recipe, using ingredients found in your regular fruit and veg shop.

All the salad leaves suggested in our ingredient list will provide high levels of vitamins A for eye health and heart, lung and kidney function, and C to support your body’s healing process and immune system and to help it absorb iron.

You’ll find minerals like copper to help keep your nervous system healthy, and iron, which helps oxygen travel through the body.

They also offer other antioxidants that fight the free radicals that can contribute to disease, as well as plenty of fibre to aid healthy digestion.

Their unique flavours work well with the mustards, which add a burst of subtle spiciness, and the sweet, delicate taste of the prosciutto.

This dish works well as a quick and easy lunch or can be served on small plates as a starter to dinner at home with friends. The beauty of it is you can add your own unique touches (we’ve suggested soft-boiled eggs but you could alternatively add roasted cherry tomatoes, pine nuts or crumbled feta cheese) to keep it interesting.

This recipe combines a variety of flavours and offers a generous dose of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants too! For a twist on the basic recipe, add four soft-boiled eggs, cut in half, to top the salad.

Prosciutto and leek salad with mustards dressing

Course: Salads and sides
Seasons: Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter

Preparation: 20 min
Ready in: 20 min

Ingredients

4 small Leeks
8 slices Prosciutto
1 zest Lemon
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Mustard powder
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 tablespoons White wine vinegar
1/3 cup Olive oil
Salt and pepper (to season)
4 Handful Salad leaves (try rocket, watercress and baby spinach leaves)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
Boil a saucepan of salted water and add the leeks, boiling for approximately 5 minutes until tender. Drain and put to one side.
Put the prosciutto slices on a baking sheet, ensuring they do not overlap. Put in the oven and bake until crispy, approximately 8 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the lemon zest over the slices.
For the dressing, mix the sugar, vinegar and mustards then carefully whisk in the olive oil until the mixture is thick and creamy.
For the salad, season the leeks with salt and pepper and add a spoonful of the dressing, ensuring they are well coated. Arrange the leeks, prosciutto and salad leaves in layers on serving plates and drizzle each with a spoonful of the dressing.