Salad

wintry salad with grapefruit and goat cheese

March 19, 2012

This salad is a rather lovely idea for a lunch in the lately-tropical Minneapolis. I don’t know what’s going on but I’m not complaining. We’ve had the mildest winter since I moved here 5 years ago and last week we broke 80F. I could weep with happiness. Such a warm weather girl, I am.

It is a weird juxtaposition though, to see bare trees, brown grass, and a thin layer of ice on the lake, whilst driving with the windows open and wearing a tank top. Still – I could get used to summer in March.

This salad is the perfect thing to enjoy when the produce aisle still says “winter” but all the windows in your apartment are open and the sun is beating down. A couple handfuls of peppery salad greens (arugula, Belgian endive, frisee, mizuna), juicy, sweet red ruby grapefruit, creamy goat cheese, the crunch of pumpkin seeds, and a zesty, bright dressing. It’s refreshing, light, and salty-sweet. Perfect.

Wintry Salad with Grapefruit and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

  • 1 pink grapefruit
  • 2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
  • Pinch of coarse salt
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 a lemon, juiced
  • 8 cups salad greens (choose a peppery mix such as Belgian endive, frisee, mizuna, and arugula)
  • 3 ounces fresh goat cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp raw (or lightly toasted) pumpkin seeds
  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Zest about one-quarter of the grapefruit rind to produce about 1 tsp finely grated zest. Set aside.
  2. Supreme the grapefruit. Tutorial here. Slice each half into six semicircles; set aside.
  3. Place grated zest in a small bowl and add vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Whisk in oil, and set aside.
  4. Prepare salad greens (tear, chop, shred) and drizzle with dressing. Crumble in half of the goat cheese and toss thoroughly with your hands to coat leaves evenly.
  5. Divide among four salad plates, and evenly divide grapefruit slices between each plate. Slice remaining goat cheese into four rounds, and place one on top of each salad. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, season with pepper, and serve immediately. Serves four.

roasted winter vegetable salad

January 4, 2012

Have you read this article in the New York Times? Recently I told Dan I’d like to gain some more confidence in the kitchen and perfect more basics and “weeknight” type meals. My interest in cooking and baking was first piqued by reading other food blogs, most of which (like mine) focus on recipes.

I’m good at following instructions and I think I have a good sense of what will work well together and turn out tasty. But often I lean on recipes like too much of a crutch, following instructions and ingredients to the tee, mainly through fear of messing something up should I go astray. This is the primary reason I like simple recipes. They allow for some variation and adaptation without fear of anything collapsing, burning, or blowing up.

What this article talks about though, is something that really speaks to me and that is ditching recipes and instead familiarizing yourself with basic techniques and skills. If, like me, you didn’t grow up around parents who cooked from scratch at every opportunity then there’s a high likelihood that conjuring up a great meal after one glance in the fridge as if by magic doesn’t really work for you.

So I give you this salad in the spirit of simplifying life and ditching recipes every now and then in favour of spending less time thinking about food and more time just enjoying it.

I started with some fresh arugula (rocket, in the UK. A much cooler name, incidentally.) and then found a selection of root vegetables (choose whatever is in season where you are – carrots, parsnips, potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes, turnips – see what you find). I always find roasting vegetables to be the simplest way to bring out their delicious flavour. (You know my feelings on roasted broccoli.)

What really does the trick here though, is the dressing. It’s very simple but it just elevates this into proper salad territory. Red wine vinegar (balsamic would be good too), lemon juice, salt and pepper, mustard, fresh parsley. Bam. Throw some tangy feta cheese on top and you. are. golden.

Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 handfuls arugula (rocket)
  • 2 carrots, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 2 parsnips, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 1 beet, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 small sweet potato, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Toss chopped parsnips, carrots, beets, and sweet potato in a roasting pan and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast , shaking and turning occasionally for about 30-45 minutes.
  2. While those are roasting, add walnuts to a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 6-10 minutes, keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and chop them into small pieces.
  3. Next make your dressing: get a big bowl and whisk together the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, remaining olive oil and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the chopped parsley. Add the vegetables, walnuts, and arugula to the dressing and toss. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and serve with a nice hunk of bread.

curried couscous and apple salad

October 5, 2011

There might not be a better seasonally transitional dish than this. Crispy, sweet apples and warming curry combined with cool couscous, fresh mint and bright lemon juice. Perfect for days when it’s still pushing 80F outside but your mind is engulfed with wooly sweaters, cosy boots, and warming soups and stews.

Minneapolis is stunning me at the moment with its weather. Cool mornings, crazy-dazzling sunshine, warm and woozy afternoons. The leaves are turning and falling and yet summer temperatures are clinging on. It’s really a dream.

This curried couscous has precisely hit the spot with what I’m craving. It’s the perfect sunny autumn packed lunch. I’ve been eating it all week, sitting outside marveling at the fiery, golden leaves and warm, hazy temperatures.

The crispy apples, sweet currants, and crunchy almonds are such a great contrast to the fragrant couscous – every bite is interesting and bright. It also only takes 15 minutes to make so…you know what to do.

Curried Couscous and Apple Salad
adapted from martha stewart

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup raw whole almonds
  • 1 cup wholewheat couscous
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons dried currants
  • 1 small apple, cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Let cool.
  2. Mix the couscous with the currants in a bowl and pour over 1 1/4 cups boiling water.
  3. Cover with a lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
  4. Whisk together honey, shallot, curry powder, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Whisking constantly, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream; whisk until dressing is emulsified. Add couscous and currants, apple, mint, and nuts; toss well. Garnish with mint.

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