A Good Dish

making food simpler

Salad for President Gets My Vote!

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Salad for President
by Julia Sherman

Julia Sherman is more than a good writer and her cookbook, Salad for President, is more than a collection of recipes. She is an artist, interviewer, gardener and cook and her book is an eclectic mix of artist biographies and interviews, charming illustrations, appealing recipes and, by the way, some pretty nice handmade plates and bowls. The recipes are from both Sherman and the artists with whom she talks. Included are the well known like William Wegman and Laurie Anderson but so are many others who I didn’t know but with whom I was happy to become familiar.

An introduction to two of the artists who are interviewed and contribute a recipe to the book
From Salad for President

The biographic essays, interviews and ingredient discussions are good reading. But more than a good read, Salad for President (from the blog of the same name) is a cookbook full of interesting but not too complicated recipes. When there are exotic ingredients involved, like labneh, like thick yogurt, or myoga, a wild ginger flower, she tells you where to find it or how to make it or if you can do without it. Sherman explains ingredients (like pomegranate molasses), discusses technique (like shredding cabbage finely enough so it fluffs) and offers helpful indices   (grouping recipes by season, ingredients, dressings and one on types of greens). Rather than a small index of artisans without any information, just pagination, I wish she had captions with her photographs of bowls and plates, but that is a minor quibble.

One of the charming drawings from Salad for President

There are other wonderful artist-centric cookbooks out there (The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook, Cooking for Artists, Artists’ Recipes, etc.) but Salad for President is both fun to read and to browse and full of recipes I actually want to try. Here salad is art, metaphor, practical technique and a source of inspiration for conversation, creativity and connection as well as, at its core, some delicious looking meals. Whether you buy it or take it out of the library, I am sure you will enjoy many dimensions of this artful book.

Cooking Cool During the Summer – Just Bean the Heat!

Summer Bean Salad
Porcelain Terrine by Andrew Martin

It is officially summer now and that means different things to different people. Summer can be a slower, more casual time of year when you take time off to lounge by a pool, walk in the park or seek out a beach. Food wise, it can be a time for barbecues and picnics. For me, summer means finding ways to beat the heat and that includes the food and drink I consume as well as the way I prepare it for my family.

Because we live in New York, charcoal grilling is out but I might pull out the electric grill (the old George Forman still works) or a cast iron grill pan and toss on some marinated chicken or shrimp to get the flavor of summer bbq. No long roasting for me in the summer, either. In fact, I rarely turn on my oven, opting instead for a quick stir fry, pasta or a completely cold meal. I don’t even use my toaster oven much since if I turn it on while the air conditioner is on, I will blow a fuse – literally! Meat tends to make me feel even warmer so I concentrate on lots of salads, including light grain, bean and cut vegetable salads, and, naturally, just salad greens. The farmers markets are bursting with gorgeous early summer produce that is easily turned into simple, cooling meals (like sugar snap peas, asparagus, garlic scrapes and basil, for pesto). I try to concentrate on foods, mostly vegetables but also beans and fish and seafood, with lower calorie density – they are less warming so they help keep us cooler. And the things that heat you up might not be what you would suspect. For example, you might think that iced coffee is refreshing but the caffeine in it is thermogenic and will make you warmer. If you want to keep cool, make your second one a decaf or stick with water!

Geranium (1926) by George Sheeler at the Whitney

Many summer foods require no cooking, like guacamole, hummus, all kinds of berries and melons, carrot or beet salads and an assembled mezze or cheese board. Cold soups are refreshing and can be made in a blender (think gazpacho and blueberry soup). One of my summer favorites is a bean salad, usually with a vinaigrette and as many vegetables and herbs as I can manage to incorporate. I tend to stay away from cumin and ginger based dressings as they, too, are warming. Most of the time I cook my own beans for a recipe but in summer a few cans of beans suffice; When dressed, you won’t really notice any difference. Feel free to use whatever type of bean you like, add the vegetables you enjoy, toss in leftover chicken, shrimp, rice or cooked veggies and use your favorite dressing. My recipe is just a guideline. After all, the goal is to keep cool. If its all too much effort, make a cold drink and put up your feet. Happy summer!

NO COOK BEAN SALAD

  • 3-4 cups cooked beans (kidney, cannellini, pinto or whatever you prefer)
  • 1/2-1 cup finely chopped red onion or scallions, white and green parts
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill or 1T dried dill (or cilantro, mint or basil)
  • 1/2-1 cup finely chopped celery (red or green or jalapeño pepper would also be good)
  • Big handful of chopped parsley
  • Bite-sizes pieces of leftover cooked chicken, shrimp, rice or vegetables, optional

Vinaigrette:

  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 T fresh lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
  • 2 T vinegar (could be rice, sherry, wine or balsamic)
  • 2 T umeboshi plum vinegar – optional but really adds flavor (found with Japanese products)
  • 4 T flavorful olive oil
  • Big pinch of salt
  • Big pinch of pepper

Whisk together, pour over salad ingredients and toss. The salad will benefit from a few hours in the marinade.

Can be served cold or at room temperature.

Once in a while we get a rainbow after a summer storm

Tossing Around Some Thoughts on Radishes

Sliced radish and sugar snap pea salad with sesame vinaigrette
Plate by Mark Pharis

Radishes are not the first thing I think of when I make a salad but they add variety to the usual greens. They are crunchy, colorful, nutritious and add a little sharpness to a salad that might otherwise be bland or neutral. One of the first vegetables available in spring, radishes make a delicious addition to a salad or can be eaten out of hand as a snack. Sautéed radishes are a fantastic side dish and radishes are also tasty roasted, good to remember once roasting season rolls around. We had some sliced radish recently in a tasty salad with a smoked aioli for dressing. It was the only bright spot in an otherwise disappointing dinner but it did inspire me to buy some.

Grocery store radishes are available year round

Spring radishes come in many varieties and shades of pink from pale to magenta. If you slice them thinly (a mandolin helps) and soak them briefly in a bowl of cold water, they lose a bit of their bite. Growing up, there was always a bowl of radish “flowers” in our refrigerator, waiting to be added to a salad. I don’t remember them tasting like much because after a long soak, the radishes become all crunch and no flavor.

Fresh radishes at the Union Square Greenmarket

You can cut radishes into matchsticks as well as slices (or the ubiquitous rose) or use a vegetable peeler to shave them into ribbons. I’ve never tried it but I imagine a spiralizer would make beautiful strands to compose a salad. A radish salad profits from a well made dressing with fresh lime juice or toasted sesame oil that will stand up to their bite but any flavorful vinaigrette or aioli will work. Radishes can be mixed easily with other spring vegetables and fruit. Try baby greens, tiny white turnips, blanched asparagus (cut on a diagonal), pea shoots, parsley, scallions, avocado or mango.  You can even toss in some toasted nuts or seeds. My favorite simple combination is radish and sugar snap peas – also quite beautiful.

Radish lovers!
photo by D. Lewis

Salad Every Day – Just Do It!

Early spring salad with bagged greens, oranges and toasted pumpkin seeds
Bowl by Adero Willard

I like to eat a salad at least once a day but this can be challenging in the winter. Fresh vegetables don’t always look that fresh come late winter and soup often seems more appealing. I make lots of soups (kind of like a hot salad in some ways) but I almost always accompany them with a salad of some sort. We just got home from 3 weeks of travel and the first thing we wanted was a big green salad.

Fresh salad greens are available year round

With better packaging techniques and shipping, a variety of greens are available in markets and grocery stores year round. Some greens, like watercress, arugula and baby versions of kale, beet and mustard grow well in greenhouses and can be bagged or boxed efficiently and keep pretty well for a couple day in your refrigerator. We can depend on them before local spring greens appear. Pears, apples, persimmons and pomegranates are available at different times during the winter and citrus is still plentiful. If you don’t have fresh fruit, chop some dried apricots or pears or add a handful of dried cranberries or raisins. Add fresh green herbs, storage vegetables (like carrots or radishes) and some toasted seeds or nuts and you have a gorgeous salad on the table in a flash.

Chopped celery and cucumber add crunch to salads

The following recipe is about as basic as salad gets and is is just a framework. It is the same structure for the raw beet and carrot salads I posted this winter only here I’ve used greens. It is more a reminder that a salad is so easy to make and the contents so flexible. Adjust the amounts according to your tastes. You can’t really go wrong. If you don’t feel like lettuce, use leftover or freshly cooked vegetables. Add in raw peas, scallions, raw cabbage, sugar snaps, red onion or whatever you like that you have available. I’ve included my usual vinaigrette recipe which dresses a big bowlful of vegetables plus some to store in the fridge for tomorrow’s salad.

VARIABLE GREEN SALAD with Basic Vinaigrette

  • Watercress, arugula and/or baby greens – the amounts depend on how much salad you want – washed, dried and torn in bite sized piece
  • Pear, apple, avocado or persimmon, diced or some citrus supremes or a handful of bite-sized dried fruit
  • Some combination of carrot, radish, celery, cucumber or jicama, sliced or diced in bite sized pieces
  • Cilantro or parsley, chopped (or any fresh herb you like and have on hand)
  • Toasted or raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts or almonds or pistachios (optional)
  • Sprinkle of chia and/or hemp seeds (optional)

Whisk together:

  • 1/4 cup orange, lemon, grapefruit or lime juice or a combination
  • Splash of rice vinegar (about 1 TBs)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (or part olive, part avocado or walnut oil)
  • Pinch of granulated garlic (I use this instead of garlic powder as it is more flavorful)
  • Pinch of salt and black pepper

If you like a creamier dressing, add 1 TBs Dijon Mustard and 1-2 TBs Yogurt or Buttermilk

Endive, apricot, celery, cilantro and toasted walnuts
Bowl by Adero Willard

A Carrot Trick – The Magic of a Late Winter Salad

Shredded carrot salad with cilantro, watermelon radish and toasted pumpkin seeds
Oval bowl by Emily Schroeder Willis

 

The cheery orange of a crunchy carrot salad in late winter brightens up any table on a dark evening. There is something magical about making a fresh salad out of a few roots stored in the bottom of your crisper. Carrots, like beets, radishes, parsnips and celery root keep well for months in a cool, dark place and provide some nutritious raw vegetables for salads throughout the winter months.

Fresh organic carrot bunches

I love carrots! One summer I ate so many that my hands turned orange, a garish but harmless condition. I’ve moderated my intake since then but still love to munch them. The crunch and sweetness make a satisfying snack and they improve almost any salad.

A carrot salad is one of the easiest salads to make (similar, in fact, to the raw beet salad I posted last month). Simply grate, thinly slice (on a mandolin), use a peeler to shave into strips or julienne carrots into thin matchsticks for the bulk of your salad. Add in some diced or sliced watermelon radish or jicama for crunch, grated ginger if you like spice, pumpkin or sunflower seeds or walnuts for protein and flavor, parsley, mint or cilantro for herbaciousness and apple, pear, persimmon, pineapple, currants or diced dried apricots for sweetness. Toss it all with a lemony or orange vinaigrette and you have a salad you can eat for several days running. Magic!

Julienned carrot salad with watermelon radish, bosc pear and currants

Carrot Salad

  • 1 pound carrots, grated or cut as you please
  • 1 medium watermelon radish or jicama, diced small
  • 1 medium apple or pear, diced small
  • 1/4 cup currants or diced dried apricots (optional)
  • A big handful of chopped parsley, mint and/or cilantro
  • A big handful of toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts

Whisk together:

  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
  • 2-3 TBs olive oil
  • Big pinch of salt and of black pepper
  • Splash of rice or sherry vinegar (optional)

Toss all together and let sit at least one hour or overnight.

6-8 servings and keeps in the refrigerator 3-4 days.

Works well as a lunch box salad or in a sandwich or pita (in place of lettuce and tomato) alongside leftover chicken or fish or cheese or baked tempeh or tofu in either case.

For a complete lunch, just add feta, goat or mozzarella cheese or cooked chickpeas. If you want it greener, add a handful of chopped watercress or arugula or serve over lettuce leaves.