Salads | A Good Dish

Tossing Around Some Thoughts on Radishes

June 14, 2017

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.

Salad Every Day – Just Do It!

April 5, 2017

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

February 22, 2017

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.

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!

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.

Easy Winter Salads – Two Ways with Beets

January 25, 2017

Cooked beet salad (top) – oval bowl by Robbie Lobell
Shredded beet salad – Shino glazed oval bowl by Malcolm Davis

From November until about mid-April, most fresh, local salad greens are absent from our markets. Sure there are the packaged lettuces that have been flown or trucked in from California or Florida or Mexico. We can find local greenhouse grown micro-greens but they are pricey. I do buy and use them but try not to do so everyday. So during the winter we eat different kinds of salads composed primarily of winter storage vegetables – beets, carrots, cabbages, radishes, red onion, parsnips and kale. Fall fruits like apples, pears and pomegranates and winter fruits like grapefruit, persimmons and oranges liven up any of these salads adding needed zest and fresh flavor on dark nights.

Add-ins: watermelon radish, walnuts, raw apple, cilantro

It may not be the first vegetable you might think of but beets make delicious salads when cooked and when raw. Some people find them too earthy (one friend says they taste like dirt!) but well prepared, beets are sweet and flavorful. Additionally, they are nutritious and full of dietary fiber. They are high in natural sugar so should be eaten as part of a meal alongside protein and fat. Beets are now available to buy cooked in supermarkets (I’ve seen them at Costco, Trader Joe and Shoprite) so composing a cooked beet salad couldn’t be easier.

Dressed shredded beet salad with add-ins

Two of my favorite winter salads are beet based, one made with cooked and one made with raw beets. The dressings are very similar but the outcomes quite different. These hearty salads have the benefit of being able to last in the refrigerator for a few days so I can make a big batch for dinner and eat it again for lunch (travels well) the next day or even the day after. The shredded beet recipe came from a class on reversing inflammation at the Natural Gourmet Cookery School and I have added and subtracted ingredients to suit my taste preferences. There are many possible combinations and optional ingredients. Find the ones that work for you. You can make either a main course by adding a crumbly cheese or hard boiled eggs or upping the amount of nuts. Since a beet salad is my mother-in-law’s favorite and it is her birthday this week, I’ve included 2 (and both easy) recipes. Happy Birthday, Salli!

Shredded beet salad in oval bowl with shino glaze by Malcolm Davis
Cooked beet salad in oval bowl by Robbie Lobell

Shredded Raw Beet Salad

2-3 medium-large beets, scrubbed clean and grated (I use the large holes on my box grater) –Use an apron – beet juice stains!
2-3 carrots, likewise scrubbed and grated
A big handful of chopped parsley
A big handful of raw or toasted walnuts, chopped coarsely (or pistachios)

Elective additions:
Fresh cilantro or mint, chopped
Red onion, finely minced
Watermelon or daikon radish, thinly sliced or diced
Celery, thinly sliced
Apple or pear, match-sticked or diced
Orange segments
Orange zest
Cinnamon or a little cayenne pepper

Possible toppings:
Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
Crumbled Feta or chopped hard boiled eggs (if you want to make it a main course)

Dressing (Whisk in a bowl or shake in a jar)
3-4 TBs freshly squeezed lemon (or orange) juice (depending on how citrusy you want it)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
2-3 Tablespoons olive, avocado, or walnut oil or a blend
A little knob of ginger, about 1 TB grated (optional)
Zest from one lemon (before you juice it) (optional)
Pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper
Toss all together and let sit in the refrigerator at least one hour but longer is better – it gets sweeter!
Note – I don’t like a lot of dressing but if you do, simply double the amount of dressing or halve the amount of grated vegetables.
6-8 servings, keeps well in the refrigerator 3-4 days

***

Cooked Beets with Vinaigrette

6-8 small, 4-5 medium, 2-3 large cooked beets, chilled, peeled and sliced or cut in wedges – if you don’t want your hands stained with beet juice, wear rubber or latex gloves to handle beets

Optional additions:
Nuts, raw or toasted and coarsely chopped
Parsley, chopped
Lemon or orange zest
Thinly sliced red onion, soaked briefly in water to remove sting, if you like
Raisins or currents
Toasted or raw pumpkin seeds
Hard boiled eggs, quartered or chopped

Whisk together:
2 TBs freshly squeezed lemon (or orange) juice
2 TBs Dijon mustard
1 TB apple cider vinegar
2 TBs olive oil
1 tsp dried dill or 1 TB fresh dill, chopped
A big pinch each of salt and black pepper

Pour vinaigrette over beets (and whatever else you chose to add), toss and chill at least one hour. Lovely served over fresh arugula. Serves 4-6 and keeps well in the refrigerator 3-4 days.

A Good Dish – Favorites From Our First Year

January 4, 2017

Looking back over all of the recipes I posted last year in A Good Dish, there are some standouts I make over and over. These are the cool weather dishes my family and I don’t tire of, the ones I fall back on when I don’t have another meal in mind and the ones that guests are happy being served and often ask for the recipe. If you didn’t start reading the blog from day 1, you may have missed some. So in the spirit of holiday sharing, here are the links to a dozen of our regulars made with ingredients available now. (No tomato salads or steamed asparagus, for example). Let me know if you add them to your favorites. Happy New Year, happy cooking and happy eating!

Easier Oatmeal