Next: broiled tilapia with veracruz style sauce
Back to main
resurrecting summer salads
Lettuce, tomato, cucumber: same salad different day. I know I should eat salads more often; but I get so tired of them. Every once in a while I get excited by a new combination of ingredients, eat it for a while and then get bored again. And I always forget that trying new combinations reinvigorates the whole salad experience.
So I’ve been on a salad strike for a while. But yesterday’s trip to the farmer’s market fetched home a handful of new ingredients that had me spending the day fantasizing about getting back home for a yummy salad.
I started with good leafy lettuce, added some nice crisp cucumbers and ripe red tomatoes as usual for my base. But then I also added:
1. Really good goat cheese. I love, love, love the goat cheese made by Ann & Eric Starbard of Crystal Brook Farm. (She’s also the nicest vendor at the Marblehead Farmer’s Market, always remembers us and oohs over the girls.) It’s very creamy and doesn’t have that strong gamy flavor. A little of the jalapeno and cilantro goat cheese sprinkled on a salad gives it a real zing.
2. Fresh crisp radishes. I’ve never really eaten radishes. To me they were just colorful accessories that Peter Rabbit steals from Mr. McGregor. But thinly sliced they add a nice spicy crunch.
3. Fresh basil. A couple of leaves thinly sliced and sprinkled in a salad give it a fresh bright taste.
Tonight I also added leftover steak tips that Dom grilled for last night’s dinner. We only had a few ounces of meat left; but thinly sliced they are quite enough on top of a big salad.
Recently I’ve also discovered roasted pumpkin seeds.
Top it off with a homemade vinaigrette using a spice mix from Penzey’s—just add oil and vinegar and shake. (Though it’s also good with a bit of lime and orange juice for a citrus variation.)
Yes, summer salads are back. This time I’m going to try to remember to keep trying new ingredients and combinations so I don’t get bored.
COMMENTS
-->Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Comments are being moderated. After you submit your comment it could take up to a couple hours, but usually only a few minutes, before it will appear. Thank you for your patience. If you have any questions, you may contact Domenico Bettinelli.