Filed under: Salad
The original recipe for this Cucumber and Radish Salad with Feta, Red Wine Vinegar, and Buttermilk Dressing comes from Kalyn’s Kitchen. She always has great ideas for vegetables!
I used two large garden cucumbers, and peeled and cut them early in the day. I allowed them to sit on a bed of paper towels in the fridge for a couple of hours before I put the salad together, I did not find them to be too wet at all, and that was without salting them. I also used skim milk instead of buttermilk, and apple cider vinegar instead of red wine.
My parents and I liked this salad, and it is crisp and cool — perfect for summer. I think adding pepper (I forgot to) and perhaps some chives or minced scallions would really be fantastic. Since my Dad just gave me a big cuke from his garden, and I received 3 more in today’s CSA share, I anticipate many more cucumber-based salads in the near future.
July 14, 2010
I love cucumbers, and in the summer they are the perfect side dish: crisp and cool, light but flavorful (at least the ones from my CSA are!). I often make a quick Israeli salad in the summer, but didn’t have tomatoes on hand last night.
I sliced up a couple of cukes, minced two big scallions, and drizzled on a bit of apple cider vinegar along with a pinch of salt. If you want to, you can add a teaspoon of sugar or so, but I didn’t. This side dish takes just minutes to make, and keeps very well in the fridge for a couple of days as well.
July 2, 2010
Sharon has been giving me her copies of Cooking Light to read, and this recipe for Farmer’s Market Potato Salad is just one of many I bookmarked to try.
As much as I adore my dad’s traditional, mayo-dressed potato salad (it’s my grandpa’s recipe), J. and I tend to make vinaigrette-based salads instead, like Mustard Vinaigrette Potato Salad, which includes capers.
In this new Cooking Light recipe, the potatoes and corn kernels are roasted rather than boiled. I took it a step further and roasted the onions and zucchini as well, instead of caramelizing them separately in a saute pan (the oven was on anyway, I figured I may as well use both racks!). Although I didn’t cook the tomatoes, I did mix them into the roasted vegetables when they were just out of the oven, so the residual heat definitely wilted the tomatoes nicely.
The fresh tarragon is an integral component of the flavor of this dish. I’d never chopped fresh tarragon before, so I was surprised it had a slightly sweet, licorice scent. Before you recoil, thinking you don’t want your potato salad tasting like a black jelly bean, I have to assure you that the licorice flavor is distinct, but more as a very refreshing and clean flavor than tasting like its candy counterpart.
This potato salad will definitely go into our rotation for summer barbecues. It’s a beautiful dish, too, so it would present well if you brought it to a party. A vegetarian guest could also feel satisfied eating it as a main dish. All around, a keeper recipe for the summer.
June 7, 2010
My friend Susanna brought this Fig & Carrot Slaw to our house last summer, and I remembered it as an unusual but delicious side dish for a barbecue.
This was the first time I’d tried my hand at the recipe, and it turned out well. Next time I’d either shred the carrots in a food processor or create ribbons with a vegetable peeler — I actually cut them into a julienne (technically they were more like an allumette) by hand, and they were a little thicker than I’d have liked. At Susanna’s recommendation I added a small splash of olive oil to the recipe, but otherwise followed it as written. The cayenne and cumin are front and center, and are a well-match counterpoint to the sweetness of the figs and the sugar in the dressing.
Especially if you cut your carrots into matchsticks, the salad benefits from sitting at room temperature, where the dressing can really soak into the carrots to flavor and soften them. A side dish like this would work well into the fall, too — I can see it as a perfect addition to a Rosh Hashana or Thanksgiving meal.
June 7, 2010
Is it possible to talk about green tomatoes and not immediately think of frying them? I knew I’d be the only one to eat a fried green tomato in my house, so it hardly seemed worth the effort. I needed a different way to use up those unripe veggies, and settled on a big batch of salsa.
I diced a red pepper, two big jalapeño peppers, a small red onion, and a quart of cored green plum tomatoes, then mixed in a large handful of chopped cilantro, and added the juice of a lime plus kosher salt. Some of my green tomatoes had actually started to turn orange as they sat on my counter for a week, which added some nice color variation! J. topped some nachos with the salsa and thought it was pretty good. I liked the firm, almost crunchy texture and more herbal flavor of the green tomatoes — it made the salsa taste even fresher than one made with ripe tomatoes.
I’ve still got plenty of salsa left, and received another quart of green tomatoes from my farm share this week too. After seeing how the first batch started to ripen on their own, I’m going to try to help them along by sticking them in a brown paper bag. When J. and I have tried this in the past with tomatoes from our garden, we’ve pretty much only had success at making moldy tomatoes. I’ll try to remember to check on them more frequently this time.
October 9, 2009
As I mentioned in my Peachy White Sangria post, I was at a farewell party Tuesday night for our friend Karen, who is moving out of town. (Boo! But yay for a reason to have a party!) Merrie hosted the gathering, and everyone knows when they go to Merrie’s for a party (or really, anytime) they’re going to be well-fed. We each brought a contribution to the meal, but on the whole Merrie outdid herself with a variety of foods, with lots of different complimentary flavors and nothing that was too heavy — that’s important when you’re trying to sample a lot of different dishes!
From top left and clockwise, Merrie made: Whole wheat panko-crusted chicken breasts that were marinated in Soy Vay (there was another batch done in a honey mustard marinade); Merrie’s Margarita Shrimp (recipe follows); a spinach, sliced strawberries, and goat cheese salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar; pasta salad with sun-dried peppers; a cumin-heavy bean salad; and some aloo gobi that Suzanne brought from Bollywood Bistro in Pleasantville. In the center of it all is Black Bean Confetti Salad. I should add that this meal came after an appetizer course and before fruit salad, cookie cake and a frozen yogurt cake from Purple Monkey. Clearly, no one went home hungry.
The stand-outs to me were the spinach, strawberry, and goat cheese salad, which is drizzled with balsamic vinegar (no oil). This is one of those recipes where the end result is so much more than just the flavors of the four ingredients thrown together. It’s creamy, sweet, and just a tiny bit bitter and acidic, all in the right proportions.
The other dish everyone raved about was Merrie’s Margarita Shrimp, which is like a red onion, mango, and avocado salsa tossed with tequila-marinated shrimp and in a tequila-based dressing. I would cook this at home without the shrimp, as a vegetable side to a barbecue. You could sub in chicken instead, also. I’m not usually a fan of mango (I can’t even stand the texture of it in order to cut one up for J., who loves them), but even I adored this salad. Here are Merrie’s instructions:
Merrie’s Margarita Shrimp
Marinate frozen shrimp in tequila (big pour), lime juice (one lime squeezed), olive oil (1 turn), and a pinch of salt. Let sit in the fridge for 3 hours or freeze for another time.
In a large bowl, combine: 2 diced mangoes, 2 diced avocados, half a diced Bermuda onion, a handful of cilantro (chopped) and the juice of one more lime.
Saute shrimp in marinade until shrimp are fully cooked and the liquid boils. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and add to the mango mixture. Add 3 spoonfuls of the boiled marinade and 1 turn of olive oil and salt and pepper.
Mix well and chill. Listen to “Margaritaville” (or 80′s music) as you eat and enjoy!
August 7, 2009
I used Deb’s recipe for this Smitten Kitchen Mediterranean Pepper Salad. I used onions from our farm share which I find pretty mild, so I skipped her brining step and made a light dressing out of red wine vinegar, olive oil, a teaspoon of sugar, and salt & pepper.
I love chopped salads like this. I felt an odd, giddy sense of getting away with something by leaving out any green pepper, using only the sweet red, yellow, and orange peppers instead. I like Deb’s thinking.
We ate this salad for dinner with some challah, and it was a perfect summer meal. I liked it better when it was fresh and crisp the first night, rather than as leftovers, when it tasted more like a marinated salad.
July 11, 2009
I have two favorite salads at one of our local Italian restaurants, Paese Pasta & Pizza in Briarcliff Manor. The Toscana is arugula, sliced pears, roasted peppers, goat cheese, and thinly-sliced red onions in a honey-sweetened balsamic vinaigrette. The Mediterranean is red oak leaf lettuce mixed with grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, and diced Granny Smith apples in a sherry vinaigrette. They never disappoint.
I used the gorgeous head of red lettuce from our farm share this week to make a copycat Mediterranean salad for Saturday’s lunch, and served it with a wheat ciabatta. J. was kind enough to wash, spin, and chop the lettuce, and then I added a pint of halved grape tomatoes, a jar of drained Kalamatas, two diced Granny Smiths, and a whole lot of crumbled bleu cheese instead of the feta. We dressed it with a simple olive oil & balsamic vinegar combo, plus some salt and pepper. It was very good, but not great. I think Paese’s dressing may be sweeter, perhaps with some honey added — I will have to pay better attention next time.
Unfortunately, the leftovers didn’t keep well. By Sunday the salad was a soggy mess, and the saltiness of the olives and cheese overwhelmed the sweetness of the apples. Good thing we made a huge dent in it when it was still fresh on Saturday.
June 14, 2009
I got a bunch of enormous radishes from my farm share this week — each was larger than a ping pong ball. Seven radishes, sliced, yield four cups! I borrowed the dressing from my Sweet Sesame Cabbage & Radish Slaw, omitting the cabbage just because I had plenty of veggies with the radishes alone.
These radishes were so tender — I could have cut them with a butter knife. I marinated them in the dressing for a few hours before serving. If you like using sesame oil in your other cooking, you will love the flavor of this summer side dish.
June 14, 2009
Bagels and egg salad may sound more like a picnic lunch than a dinner, but it works well for us: the boys are always happy with bagels and J. likes my egg salad (he makes it the same way).
I hard boil eggs based on instructions in the old Joy of Cooking: Place your eggs gently into a pot and cover with water to about 1 inch above the eggs. Cover and bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Pour out the hot water, and cool eggs immediately by running pot under cold water and then adding a tray of ice cubes to the pot. Let eggs chill for 10 minutes, then drain and refrigerate them in their shells until you’re ready to use them.
Dijon Egg Salad
8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1/8 tsp. salt
10 grinds coarse black pepper
2 Tbsp. mayo
1 tsp. (heaping) whole grain Dijon mustard (I like Maille Old Style)
Cut each egg into quarters and add to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mash lightly with a fork until thoroughly combined, but still chunky.
April 30, 2009
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I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 4 and 6, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 