KAALE SEERABEH SALAD (SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE DRESSING)
To celebrate Shab-e Yalda, the Iranian celebration of the winter solstice, the chef Hanif Sadr of Komaaj in San Francisco takes the classic preparation of kaale, or uncooked, seerabeh, a tangy walnut and pomegranate sauce, and serves it as a dressing on a crisp salad. Flecked with garlic and herbs, seerabeh is typically served with fish in the northern Iranian province of Gilan. Here, vegetables provide the chromatic canvas upon which the pinkish sauce is drizzled. Mr. Sadr recommends using a pomegranate juice you like to drink for the sauce and refrigerating the sauce overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Any leftover sauce will keep for 5 days in the fridge and is great served with fish, chicken or roasted vegetables, or as a dip.
Provided by Naz Deravian
Categories appetizer, side dish
Time P1DT10m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Prepare the dressing: Place the pomegranate juice, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add the cilantro, mint and parsley, and blend until smooth. With the blender running on low, drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. If the sauce is too sour, sprinkle in a little sugar; if it's not acidic enough, add a little more pomegranate juice or lemon juice, one tablespoon at a time. Be mindful that the flavors will meld more and pop as the sauce rests. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer, and discard any tiny bits of pomegranate seeds. You should have 1 3/4 cups. Transfer the sauce to a container, cover and refrigerate overnight. (The sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance.) The sauce will thicken slightly as it rests, but it's not a thick sauce.
- Assemble the salad: Remove the larger outer leaves of the romaine hearts and set aside for another use. On a serving platter or on individual plates, neatly arrange the lettuce leaves, stacking some on top of one another. (If using Little Gems, just halve them lengthwise and place on the platter; no need to stack them.) Or, chop the lettuce if you'd prefer. Scatter the radishes, carrots and orange segments on top. Sprinkle everything with a little salt. Stir the sauce to combine, and taste for seasoning and acidity. Drizzle over the salad and serve right away. Use as much sauce as desired. Serve with a side of bread to sop up any lingering dressing.
ROMAINE SALAD WITH ANCHOVY AND LEMON
Though this is a very simple salad, it is exquisite when attention is paid to every little detail. Packaged organic romaine hearts are available at most supermarkets, but using the hearts of whole romaine heads or whole baby romaine will make for a fresher version. Save the plucked outer leaves for a chopped salad or other cooking.
Provided by David Tanis
Categories salads and dressings, vegetables, appetizer
Time 20m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Prepare the romaine hearts: Cut off the bottoms, and remove a few of the outer leaves from each head. Gently separate the pale inner leaves and refresh in a deep basin of cold water. Drain leaves well, then spin dry, wrap in kitchen towels and refrigerate.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and anchovy. Whisk in the olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning; dressing should be rather tart.
- Put the leaves in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pour the dressing over the lettuce and gently coat the leaves, tossing with your hands. Using a peeler, shave large curls of Parmesan over the salad.
VIA CAROTA'S INSALATA VERDE
At Via Carota, the charming West Village restaurant run by the partners Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, the menu description for insalata verde does little to give away any details about what makes it so unbelievably, mouth-smackingly perfect. A visual inspection of the dish reveals only leaves of endive, butter lettuce, frisée and watercress all piled as high as gravity will allow, topped by a drizzle of dressing studded generously with shallots and mustard seeds. In truth, all the secrets of this otherworldly salad lay in the graceful, unlikely application of a flavorless one: water. First, the five carefully chosen types of lettuce are all triple-washed to yield what Williams called "a super happy salad." Next, the minced shallots are given a quick rinse under cold water - instead of a long maceration in vinegar - to keep them shalloty and savory and prevent them from becoming too acidic, which could overwhelm the delicate lettuces. And finally, and perhaps most surprising, Williams adds a spoonful of warm water to the vinaigrette. "We add warm water to make it more palatable," she explained. "Pure vinegar is just too strong - it assaults the taste buds. We want a salad dressing so savory and delicious that you can eat spoonfuls of it. We want you to be able to drink it!" This might just become your go-to vinaigrette. Spoon it liberally over everything from boiled asparagus to farro salad to steak and fish and roast chicken. It's so good that you might even be tempted to pour it into a glass and top it off with sparkling water.
Provided by Samin Nosrat
Categories salads and dressings
Time 15m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Wash the greens: Fill a sink or large basin with tepid water. Remove any wilted or damaged leaves from the butter lettuce, romaine and endive. Trim each head at the root to release whole leaves. Leave butter-lettuce leaves whole, but halve large leaves of romaine and endive on the bias, then drop into water. Trim and discard any roots and long stems off watercress, and drop remaining leaves and tender stems into water. Trim and discard dark green outer leaves and tops from frisée until only light green and white parts remain. Trim at the root to release leaves, and drop into water. Swirl greens in water, then drain. Wash twice more in cool, then cold, water, then transfer to a salad spinner to dry. Gently wrap in clean dish towels, and set aside.
- Place the shallot in a fine-mesh strainer, and quickly rinse with cold water. Allow to drain, then place in a medium bowl, and add vinegar and warm water. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then whisk in oil, mustards, honey (if using), thyme, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Taste, and adjust salt and vinegar as needed.
- To serve, gently pile a generous handful of greens into a serving bowl, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of dressing. Continue with another handful of salad and more seasoning and dressing, repeating until you have a glorious, gravity-defying mound of salad. Top with a final drizzle of dressing, and serve immediately.
- Wrap remaining greens in an airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing for up to 3 days.
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