as many of us awake like zombies from halloween sugar comas, i thought i'd turn your mind as quickly as possible to something other than those lingering reeses peanut butter cups in the plastic jack-o-lantern by the door. i thought i would give you something fresh and lively that gives reason to dish the good & plenty a good ole "talk to the hand." i thought i would inspire you with a simple formula for making intriguing salads, then provide you the recipe for one that rescued me from eating chocolate pudding covered in oreos and gummy worms last night.
if you are leery of experimenting in the kitchen, start with salad. there is a relatively small margin of error, so long as you nail a few basic things: use the freshest ingredients you have available, learn to taste your dressings for balance, don't overdress a salad, and sprinkle a little sea salt before serving--it transforms everything. once you have the essentials covered, play. i like simple salads, but i also can't resist one with multiple flavors and textures. while i'd like to say creating such salads is an artform, i believe it comes down to a simple formula. i am no mathematician, so bear with me as i show how this formula works with a classic caesar salad:
1 - 2 parts creamy (egg yolk, parmesan)
1 - 2 parts crunchy (croutons)
1 - 2 parts sweet (romaine)
1 - 2 parts tart, tangy, or spicy (dijon mustard)
1 - 2 parts bitter or acidic (lemon juice)
i think i have this formula encoded in my subconscious. i'll develop a salad while strolling the aisles of the farmers market, only to assemble it later and discover all the flavor and texture bases are covered. i wanted something colorful for a halloween spread, and loaded with the bounty of fall. here is how it played out:
1 - 2 parts creamy (ricotta salata, avocado)
1 - 2 parts crunchy (roasted pistachios)
1 - 2 parts sweet (persimmon)
1 - 2 parts tart, tangy, or spicy (pomegranate)
1 - 2 parts bitter or acidic (orange juice, vinegar)
here is the resulting salad, perched atop my grandfather's copy of hemingway's a moveable feast, a book laden with colors, textures, mystery, flavor, and life:
avocado, persimmon, and pomegranate salad
serves 6
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
1 tablespoon pomegranate vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (or honey)
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 - 8 ounces mixed salad greens
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch slivers
1 cup pomegranate arils
2 persimmons, sliced into 1/4 inch half moons
3/4 cup roasted, salted, shelled pistachios
1/2 cup torn mint leaves
4 ounces ricotta salata, shaved with a vegetable peeler
sea salt + black pepper
place the shallot in a medium bowl and cover with the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, orange juice, and orange zest. leave it on the counter for 15 minutes to macerate. slowly drizzle in the olive oil, while whisking. taste for balance, adjust the oil and vinegar if needed, and season with salt and pepper.
pull out your favorite salad bowl. fill it with the greens, then layers of avocado, persimmon, pomegranate, pistachios, and mint leaves. shave half of the ricotta salata over the top. dress the salad with half of the dressing, then toss to combine. add the remaining ricotta salata. use more dressing if necessary. sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. serve immediately.
notes
* if you don't want to go to the trouble of making such a multi-ingredient salad dressing, a simple lemon juice and good quality olive oil would suffice beautifully for this salad.
* pomegranate molasses is a syrupy reduction of pomegranate juice that is a staple of middle eastern cooking. it is available at most specialty or gourmet groceries, or you can try making your own with alton brown's recipe.
we hope you had a wonderful halloween. sugar hangovers be damned. happy turkey month.