Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette by Deb Perelman of the Smitten Kitchen

The salad that I made was a slight variation of a recipe in Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen cookbook. Basically, I left out the quinoa that she included. By the way, it was the first time I had tried roasting radishes....and hey, they're not just for raw veggie trays anymore.

I served this dish at room temperature but suspect it equally good if served warm or cold.

Roasting Radishes (and other things)

Ingredients:

• 3 small shallots
• olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 pounds of mixed root vegetables ( I use baby turnips, radishes, potatoes and carrots)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar plus more for finishing
• 2 big pinches of coarse salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• pepper

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the shallots and separate the cloves. Place the shallots in a square of aluminum foil, coat with olive oil, then wrap the foil around the cloves to create a packet and place it in the oven.

Arrange the rest of the vegetables in one layer on a baking sheet and coat them with olive oil. Squeeze lemon juice over the vegetables and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place the vegetables into the oven with the packet of shallots and roast until tender and slightly caramelized. (Perhaps 30 minutes). 

Remove the vegetables from the oven and set aside. Toss the cooked shallots into a blender along with the sherry and balsamic vinegars and salt and pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil and blend thoroughly. Adjust the seasonings to taste, then spoon the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Finish the dish before serving with some drops of reduced balsamic vinegar. 

Kale and Mango Salad

 This recipe for a flavourful and colourful salad was devised by Aarti Sequeira for the Food Network.

And although I am not a fan of over-handling food, the massaging of the kale in this dish really improves its look and texture. 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale, stalks removed and leaves chopped
• 1 lemon , juiced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil\kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons honey
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 mango diced (about a cup)
• small handful of toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Methods:

Place the chopped kale in a large serving bowl. Add half the lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Massage the kale until it starts to soften and wilt.

Gently toast the pepitas in a dry skillet on the stove.

In a small bowl , whisk the remaining lemon juice with the honey, and lots of freshly ground pepper. Whisk in the 1/4 cup of olive oil to form the dressing. Pour the dressing over the kale and stir in the mango and pepitas.

Toasting pepitas on the stovetop.

Salmon Salad Nicoise

We are a food-loving family. 

My niece Jessie posted her recipe for a Salmon Salad Nicoise on Instagram. It's colourful, healthful and delicious. Her recipe was simple..... steam fresh local green beans, and plate them with some sliced boiled eggs, crumbled blue cheese, a few black olives, some baby tomatoes, and a hearty filet of broiled salmon on a bed of arugula. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with ground pepper and sea salt.

Ensalada de Pimientos Asados aka Roasted Red Pepper Salad

For a tapas party, or a summer barbecue, along with the ubiquitous green olives. This was colourful and very fresh-tasting, unlike jarred pimentos.

Ingredients:

• 3 thick-fleshed red bell peppers

• ½ onion, peeled 

• extra virgin olive oil, wine vinegar, and salt 

Methods: 
Roast the red peppers: wash and dry well, and poke once with a fork. Place in an oiled shallow baking dish and bake, uncovered, at medium high for an hour or so, until the peppers are very tender when pierced with a fork. This is best done early in the day or the day before.

When the peppers are cooked, seed and slice them. Then grate the onion and add it to the peppers. Dress them with a sprinkling of salt, olive oil, and vinegar (use approximately equal parts of oil and vinegar). Let the flavours develop for at least a few hours in the refrigerator.

From Woman's World Magazine - Mango and Chili Salad

I made this colourful salad to accompany a rather rusty-coloured Indian meal of butter chicken and curried chickpeas and potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium mango, peeled and diced
• 1 large or 2 small avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp grated lime zest
• pinch of chili flakes
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• pinch of flaky sea salt

Methods: 
Mix the ingredients together and serve.

Shaved Fennel Salad from Bon Appetit Magazine

Boring salad begone. This is perfect for those with a fennel fetish.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups coarsely torn sourdough bread
• 1/2 cup walnuts , toasted
• 6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• salt
• 3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar or red or white wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 fennel bulbs with fronds
• 3/4 cup torn mint leaves
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 oz of shaved parmesan

Methods:

Toast the walnuts in a skillet on top of the stove. Toss the bread in 3 Tbsp. oil and season with salt. Toast in a 400 degree F. oven for 12-15 minutes until crisp.  

Whisk together the vinegar, garlic, pepper flakes and another 3 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl. Set aside.

Remove the stalks and fronds from the fennel bulb. Coarsely chop the fronds and slice the stalks thinly. Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, thinly slice the fennel bulbs. 

At some point you have to mix the ingredients together. I mixed the walnuts, croutons, dressing, shaved fennel bulb and torn mint  together in a plastic freezer bag, then plated those ingredients. On top, I placed the sliced stalks, fronds and shaved cheese. I then drizzled the salad with lemon juice, more olive oil and sprinkled on some Maldon salt. But use whatever method you like for putting the salad together.

Fennel and Apple Slaw

If you like the distinctive flavour of fennel, you'll like this fresh-tasting salad. This slightly altered recipe is based on one found in the Autumn 2018 edition of Food and Drink magazine. I didn't have several of the ingredients that the authors suggested, so had to wing it. Where does one find juniper berries anyway?

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• a teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• one large fennel bulb
• 1 - 2 apples sliced (depending on their size)
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Methods:

In a small bowl, whisk the mustard, lemon juice and olive oil together. Wash the fennel bulb, cut it in half and remove the core and fronds. Thinly slice the fennel with a mandoline or sharp knife. Place it in a large bowl along with the thinly sliced onion, and parsley. Cut the apples in half and remove the cores. Thinly slice the apples, then add them to the bowl. Add the dressing and mix the ingredients well. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Smashed Cucumber Salad from Bon Appetit Magazine

I'm not sure why smashed cucumbers are in vogue right now, but I tried this recipe from Bon Appetit and it was A-OK. The final product kinda looks like you've had a meltdown in the kitchen. However, it tastes good, and you get to release all of your frustrations by bashing a vegetable. Here's the link to the recipe.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/smashed-cucumber-salad-with-lemon-and-celery-salt

Beet and Whipped Goat Cheese Salad

This is a salad that has received rave reviews on the three occasions I’ve served it. Because I am a fairly lazy cook, I have taken some liberties with the original recipe. My apologies to its author.

Ingredients for the beet salad:

• a tin of baby beets, drained and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots or minced onion, if you don’t happen to have shallots
• at least 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of a rich sweet vinegar such as balsamic or sherry vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup shelled nuts like walnuts, pistachios or pecans
• 2 cups of small salad greens or a combination of salad greens mixed with fresh herb leaves, such as mint or Italian parsley

Ingredients for the cheese:

• ¼ cup (4 ounces) fresh goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon of rice or white wine vinegar (or more to taste)
• ½ teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Methods: 
Cut the beets into bite-sized pieces then place them in a bowl with the shallots, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Let the beets marinate for at least 30 minutes. Toast the nuts briefly, sprinkle them with salt if unsalted and chop them coarsely. Prepare the goat cheese by whisking/whipping the cheese with the olive oil, vinegar, cream, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, arrange the greens on a platter, then pile on the beets. Spoon any remaining dressing over the salad. Spoon on dollops of the whipped cheese and sprinkle with the nuts.

Ina Garten's Bean and Arugula Salad - almost the same ingredients, slightly different method

I am reluctant to alter anything about the recipes contained in Ina Garten's Foolproof cookbook, for an obvious reason...they're foolproof. However, I confess to using tinned rather than dried and reconstituted beans to make this salad. What can I say....I only have so much time to cook. The tin canning process was allegedly created by Frenchman Philippe de Girard and the idea passed to British merchant Peter Durand who patented Girard's idea in 1810. Once they got rid of the lead soldering in the cans, people stopped dying, and canned goods took hold. Of note, tinned vegetables frequently contain a lot of salt, so a reduction of the amount of salt that Ina recommended in this recipe was essential. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tins of cannellini beans

• 2 tablespoons plus an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup good olive oil

• 1 red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick half-rounds

• 2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and small-diced

• 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)

• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, small-diced

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 2 ounces baby arugula

Methods:
Remove the beans from their tins, rinse and drain them well. Saute the red onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until soft. Add the rest of the olive oil to the saute pan along with the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and prosciutto and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the hot oil mixture over the drained beans, tossing well. While still warm, stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the bean mixture in a large serving bowl, surrounded by the arugula. This salad can be served warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Baby Root Vegetables

This 'salad' is a slight variation of a recipe in Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen cookbook. Basically, I left out the quinoa that she put in. By the way, it was the first time I had tried roasting radishes....and hey, they're not just for raw veggie trays anymore.



I served this dish at room temperature but suspect it is equally good if served warm or cold.



Ingredients:

• 3 small shallots
• olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 pounds of mixed root vegetables ( I use baby turnips, radishes, potatoes and carrots)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

For the vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar plus more for finishing
• 2 big pinches of coarse salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• pepper

Methods:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the shallots and separate the cloves. Place the shallots in a square of aluminum foil, coat with olive oil, then wrap the foil around the cloves to create a packet and place it in the oven.

Arrange the rest of the vegetables in one layer on a baking sheet and coat them with olive oil. Squeeze lemon juice over the vegetables and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place the vegetables into the oven with the packet of shallots and roast until tender and slightly caramelized. (Perhaps 30 minutes). 

Remove the vegetables from the oven and set aside. Toss the cooked shallots into a blender along with the sherry and balsamic vinegars, and salt and pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil and blend thoroughly. Adjust the seasonings to taste, then spoon the vinaigrette over the vegetables. I finished the dish before serving with some drops of reduced balsamic vinegar. 

Summit Salad

If I had to guess which post on my previous blog had the greatest number of  hits over time, I'm not sure I would have guessed this particular salad. But this is it; the most popular post on that particular blog. Maybe readers thought it was a salad appropriate for a meeting of world leaders. Who knows? The photo isn't even that appetizing. (Bad photo).

There's something about this hearty salad, originally derived from a cookbook called Whitewater Cooks, that appeals. I was given Whitewater Cooks  by sisters who grew up in Nelson B.C. but attended university in Ontario. The cookbook contains recipes for the "pure, simple and real creations from the Fresh Tracks Cafe" at the Whitewater Winter Resort in the Selkirk Mountain Range, some 21 km. south of Nelson. (Ahhh, the summit). This is food that fit, healthy skiers eat. 

I made this gargantuan salad for a bunch of non-skiers and they seemed to consume it with vigour even though I forgot to add the sprouts. There wasn't enough room on the platter anyway.

Ingredients: ... for the salad

• 8 cups of mixed baby salad greens
• 2 cups of grated beets (raw)
• 2 cups of grated carrots (raw)
• 2 cups of chickpeas, drained
• 2 cups of crumbled feta cheese
• 2 cups of sprouts
• 1 cup of sliced sun-dried tomatoes

...for the vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• juice and zest of one small orange
• 3/4 cup of safflower oil
• 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
• salt and pepper to taste

Methods:

Whisk together the first 7 ingredients for the vinaigrette, then add the oil in a steady stream. Roast the sunflower seeds in a skillet over medium heat until they are lightly browned and add them to the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can either 'compose' the salad on individual plates, or put everything on a large platter as I have done, prior to spooning the dressing over the salad.