salads

Fig and Tomato Salad with Blue Cheeses and Pine Nuts

I have to admit that I when I heard about this recipe I wasn’t completely sure that figs and tomatoes would make a good match.  Usually when I make a salad with figs, it’s on a bed of greens and a very light, fruity vinaigrette.  But hey, it’s tomato and fig season, and so an experiment was in order.  We’ve had a disappointing year as far as tomatoes go in the garden—some kind of blight has taken all but the smallest cherry tomatoes—so we had to buy the tomatoes for this salad, which also made me doubtful, since I’ve gotten used to strolling out the back door to pick them warm when it’s time to make something.

For this salad, we went the extra step and peeled the tomatoes—probably not strictly necessary, but a nice touch.  And we used two kinds of blue cheese—a classic French Roquefort and a local blue.  If you’re not a fan of blue cheeses, any tangy, crumbly cheese will do.  As in usual in our dishes, we aren’t strict about measurements—we were feeding four people, so we cut up what looked like enough tomatoes and figs for four.

The ingredients list went something like this:

Salad:

4 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
8 figs fresh figs, tips cut off, quartered
2 varieties blue cheese, crumbled

Handful of toasted pine nuts, cooled

Dressing:

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oi
Pinch salt, freshly ground pepper

A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only, whisked into the dressing at the last minute

And that’s it.  Assemble it on a platter in layers, starting with the tomatoes, then the figs, then adding the crumbled cheeses and pine nuts.  Drizzle the dressing over all just before serving.

I was wrong to doubt the tomato/fig combination.  We licked our plates. Our tomato sadness evaporated.  It tasted just the way summer is supposed to taste.

 

 

Orange and Pomegranate Sparkly Starter Salad

2015-04-25 19.29.42We broke way out of our comfort zone about a month ago and prepared a three-course meal for 12 strangers, in an unfamiliar kitchen in the South End of Boston. We’d volunteered to be part of an online auction, and someone actually bid on us—well, to be completely honest, I volunteered and Chip, with his eternal good nature, went along. We worked with the host to create a menu, which ended up as:

Orange and Pomegranate Sparkly Starter Salad (aka Jewels on a Plate)

Grilled rack of lamb with cilantro honey sauce

Cauliflower cake with roasted red pepper sauce

Roasted asparagus with hollandaise

Poached Anjou pears in a dark chocolate sauce

Almost all of the meal was prepped in advance and finished on site, which was essential, since we had no idea what we were going to encounter. We learned from our last experience and brought EVERYTHING we thought we’d need, including salt and pepper, because you never know.

Ingredients for the salad (serves 4):

4 navel oranges

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 hot red chili pepper, thinly sliced into rings

1/3 cup olive oil

salt & pepper

1 cup fresh arugula

1 cup feta or other goat cheese, crumbled

4 tablespoons fresh parsley

4 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

 Directions:

Peel the oranges, removing the white pith. I do this with a knife so that I can get all the pith off. (Yes, I know, pith off.)  Cut the oranges into ¼ inch thick slices.

Boil the vinegar and sugar for 3 minutes, then add the chili and cook for another few seconds, just so the pepper softens. Pour over the orange slices, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain the juices from the oranges into a bowl. Whisk the oil into the juices and add salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the salad, starting with ¼ cup of arugula. Then layer the oranges over the top, and add the cheese. Top with parsley, and pomegranate seeds, and drizzle the dressing over the top.

The dinner party was a big success—maybe there’s a boutique business there someday down the line. All I can say for now—we had a ton of fun, everyone ate every bite and asked for more, and we would have been delighted to find this meal on our plates in any restaurant. We’re getting pretty good at this.

Maybe one of the top ten (20?) most fun days I’ve ever had.

Photo Apr 25, 7 48 45 PM

Pears poaching, asparagus ready to cook, salads all plated.

Photo Apr 25, 7 49 33 PM

Lamb marinated overnight in cilantro and honey, flash-grilled at home, finished in the oven on location.

2015-04-24 18.45.29

Cauliflower cake.

2015-04-25 17.55.45

We stayed calm and happy the whole time.

 

 

Watermelon and tomato salad with (pine) nuts and (goat) cheese

Watermelon tomato saladSay hi to summer.

ingredients

  • some handfuls of 1-2 inch chunks of seedless watermelon
  • a more or less equal amount of ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
  • grey salt, kosher salt, fleur de sel, or salt of your choice, to taste
  • 3-5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic or other vinegar of your choice
  • 1 cup tablespoons chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as dill, basil, mint, chervil, tarragon, fennel fronds). The important thing is to use only fresh herbs.
  • a bunch of cups fresh tatsoi, arugula, or watercress, or a combination of all three, about 3 cups
  • some crumbled goat cheese or other cheese that you like
  • some pine nuts, very lightly toasted, or other nuts that you like

preparation

  • combine melon and tomatoes in large bowl. Sprinkle with a couple of pinches of salt and toss to blend; let stand 15 minutes.
  • add some oil and vinegar, and herbs to melon mixture. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired.
  • divide the greens and herbs among plates. Top with melon salad, sprinkle with the cheese and toasted nuts, or put some nuts and cheese out so that people can add their own

notes

This is a very forgiving recipe that can be easily modified depending on what you have around. The blend of sweet and tangy in the watermelon/tomato mixture is matched by the fresh and tangy of the greens. This salad is a great way to say hello to summer and to celebrate freshness all summer long. It takes about 10 minutes to pull together.

For this version, we visited our backyard tomato garden for basil, chervil, dill, and parsley. Use whatever you have around that will complement your main dish. This time, we didn’t use cilantro, although we have some, because we had some leftover green romesco sauce for the baked bluefish. (Take some bluefish, spread some olive oil on it with your fingers, sprinkle salt and pepper on it, bake in a 350 oven, skin side down, for about 15 minutes.)

The watermelon/tomato mix will get pretty runny; you can take advantage of this liquid in your dressing and only add enough vinegar to balance the oil. To avoid a watery plate, use a slotted spoon when you add the mix to your greens.

This is a casual salad—don’t get fussy about the sizes of the chunks. If you can fit them into your mouth, and they’re all more or less equal in size, that’s it. You can save the knife skills showoff for something more ambitious, like our veggie chili.