After I spent a week in San Francisco, my husband met my flight. As we headed out to the freeway, he asked if I’d like to stop somewhere along the way for a bite to eat.
I told him what I really wanted was to get home and knock around in our own kitchen.
“Well, the problem with that is that there’s really not much there.”
I assured him that I was willing to give it a try.
In my own environment at last, I began my refrigerator forage, culling little bits of celery, green and yellow sweet pepper, and carrot. I even discovered some fresh garlic and a forgotten shallot in the pantry.
This colorful little melange was finely chopped and tossed with a light vinaigrette of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper.
Then I got out a three-day-old beef brisket left over from Steve’s Great Bachelor Days Adventure and carved 8 paper-thin slices from the largest end.
I wrapped them in foil (with a sprinkling of wine for moisture) and heated them gently in a 350 degree oven just until the fibers had softened and the meat was barely warmed through, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile I mixed together equal portions of horseradish, sour cream and mayonnaise.
Between sips of a lovely Fume Blanc I had also found at the back of the fridge, I arranged all these components onto two dinner plates: First, the warmed slices of beef were placed in a slightly overlapping pattern, fanning out from the center. Next came a serving of the vegetables in vinaigrette, spooned onto the center of the plate, over and around the beef. Finally, a dollop of the horseradish sauce accented the center of the salad.
Salad days
Crisp, colorful salads don’t stop with summer. Carry them into autumn and beyond.
Here are some ideas to provide inspiration.
Keep it simple: Simple sautes of chicken, pork or beef, spiced up with fresh garlic and herbs, are a wonderful contrast to a bed of crunchy mixed greens and a light balsamic vinaigrette.
The blues: Zip up a bottled vinaigrette by whisking in some crumbled blue cheese; drizzle over a composed salad of mixed greens, sliced bell peppers, crumbled bacon and wedges of tomato and hard-cooked egg.
Bet the ranch: Experiment with a variety of pasta shapes, tossed with a creamy ranch dressing, some pickled pepperoncinis, sliced black olives, and chunks of grilled chicken.
Go nuts: For crunch beyond croutons, toss your salads with: toasted pine nuts, hazelnuts, almonds or sesame seeds.
Get pickled: Marinate a selection of chopped vegetables (red peppers, mushrooms, onions, celery, carrots, cauliflower) in a mixture of red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and olive oil for several hours. Serve at room temperature on a bed of greens with shredded cheese (I would choose a gruyere), with grilled prawns, chicken or other meat.
Taco salad: Assemble a Southwest salad: Brown some ground beef, seasoned with some taco-style seasonings; let cool, then layer in a bowl with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, diced avocados, chopped green onions, shredded Monterey jack and/or cheddar, and lightly crushed tortilla chips. Toss with a vinaigrette that has been seasoned with some ground cumin, chili powder and a hefty spoonful of salsa.
Grilled chicken salad with roasted garlic mayonnaise
4boned, skinless chicken breast halves
1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2cups roasted garlic mayonnaise (recipe follows)
2ribs celery, cut into 1-inch long pencil-thin strips
1/2cup chopped green onions
6cups mixed salad greens (including several leafy varieties, a bit of crunchy Romaine hearts, and some arugula), torn into bite-size pieces
1red sweet bell pepper, seeded and sliced into rings
1yellow sweet bell pepper, seeded and sliced into rings
Balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Brush each breast with some of the olive oil, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Grill over hot coals, turning once, until golden brown and thoroughly cooked; cool, then cut into 1/2-inch chunks. This can be done up to 48 hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated.
Combine the cooled chicken with the mayonnaise, celery, and green onions.
To serve, arrange one-fourth of the salad greens on each of 4 plates. Arrange pepper slices on top of the greens, then drizzle vinegar and olive oil over each portion, along with additional seasoning of salt and pepper. Finally, spoon on the chicken salad mixture. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
Roasted garlic mayonnaise
8cloves garlic, unpeeled
1tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2cups good quality commercially made mayonnaise (such as Best Foods)
1teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1teaspoon Dijon mustard
Roast the garlic cloves: place the cloves and olive oil in an oven-proof dish and roast in a 350 degree oven until soft when pressed, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool and then peel away the outer skin of each clove, reserving the softened garlic pulp and the olive oil.
Place the roasted garlic and the oil in the bowl of a food processor, along with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and mustard. Process until the garlic is pureed and the mixture is smooth.
Makes about 1 3/4 cups.
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.
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