Now, that’s one mixed salad
When I don’t feel like cooking, which does not happen very often given my insatiable desire to cook, dinner turns into a salad. It’s seldom an act of planning, so what ends up on the table is a medley of disparate refrigerator leftovers that need to be used up — aka a refrigerator salad. Last week, I bought green and purple beans from three different farmers to determine which tasted best — answer: They were all indistinguishably delicious — and between home and the restaurant, we are overflowing with persimmons. Boiled whole potatoes are a fixture in our refrigerator ready to be turned into hash browns for breakfast, a sabzi (cooked vegetable) or roasted with herbs and spices for dinner.
In my book, what all salads must possess is varying qualities of fresh, warm, crunchy, sweet, creamy, tart and spicy, and then they can pass off as a lazy but satisfying dinner. Here is an idea for one of those salads. I hope you use this as a guide to create your own.
and cut intowedges
Juice fromone half of a lemon 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3-4 sprigs of herbs (mint, pea shoots or cilantro)
Instructions: Clip the heads off the green beans and remove any strings the beans may have on their sides. Cut the thicker beans in half lengthwise.
Prepare a bowl of ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water (roughly 4 cups of water with 1 teaspoon salt) to boil and blanch half the beans for no more than 30-45 seconds. Immediately transfer them to the bowl of ice water. Repeat with rest of the beans. Drain.
Marinate the beans with olive oil, minced serrano, salt and the juice of half a lemon. They can be refrigerated for up to a day.
Cut the boiled baby potatoes in half and combine them with oil, amchur and salt. Either roast them for 10-12 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven or pan-sear them until golden on all sides.
To make the salad, layer the marinated beans with warm roasted potatoes and persimmon wedges. Squeeze lemon juice on top, sprinkle the sesame seeds, addmore olive oil if desired and top with herbs.
NOTES & VARIATIONS
• To maintain the color of green beans, they have to be blanched ever so slightly— they actually taste better when they are cooked longer; however, they will lose the bright chlorophyll green.
• This salad was made using black sesame oil, but any oil— sesame, olive or avocado, for example— will work.
• Chèvre or brie cheese would add a creamier touch to the salad— add it just at the end when building the salad.
Makes 2-3 servings