Today we finally had a beautiful sunny day, after the long, long cruel cold days of winter...It's time to celebrate and bring out the salad!! Maybe this will be an incentive for the weather Gods to give us a break from the cold. And to think that just yesterday mom was asking for some lentil soup to keep her warm.
So, no matter what, we'll have our first summer salad. Let me correct that, we'll have the first salad bar of the season. Oh yes, around here, when it's salad day it has to be salad BAR day. We don't have just one salad, but rather a choice of different salads. For that I learned that you don't need to do everything yourself or from scratch, many elements can be bought ready made and you just have to serve them, maybe with some garnish to make them yours. So here you are:
I call it Insalata Primavera because with all its beautiful colors, it really brings out spring on your table. It is also very nutritious with all the beans and the vegetables in it. It is easy to make and keeps well in the refrigerator. You'll need:
1 (15 oz)can each: chick peas, black beans and pitted black olives
1 small red onion, or 1/2 medium
1 heart of a celery bunch, or 5 stalks of celery
1 lb grape tomatoes
1 tbsp lime juice, more to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp good vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Drain, rinse and drain the chick peas and the beans. Put them in a large bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise, add them to the beans. Finely chop the onion and the celery and add them to the bowl. Slice the black olives in small rings and add them to the bowl. Sprinkle with some lime juice, about a tablespoon. In a cup, mix the vinegar with 2 or 3 tbsp of oil and salt and pepper. Whisk, and taste. Add more oil if needed.
Add to the bowl and mix all together. Adjust seasoning. Keep refrigerated until serving time.You can sprinkle a pinch of crushed dry oregano on the salad just before serving.
TIP: my mom likes some crumbled feta on top of her salad. Try that too. Also if you have some cooked small shrimp in your freezer, you can defrost them beforehand, sprinkle them with lime juice and add them to the salad. It will be a complete meal.
The other day at the store, while looking for some smoked salmon, I found a beautiful white fish I had never seen before. It looked so good, that I bought it without even knowing what to do with it. At home, not knowing what to expect, I cleaned the kitchen sink and put the package in it. I first inspected it carefully hoping to find some instructions, but the label had only some information about the origin of the fish (New York), the ingredients and the net weight (1.99 lb). So I decided to take matters into my own hands and see what will happen: I cut the pouch on the length of the fish and opened the plastic flap like a book. Starting at the head of the fish, lift the skin near the back. You'll be surprised that it will come out all in one piece revealing the beautiful plump white flesh of the fish. Piece by piece remove the flesh to a bowl. When you are done with the first side, remove the spine and the bones to uncover the second slice of the fish. Carefully remove the flesh to the bowl making sure that the lower skin remains in its place. Now all you have left in the plastic package is the skin and bones. Close the plastic flap that you had opened in the beginning, fold the package with all the remains and discard it. Check your fish pieces for any visible bones and remove them. Now wash your hand, and get ready to make the salad. You'll need:
5 stalks of celery finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 tsp capers, rinsed and drained
3 heaping tbsp mayo
3 tbsp lime juice
For garnish:
1 avocado thinly sliced
4 boiled potatoes sliced in1/8 inch rounds
leaves from 1 heart of romaine lettuce
With a fork, mix the onion and the celery with the fish, in order to break the flesh. Add 1 tbsp of mayo and 1tbsp of lime juice. Mix. I learned from experience that when you use butter or mayo, you don't put a lot from the start, but just enough to give the flavor you're looking for. To best achieve this, you start with the smallest amount you can use, and gradually add up until you get the desired flavor and texture. This is a simple rule that I always follow when it comes to butter and mayo, and adding fat in general in my food. It works and it helps me use the real thing, not those "plastic" substitutes, and it helps me limit the amount I'm using. So check your salad and add mayo just some at a time, until you get a smooth texture. Add the capers, leaving some for garnish, and fold them in your salad.
For the presentation use what you have at hand. Today I had a romaine lettuce, an avocado and some boiled potatoes. So I arranged the smallest leaves of the heart of the lettuce in the shape of a fan on the side of the dish. On the other side, I layered the potato rounds and in between them the avocado slices. Scoop 2 or more tbsp of fish salad in the middle and sprinkle with some capers.
TIP: Another cool way to serve it: make an edible bowl from 2 or 3 leaves of bib (or iceberg) lettuce, even radicchio with its beautiful red color, and scoop the salad in it and arrange some toast around it. Or use some endive leaves as small "boats" and fill them with the salad, they'll make a delicious hors d'oeuvre platter.
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