Spice (58 page)

This salad is richer than a simple green salad, so portions can be modest. Serve it with Deviled Eggs with Tuna and Black Olives (page 203) for a terrific light lunch and drink a Soave from Northern Italy.

S
ERVES
4

For the Salad

1 large head of romaine, blemished outer leaves removed

1 English cucumber

¾ cup walnut halves, lightly toasted (See page 91)

1 cup roughly chopped arugula (about 1 small bunch), washed and dried well

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon Aleppo chilies

For the Yogurt Dressing

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (about 1 large clove)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)

1 tablespoon champagne or chardonnay vinegar (avoid acidic brands like Heinz)

1½ teaspoons sugar

½ cup Greek-style, whole-milk plain, or sheep’s-milk yogurt

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To Make the Salad

1.
Wash the romaine leaves. Be careful to dry the greens thoroughly, or the dressing won’t cling. Chop the romaine into ¼-inch shreds and place them in a large salad bowl.

2.
Peel the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Spoon out the seeds. Cut each half in half widthwise, making four long pieces, and grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Squeeze out any excess water with your hands.

3.
Add the cucumber to the romaine. Add the walnuts, arugula, and herbs, and set aside or keep cold until you’re ready to toss and serve.

To Make the Dressing

1.
Make the dressing by combining the garlic with the lemon, vinegar, and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Let this mixture sit for at least 10 minutes to soften the sharpness of the raw garlic.

2.
Finish the dressing by whisking in the yogurt and then the olive oil, little by little. Season with salt and pepper.

3.
Just before serving, add half the dressing to the salad, season with salt and black pepper, and toss. Romaine is thick and crunchy and needs more dressing than a delicate lettuce. Taste the salad, and if the dressing’s too light, spoon on more. Sprinkle with Aleppo chilies and serve immediately.

Mincing Garlic Very Finely without a Press

Peel the garlic and cut the clove in half lengthwise. Remove any sprout or germ because it’s not digestible and can be a little bitter. Place the flat side of the garlic down on a cutting board and mince it, using the back of a chef’s knife (the exact opposite side from the blade side)—smashing and chopping and crushing all at the same time. Then go back over the garlic with the sharp side of the knife to make an even finer mince.

Sliced Summer Tomatoes with Basil and Walnut Tabouleh

Tabouleh is an herb and bulgur salad popular in many eastern Mediterranean countries. I like to use fine bulgur instead of coarse because I find that fine bulgur absorbs more flavor and is softer and less chewy. Most Arabic tabouleh is made with lots of mint and parsley and a little bulgur to bind the herbs. My version showcases the bounty of a late-summer harvest: it bursts with the flavors of basil, tomatoes, and peppers fresh from the garden.

This healthful dish is perfect for a light lunch on its own or as a salad before a main course with dinner.

It’s lovely served with a glass of Ligurian Vermintino. This wine is zesty and light and has a slightly savory quality. Pesto is a specialty of Liguria, and so it appropriately works well with these flavors.

S
ERVES
6

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

¼ cup finely minced red onion (about ½ small onion)

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)

Pinch of salt plus more to taste

½ cup fine bulgur

2 bunches fresh sweet basil, preferably Genovese variety, leaves only, washed, (about 38 to 40 leaves)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup lightly toasted walnuts plus a few pieces for garnish (see page 91)

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pepper to taste

2 large or 3 medium heirloom tomatoes (see page 269) or another good vine-ripened tomato, such as beefsteak

1.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice with the onion, garlic, and pinch of salt. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, until the rawness of the onion softens and it turns pink.

2.
Stir in the bulgur, adding 2 tablespoons of warm water. Let this stand for 10 minutes, until the bulgur swells and it is tender, not crunchy.

3.
Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, chop the basil leaves with the parsley, 1 cup walnuts, and the olive oil until the mixture is a bright green paste. Season with salt and pepper.

4.
Stir in the bulgur mixture until well combined. Let this sit for 5 minutes to give the bulgur a chance to bind and absorb the flavors.

5.
Just before serving, use a sharp or serrated knife to cut the tomatoes across the top into 16 round slices, about ½ inch thick. Capture any juices that run off the tomatoes to stir into the tabouleh.

6.
Arrange the tabouleh in an even layer on the bottom of a large serving platter, spreading it thin and even with a knife or spatula. Top the tabouleh with the tomato slices in an even layer, slightly overlapped. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper and top them with a few crushed walnut pieces. Serve immediately at room temperature.

Jerusalem-Style Carrot Salad with Hot Goat Cheese Crottin

I was inspired to create this dish at the Casablanca restaurant in Cambridge by the many Jewish recipes that combine carrots and pine nuts. It’s also a variation on a salad I made in cooking school in France, showing off the contrast between bright herbs, sweet carrots, and bold garlic. In France, I didn’t include pine nuts, but I like to add them to give this salad a Middle Eastern flair.

This salad is great any time of the year, but make sure you can find good-tasting carrots. They should be crisp and sweet and bright orange, with no black spots or rot.