Authors: Alan Kistler
Tags: #recipes, #cookbook, #Game of Thrones
The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond (Unofficial Cookbook) (20 page)
Bitter Green Salad
No one joins the Night’s Watch purely out of a spirit of adventure or glory. Even those who believe it is a noble brotherhood of great and honorable knights would not care to make the sacrifices required to join — not unless they are simply so jaundiced about how the world has treated them that they think it is the best option they have. The bitterness of this green salad symbolizes the bitter spirit that fills many who join the brotherhood of the black. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 19 — Jon)
Serves 2
3 cups young turnip greens
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1
⁄
2
cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1
⁄
2
teaspoon garlic powder
1
⁄
2
tablespoon fresh basil
1
⁄
2
tablespoon fresh oregano
2 cups diced tomatoes
1
⁄
4
cup diced green onions
1 cup diced red bell pepper
- Remove the stems from the turnip greens. Roll up the greens and chop them into small pieces.
- Sprinkle the salt onto the greens. Massage the greens by hand to work the salt into them so they begin to wilt.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice on greens and mix. Let them sit for 1–2 minutes to wilt.
- Blend the pine nuts, olive oil, garlic powder, and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice until smooth. Add the basil and oregano to the blender and briefly pulse until the herbs are mixed in but still chunky.
- Add tomato, onion, and red bell pepper to the turnip greens. Toss the salad with the blended dressing and serve.
A Word of Wisdom
Collard greens and kale are two of the most nutrient-rich leafy greens, but turnip greens are even richer in nutrients, so they’re better for you. They all belong in same family as cabbage, broccoli, and bok choy.
Southron Spinach and Plum Salad
After a fine day of tourney, Sansa joins the royal court at the riverside for a feast. It’s a magical evening where simple joys and the beauty of the night seem all the more enhanced. This salad of spinach and plum is both healthy yet provides a sweetness to complement the flavor of the night for young Sansa, who has no idea how far away such lovely times will seem in the months to come. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 29 — Sansa)
Serves 4
2 cups baby spinach leaves, torn
2 plums, pitted and sliced into wedges
1
⁄
4
cup balsamic vinegar
3
⁄
4
cup olive oil
1
⁄
2
cup lemon juice
1
⁄
2
cup orange juice
4 teaspoons lemon zest
4 teaspoons orange zest
1
⁄
4
teaspoon coarse sea salt
1
⁄
8
teaspoon black pepper, ground
1
⁄
2
tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
- Arrange the spinach and plum wedges on 4 plates.
- Whisk vinegar, oil, juices, zests, salt, pepper, and basil in a bowl.
- Drizzle approximately
1
⁄
3
of dressing over spinach and plums on plates. Remaining dressing may be refrigerated.
A Word of Wisdom
Whether you make salad dressing at home or buy it at the store, all salad dressings need to be stored in the fridge and shaken well before each use, unless the recipe or packaging specifically states otherwise.
Cersei’s Greens Dressed with Apples and Pine Nuts
Cersei provides a delicious juxtaposition to herself when she serves this simple dish. The complex queen works a web around her enemies at every opportunity; this modest and easy-to-make salad is guileless in comparison. To contrast and balance out the Queen’s sometimes cold nature, this dish has a sweet raspberry vinaigrette. (
A Clash of Kings
, Chapter 44 — Tyrion)
Serves 4
2 cups baby greens mix
2 apples, cored and sliced
1 cup pine nuts
1
⁄
4
cup balsamic or raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1
⁄
4
cup raspberry preserves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1
⁄
2
teaspoon sugar
3
⁄
4
cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
- Arrange greens, apple wedges, and pine nuts on 4 plates.
- Process together vinegar, lime juice, raspberry preserves, mustard, and sugar in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Slowly add olive oil, just a few drops at a time, on high speed to allow oil to emulsify. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Dress greens with dressing. Refrigerate any leftovers.
A Word of Wisdom
Pine nuts, like peanuts, aren’t true nuts, but they’re still dangerous to people with some nut allergies. There should be no mystery about what pine nuts really are: they are an edible seed of pine trees!
Lord Walder’s Green Bean Salad
Walder Frey offered this salad of green beans, onions, and beets after
Late Lord Frey’s Leek Soup
— possibly the last edible course on a menu that progressed through boiled river pike, jellied calves’ brains, and string beef. Vegetarian dish or no, the blood-red beets seem like just one of several signs that coming events would not be feast-worthy. (
A Storm of Swords
, Chapter 51 — Catelyn)
Serves 4
1 pound fresh green beans
4 quarts of water, with a pinch of salt
Ice water, to immerse beans
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1
⁄
4
cup toasted almond slices
1
⁄
4
cup diced red onion
1 roasted beet, cooled and thinly sliced (see
Cersei’s Buttered Beets
for roasting method)
1
⁄
2
cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
- Wash and trim green beans. In batches, blanch beans in pot of boiling water, but only until tender. Remove from boiling water and shock beans (immerse them) in cold water for at least 10 seconds. Remove beans from water and place in a large salad bowl. Repeat until all beans have been blanched and shocked.
- Drizzle beans with oil and lemon juice. Mix well. Gently toss Parmesan, almonds, onions, beet, and tomatoes into the beans. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
A Word of Wisdom
Blanching beans locks in nutrition and flavor. Put only small batches of vegetables into the water. You don’t want the water to stop boiling, or your vegetables will fade! Cook these beans in handful-size batches until tender.
Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun’s Giant Salad
The giants of old were often said to be monstrous, savage creatures that feasted on the flesh of men and children. But Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun is not such a beast: he is quite the picky vegetarian. Inspired by his love for bushels of onions and turnips, one bowl of this delightful salad would be a true treat for Wun Wun; in the cold north beyond the Wall, he’s likely not enjoyed the summer greens and tempting southron spices that crows and kneelers so easily take for granted. (
A Dance with Dragons
, Chapter 39 — Jon)
Makes 1 giant’s portion or serves 4
2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup Bibb lettuce, torn
1 cup endive, chopped
1
⁄
2
cup arugula, torn
1
⁄
2
cup red leaf lettuce, torn
1
⁄
3
cup sliced celery
1
⁄
4
cup chopped baby carrots
1
⁄
3
cup shredded raw turnip
1
⁄
3
cup shredded raw Vidalia onion
4 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
1
⁄
4
teaspoon kosher salt
1
⁄
8
teaspoon hot paprika
1
⁄
8
teaspoon garlic powder
1
⁄
8
teaspoon onion powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
1
⁄
4
cup grape tomatoes, sliced
- Combine romaine, Bibb, endive, arugula, red leaf lettuce, celery, carrots, turnips, and onions in a large salad bowl. Toss gently to mix.
- Whisk vinegar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder together in a small bowl. Whisk oil into dressing and mix until emulsified.
- Drizzle dressing over salad. Toss extremely well to coat. Add tomato slices to top of salad as a garnish and serve immediately.