Sunday, 08 May 2011

• Recipe: Unbelievable Root Vegetable Salad

  With warmer weather upon us the frequent trips to the farmers market have replaced all those sessions shoveling snow!   It is hard to resist the urge to buy all these gorgeous vegetables......then what do you do with all of them? This salad is extremely simple and easy to prepare.  A perfect dish for Mother's day or a quick weeknight dinner side dish.

  The key to making any salad very satisfying is color and texture! Any crisp vegetable that can be thinly sliced on a mandoline can be added to this dish. As you know the mandoline is one of my favorite tools! I found a great variety of baby beets, carrots of all colors, and radishes. 

  Salad:

  6 fresh baby beets (all different colors), peeled

  6 baby carrots, peeled

  1 celery heart

  1 small radicchio, washed and dried

  1 bunch of radishes, topped and tailed

  1 fennel bulb, herby tops reserved

  Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  Salad Procedure:

  1. Finely shave the variety of beetroots, radishes, fennel and carrots, on a mandolin until you have a pile of thin, wavy, crunchy slices. Place in a large mixing bowl.
  2. With a sharp knife, slice the celery heart and the radicchio as thin as you can and add to the bowl of root vegetable slices.
  3. Toss with grilled chili dressing and season to taste, serve sprinkled with reserved fennel tops.

  Dressing:

  3 fresh red chilies

  10 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

  3½ tbsps fresh lemon juice

  1 small bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped (optional) *I used the reserved fennel tops, because the mint did not look great.*

  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

  Dressing procedure:

  1. Prick the chilies with the tip of a sharp knife to prevent them from exploding. Hold chilies, one at a time, with a pair of metal tongs over a gas flame until they’re blackened and blistered all over.
  2. Place the chilies in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 15 minutes. Let chilies steam in their own heat so the skins will peel off very easily.  Peel the chilies and remove all seeds.
  3. Finely chop the flesh of the chilies and add them to a mixing bowl with oil, lemon juice and mint, mix well. Season to taste.

  Recipe Credit: Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver, 2006.

   

  What is your favorite type of salad to eat?  Do you have a favorite simple dressing you use on everything?

   

   

  • 2:19 PM
  • 1116 Views
  • 4 eProps
  • 3 Comments