Lighten Up with Simple, Savory Salads
If you're trying to "lighten up" in the new year, you may want to try some simple and budget-friendly salads.
John Fraser, owner and executive chef of the New York hot spot Dovetail, gave some helpful tips on "The Early Show" to make salads that are quick, easy and relatively inexpensive.
Brussels Sprouts Salad
Seckel pears are no longer in season, but the important thing about the pear you use is that it is nice and ripe. The pear adds a nice flavor to the Brussels sprouts, which are nice hearty leaves for the winter. The sweetness of the salad will make you forget the flavor of the Brussels sprouts, if you have someone at your table that hates them.
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, separated into leaves, blanched al dente
(blanch-boil in water for 1 1/2 minutes and shock with cold water)
6 leaves of Manchego cheese, sliced thinly
1/2 head Cauliflower florettes, separated then blanched al dente
(blanch-boil in water for 1 1/2 minutes and shock with cold water)
1/2 Seckel pear, cored and sliced thinly, leave the skin on
(Or you can try any thin skinned sweet fruit or skin a regular pear to use)
2 Red pearl onions, sliced thinly on a mandolin
Vinaigrette:
1/8 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 cup Sunflower seeds, toasted
1 bunch Parsley, picked, julienne
Salt and white pepper to taste
Whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
Toss the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts leaves with the vinaigrette being careful not to crush them. Plate in a mound with the cheese and pears on top. Garnish with sunflower seeds and julienne parsley.
Salad Lyonnaise
The bacon is going to add just a touch of protein to this salad, which with the a warm poached egg is French. Frisee greens are suggested, but they can be a little high end. The key here is the bitterness. So you can use escarole, chicory or romaine. Just know that the poached egg is delicate and may break on romaine, but that's ok as you want the texture of the egg to eventually be a part of the dressing.
Serves 4
Poached eggs:
4 eggs
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 quarts of water
Greens:
2 heads frisee lettuce, washed, dried, picked to bite sized pieces
(You can also use chicory, escarole or romaine)
2 cups arugula, washed, dried free of stem
1 pound bacon cut to lardon size
(Or you can use thick cut bacon from your grocery freezer)
2 C French baguette, diced in crouton size
Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons shallots, chopped
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt/black pepper to taste
1. Fry the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Add the bread to the pan to toast, letting it soak up the fat from the rendered bacon. Add a drip of sherry vinegar to the pan at the end and place croutons and bacon on a paper towel to drain.
2. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Toss with the frisee and divide between four plates. Poach the eggs in gently simmering water for about 4 minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Top each serving of frisee with crumbled bacon, croutons, and poached egg. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt, grind over a generous amount of black pepper, and serve.
For a Beet Salad and Fennel Salad, go to Page 2.
Beet Salad
2 cups ricotta cheese
16 red grapes, cut in half
1 fuji apple
1 bunch watercress
2 pieces of endive
16 baby beets
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Roast beets in aluminum foil in a 350 degree oven for a half hour. Peel and chill the beets and cut into quarters. Separate endive leaves. Slice apple thinly with a mandolin. Whisk together red wine vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Toss beets, endive, and apple with dressing and serve.
Fennel Salad
2 heads fennel
4 figs
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup toasted almonds
4 red radishes
1 cup arugula
2 piquillo peppers
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Salt and pepper
Julienne the peppers and slice fennel thinly on a mandolin. Soak fennel in ice water. Quarter figs and radishes. Mix olive oil and lemon juice, add salt and pepper and toss with fennel, figs, almonds, radishes, arugula, and peppers. Sprinkle feta cheese.