This takes its inspiration from the “salads” of Morocco. There, vegetables are mixed, cooked or not, and then dressed and served at various temperatures and called “salads”, although they are not what most Americans think of when they hear “salad”. (“Hey! Where’s the lettuce?”) I love this for the colors as well as the flavor and textures. You’ll want your fixed blade slicer for this…
INGREDIENTS:
3 Chioggia beets, peeled, sliced into 1/8th inch thin horizontally 2 Chantenay carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/8th inch thin horizontally 1 red onion, peeled, halved through the root, then sliced into 1/8th inch half moons ½ cup sugar ½ cup rice vinegar ½ head Romaine lettuce, sliced crosswise into ¼ inch strips ½ cup chopped flat parsley or cilantro Salt as needed Pepper to taste 2 cups Cumin Vinaigrette (Recipe Follows)
METHOD:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it heavily. Have two bowls ready with a ½ cup of dressing in each.
Blanch the beets in the boiling water just long enough to render them pliable and take away the “raw” edge to them. Remove from the water and drain, then add to one of the bowls of dressing. Repeat this with the carrot slices, putting them into the other bowl. (I suppose you could just put them all into one bowl, but I keep them separated so I can vary the proportions if I want to later.) Cool the vegetables in the dressing in the refrigerator.
Mix the sugar and vinegar in a jar. Shake until no sugar is visible.
Lightly salt the onions and leave for 5-10 minutes. The onions should feel a little slippery and pliant. Rinse until the onions no longer feel slippery. Pour the sugar/vinegar solution over the onions and let marinate at least 20 minutes.
When vegetables are marinated and chilled, drain them. Mix carrots and beets, and assemble the salad. Add lettuces to a bowl and lightly dress. Divide among four plates then top with beet/carrot mixture. Scatter onions over the salad, and then the chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Chef’s Notes and Tips:
You could do this with slices of peeled orange and a cumin orange vinaigrette. A light dusting of cinnamon would work well on the salad, or a little in the dressing would also be nice. You can substitute Watermelon radishes for Chioggia beets if you wish.
Cumin Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup rice vinegar, -OR- ¼ cup rice vinegar and ¼ cup lemon juice 1 garlic clove, peeled 2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin seed 1 tablespoon sugar 1-2 tablespoons honey mustard, to your taste Salt and pepper to taste 1½ cups olive oilMETHOD:
Rub a large non-reactive bowl with the garlic clove, leaving streaks of garlic oil in the bowl. Discard the garlic clove.
Add the vinegar/lemon juice to the bowl, and add the cumin and sugar. Whisk until the sugar goes into suspension.
Season with salt and pepper and add the mustard, whisking to mix it in.
Slowly, in a thin stream, whisk in the oil until you have a fairly thick dressing. Taste for balance as you go-you might need less or more oil to achieve the proper balance. Adjust flavors as needed.
Chef’s Notes and Tips:
For a more South West approach, use some lime juice with the vinegar, and add 1 teaspoon of freshly powdered dried oregano along with some freshly ground coriander seed. For a more Middle Eastern approach, use a little orange juice and a pinch of mint. You could use cinnamon in the dressing for either direction. This dressing could be used as a marinade for chicken or fish also.
Yield: 2 cups dressing
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
