Supper Salad or, the Kitchen Sink

It was a 'what's for supper night?' That is, we were all getting hungry - those of us who were home and pickings were slim. We'd cooked a nice amount for the weekend but it had gotten eaten - much of it, that is, by the Sunday lunch eaters (the nerve of them) and Akiva. for dinner.

What to do? Upon examination of the refrigerator, things weren't as grim as they seemed. We composed a lovely, filling salad for dinner. It took some time but Gabe and I chopped together and considered the ingredients as we went.

It was a really good meal and it's always good to remember that salad is an excellent fall back. Even if you buy ready seasoned tofu to add, or some sort of prepared pickled vegetable or add a jar of roasted peppers, it will marry well, with some dressing on top pulling it all together. Many of us eat dinner much to late and salad will go down much better digestively, than a heavier meal, especially if you're sitting down to eat after 8pm - as we almost always do. If you want to gussy things up, serve your salad with some good, whole-grain bread and a wedge of cheese on the side or even shaved on top of the salad plate.

Supper Salad

1 head of lettuce - we used a Romaine style

1 bunch of arugula - we had a nice, leafy bunch and it was peppery and good.

Avocado - always beefs it up nicely and turns nice and creamy when it's gets smushed up with the other components.

Hard boiled eggs. This is key as the eggs, when sliced and chopped and added, fall apart a bit, especially once the dressing goes on, and really enriches the greeny taste of the salad, as well as adds some protein to the meal.

Diced, cooked tofu. We had some from the weekend. No reason not to add it.

Cukes - diced.

Carrots - we had some leftover Levantine carrot salad (from Molly Katzen's Still Life with Menu). This was a nice touch as it bulked things up a bit and the carrots were dressed and added a tangy taste. Not critical though as this is a 'whatever you've got' sort of dish.

Fruit - this was really nice by the way. We chopped in 2 persimmons and 2 mangoes and it was really tasty with everything else.

Toasted nuts. Usually, we have some toasted sunflower seeds for garnishing but we were out
last night and went nut less but if you have something of that ilk...raw or roasted, it adds both protein and flavor, not to mention a pleasing chew.

Dressing

Olive oil - 1/4 to 1/3 a cup.

Lemon juice and orange juice - 1/2 cup of mixed citrus.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Honey mustard - 2-3 tbsp.

Whisk together and adjust. This made a lightly sweet dressing that went well with the fruit as well as the vegetables.

Fall Salad

The fall means new produce wherever you live. In Israel, where the summer heat continues to hold on, at least during the day, the markets fill with bounty in time for the Jewish New Year. Ruby red pomegrantes, yellow-green quince, various sexy and appropriately looking mysterious tropical fruits in shocking fuschias and pinks, that invite investigation and tasting. Then, there are the standards - the new crop of citrus fruits and winter squashes, which in those heady moments of fall, seem so exciting, months away from inducing winter blues.

This Friday, I gazed into the refrigerator and considered what would compose an appropriately fall-like salad. I wanted something refreshing and clean on the palate, that wouldn't weigh us down to much before we launched on our heavier main course. I used my new oranges, navel like in their look but ultimately a new variety that I have to ask my fruit/veg guy more about. I've been getting some of our produce through a guy who gets organic fruits and veggies from different places. He claimed he'd get some exciting oranges this week and they were good but as usual, still a bit green and not quite as sweet as what they'll be in another month or two. But tasty nonetheless, with a pleasantly, astringent quality.

Ingredients:

Romaine Lettuce - always readily available and it offers a certain bitter quality that makes it, to me that is, more interesting than regular red and green leaf lettuces. It also has a nice crunch as well.

Arugula - what can I say, I almost always use arugula and it always tastes good to me, but one could use other lettuces as well. Watercress can be excellent with this preparation and it's sharp, almost bitter quality makes a nice foil to the oranges.

Oranges - Peeled, pith removed and sliced across the circumference into circles and then cut into half moons.

Green olives - Israel is the land of olives of all varieties. I was fortunate to get young, green olives, still developing in their marinade, along with sliced garlic. (You could also choose an oil cured black olive, which will be saltier and stronger in taste but still good, or herbed, green olives with a crunchier bite).

Sliced, toasted almonds - Just toast them in a frying pan, keeping a careful eye, or in the toaster oven for 5-7 minutes at 300.

Optional add ins - Sliced scallion or purple onion.

Dressing:

Olive oil

Orange juice/Lemon juice: Depending on how many plates you're dressing, figure on the juice of 1-2 oranges and 1-2 lemons. You can decide how puckery you'd like the dressing.

Honey to taste.

Splash of apple cider vinegar to even out the taste.

Dijon mustard. 1-2tbsps.

Salt and Pepper.

Whisk together, taste and adjust. I kept it lightly sweet and only mildly tart to accent the not so sweet oranges and the very sharp olives.

Serving:

You can mix this all up into a big bowl or arrange plates, which is my preference. Mix together your greens separately and then arrange a casual pile on each plaste. Toss some orange slices on top and then some green olives. Dress each plate with a couple of tablespoons of dressing and freshly, ground black pepper. Enjoy.