Salads
A thought for Boby – Mâche salad with shrimps on corn purée and truffle oil
Aug 6th
Une pensée pour Boby – Salade de Mâche aux crevettes sur purée de maïs et huile de truffe
Don’t you guys love truffles? I grew up eating them, since my father himself grew up in Italy in a region producing lots of truffles, so when he moved to France he brought with him a dog called Boby, whom he trained to smell truffles and find them. Boby died when I was about 10 and it was the only dog we had. My father has always been a truffle “hunter”, wild mushroom “picker” and unfortunately a bird hunter too (which I hate) and anytime I go home, I have to argue with him about this. In France, there are unfortunately lots of hunters (in Italy too, to the point where there are barely any wild birds left). The argument of hunters is, oh well they are destroying the crops of the farmers (talking about the wild boars), well they don’t realize that humans have invaded all animal habitat and have left no space for animals to live.
My dad’s aunt, in Italy used a pig to find those rare mushrooms, so did most people in the countryside. I remember after days of truffles hunting with Boby, my dad would come home with bags filled with them…and of course, my mom would make tagliatelle with a ragu and truffle sauce. Now the ones I bought were not as good as the ones I am used to eating, they barely had flavor, so if you can find great truffles, you’ll be the lucky one. Truffe means truffle in French, but it also means the nose of the dog. Yes, every dog has a truffe…I am wondering if it has to do with his sense of smell finding truffles.
I love the sweetness and creaminess of the corn combined with the shrimps, then the truffle adds such an elegant and refined final touch. It’ s a little unconventional salad due to the corn purée, but all the elements work perfectly well together.
Ingredients for 4
- 16 shrimps
- 1 large black truffle
- 2 cups mâche salad
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
For the corn purée
- 1/2 lb fresh corn
- 2 tbs heavy cream
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
For the truffle vinaigrette
- 3 cl truffle oil
- Sherry vinegar
- fleur de sel
Preparation
In a pot, combine corn, cream and broth and bring to a boil, let it cook slowly for about 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated, adjust with salt and pepper. Blend in a mixer, and pass through a sieve to obtain a smooth cream. Keep warm and set aside.
Saute shrimps in olive oil, salt and pepper until cooked.
Prepare the vinaigrette by combining truffle oil and sherry vinegar gradually.
Place corn in the middle of a plate, top it with the shrimps, shave some truffle on top of the shrimps. Sprinkle with the vinaigrette and fleur de sel, then decorate with the salad sprinkled with additional vinaigrette.
Salad or not salad? – Salad of grain medley with cannellini, shrimps, artichokes in a herb-lemon dressing
Jul 12th
Salade ou pas salade? – Salade tiède de céréales et mélange aux haricots blancs, crevettes, artichauts, vinaigrette aux citron et herbes
Lately I have not been too well, that’s why I haven’t been posting any recipe on a regular basis like I used to, and my desire and energy for cooking has gone down, hopefully it will pick up at some point. I have no motivation for sitting in front of my computer either, but I sincerely miss everyone, people I met through this blog have been incredibly supportive, kind and generous. Thanks so much for anyone who reads my blogs and leaves genuine comments, they mean a lot to me. I apologize if I have had a difficult time to catch up with everyone, I have had very low energy level and some health issues, but hopefully will get back to my regular routine soon.
I started writing this recipe about three weeks ago and never managed to finish it, it took me forever…so here it is after such a long time. This salad is composed with a well balanced mixture of grains, vegetables, and proteins, such a nutritious and flavorful dish.
I call this a salad since it has a dressing but it can be called anything you like, and can be consumed lukewarm or cold. The particularity of this dish is that I mixed eight varieties of grains and seeds such as brown rice, oats, lentils, pumpkin seeds, etc… for a mixed variety of textures. Maybe you’ll think this look more like a bird meal to you than a gourmet salad. It is definitely questionable, but after you taste it, you will think bird ingredients can taste incredibly tasty.
The grains have been enhanced with vegetables, and seafood which complement the grains quite well. This is nothing complicated, you just need various grains in your pantry.
Ingredients for 2-3
- 200 g of mixed grains such as:
- brown rice
- wheat flakes
- sorghum rice
- buckwheat
- pearl barley
- black rice
- pearl rice
- red lentil
- 1 tbs roasted pumpkin seeds
- 10 large shrimps
- 4 medium artichokes
- 3 tbs dry white wine
- 70 g cannellini beans cooked (either dried or canned)
Ingredients for the herb-lemon vinaigrette
- 3 tbs avocado oil
- juice of one lemon
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp tarragon, chopped
- 1 tsp parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp chives, chopped
- 1 tbs red onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- one pinch cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Mix all grains together and steam them. You can steam them the same way you would steam rice, even if there are many varities of grains, some of them cook a little faster than others but it does not make a big difference cooking them all together. You can use a rice cooker or use the regular technique using a simple pot.
Trim artichokes, removing the hard leaves around, and cutting off the top of the artichoke. Cut in quarters and place in a container filled with water and lemon juice to prevent the artichokes from darkening.
In a pan, heat olive oil, add 1 garlic clove, then drain artichokes and add to the pan, stir for a few minutes, coating the artichokes with garlic and oil, then add wine, salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover with a lid and cook at medium heat until artichokes are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
Saute shrimps in olive oil, add salt and pepper and set aside.
In a large container, mix steamed grains with artichokes, cannellini beans, shrimps, pumpkin seeds. Pour vinaigrette on top by mixing all ingredients together. Stir well and serve. You can serve at room temperature or cold.
A table with a view – Grilled baby cuttlefish with crushed herb potato and tapenade salad – Garlic vinaigrette
Jun 9th
Une table avec vue – Salade de seiches grillées avec pommes de terres à la tapenade et vinaigrette à l’ail
This one will be among my favorite seafood salads…When you are in love with so many dishes, it’s hard to just pick one, so I have a list of dishes, and this one is a part of the “killer list” or “la liste qui tue“.
Saturday after a delicious dinner at a famous San Francisco seafood restaurant, located at the Embarcadero facing the Bay Bridge called the Waterbar, I met again with octopus. If you ever end up in San Francisco and want to stay away from the touristy seafood restaurants on the Pier 39, try the Waterbar. I think it’s a little pricey but if you want to spend a nice romantic evening “déguster” (savor) amazing fish and seafood, the Waterbar is a great choice. Nothing is fried like in many restaurants, every dish has been carefully prepared and cooked with refinement to enhance its natural texture and flavor. You get the most amazing seafood dishes staring at the gorgeous Bay, so nothing to complain about.
This salad has been inspired by the octopus dish I ordered. The octopus was sliced and topped with an abundant and garlic chutney, arugola, and some potatoes topped with tapenade. I fell in love all of the sudden. I saw it, my heart melted. You must think that I do fall in love quite easily, if you give me grilled seafood (looks like I am back eating fish and seafood) with fresh herbs, garlic , I just cannot help myself.
I found this cute cuttlefish at the store that reminded me of Italy, cuttlefish is very popular in Southern France and Italy where they use its ink to make risotto al nero di seppia (squid ink risotto), seppia means cuttlefish, but squid and octopus ink is also used in gastronomy. So cuttlefish has replaced octopus here and I felt a little closer to home. Cuttlefish is thicker than squid, so it require a little more cooking time.
I made extra tapenade which is a traditional spread from Provence (Tapena means capers in Provencal language) made out of olives crushed into a purée. It can be stored for days in the refrigerator and be used in so many other ways.
Ingredients for 2
- 8-10 baby cuttlefish
- cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
- some arugula or other greens leaves
For the potatoes
- 6 medium yukon potatoes
- 1 tbs tarragon, chopped
- 1 tbs parsley chopped
- 2 tbs extra fruity cold pressed olive oil
- salt and fresh cracked pepper
For the tapenade
- 1/2 lb (or 250 g) kalamata olives
- 1 garlic clove
- 2.11 oz (or 60 g) capers
- 1.41 oz (or 40 g) anchovies
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3.38 fl oz (or 100 ml) olive oil
- pepper
For the garlic vinaigrette
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs walnut oil
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1.5 tsp orange champagne vinegar
- 1.5 tsp pomegranate glaze
- 1 tsp chives, chopped
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cook potatoes in water until cooked. Peel and let them lukewarm. Crush roughly with a fork leaving some big chunks and incoporate herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix carefully.
Grill cuttlefish on a grill pan, turning them around until cooked, about 7-8 minutes or less, depending on the size of the cuttlefish.
For the tapenade, place ingredients in a mortar, and crush all ingredients into a paste, except for olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. Add olive oil gradually at the end like you would proceed for a mayonnaise while stirring. Add lemon juice and pepper when tapenade is ready.
For the vinaigrette, mix all ingredients together, mix well.
Place a small amount of potatoes in a plate, top it with a tsp or more of tapenade. Place cuttlefish and cherry tomato halves around the potatoes and drizzle with vinaigrette.
Eat your carrots! – Carrot and almond galettes stuffed with gorgonzola on cucumber salad
Jun 3rd
Mange tes carottes! – Galettes de carottes et amandes au coeur de gorgonzola sur salade de concombre
Carrots are in the same category as broccoli…they’re all over the place, therefore lost their appeal and excitement.
Once in a while, I like to feature one of those “ordinary” vegetables” and give them a make over. When you really look at the different ways to prepare them, and the amount of vitamin A they contain, they’re not that ordinary after all. Besides, I think it’s a great way to have kids eat their vegetables if they’re not very inclined to. I have been thinking about a recipe to combine gorgonzola and carrots, but I was not quite sure how to combine it all together, first a savory cake crossed my mind or as we call them cake sale, then, I wanted something lighter with less carbs and since I love vegetables galettes of all kinds, here it is.
In France we say, that carrots make you pleasant, les carottes ca rend aimable, so I guess with all the carrots I ate today, I must be a pure delight to be around.
I really need this, San Francisco is entering the terrible summer season, with the fog rolling in, I thought that would be postponed to July-August and unfortunately, it seems like this year it’s happening sooner. I will probably end up eating carrots all summer!
The carrot-almond-cumin-gorgonzola combination worked very well together. The sweeteness of the carrots is a little toned down by the pungent gorgonzola and you get soft after taste of the almonds. The cucumber salad is quite simple and balances the whole dish.
The galettes tend to be tender because they do not contain egg, you might want to add extra almond flour. They need to be handled carefully.
Ingredients for about 6-7 galettes
For the galettes
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut in halves crosswise
- 5 tbs almond flour or almond meal
- 1/2 ts cumin seeds roasted and crushed
- 1 tbs sliced almonds
- 6 small pieces gorgonzola, diced
- salt and pepper
For the salad
- 3 Persian cucumbers, peeled
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbs chives, chopped
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Steam carrots. When cooked mash with a potato masher into a fine consistency. Add almond flour, and cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Mix well and form little patties. Add one piece of gorgonzola in the middle of each pattie and close it to “seal” the cheese inside. Add extra almond flour on to coat each side of the patties. top it with sliced almonds. Place on a parchement paper and cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 15 minutes until the top is slightly golden and cheese has melted.
For the salad, slice cucumber very finely using a mandoline. Squeeze excess water using your hands. Add all ingredients and mix well. If you get too much water, squeeze cucumbers again.
Serve on a small plate with a small portion of cucumber salad and carrot galettes on top.
I am in love again – Vegetable and haloumi skewers on mâche salad with fava beans – roasted bell pepper, capers and lemon vinaigrette
May 30th
Je suis encore tombée amoureuse – Brochettes de haloumi et courgettes sur salade de mâche aux fèves – vinaigrette de poivrons grillés, citron et câpres
Have you ever felt this strong chemistry with someone you just meet for the first few seconds, without even talking just by the energy that this person emits? It can be a man or a woman, just anyone. There is something out there, as if your energy “captures” the energy of the other person and something magical happens…Now between a man and a woman, it can be more of a sexual chemistry (well among same sex people too, if you are gay). It happened to me with a lady I met (I am not gay) and the first three seconds I saw her, I just liked her. I felt so comfortable and at ease, that I thought I knew her. Not sure how it’s called, maybe the pheromones (between two people from opposite sex), the chemistry, I don’t know. It is a strange feeling when this happens. Things feel just right.
Well this happened to me today with…this salad. I am just in love. In this particular case it has to do with the flavors, my palate met those “magical flavors and we are in love (well at least me). I have been eating this three days in a row and cannot get enough of it. I am hooked, the only problem is that that beautiful haloumi has too many calories for a every day consumption, so I just added a few pieces here and there, among the other vegetables. This whole composition matches what I love best and what I enjoy eating most, light, fragrant, nutritious, dishes that make you feel good after you eat them. I am very health conscious (sometimes I tend to be a freak in that area, I am aware of it), since I work out two hours a day and I do pay a lot of attention to what I eat. The good thing is that I am against all kinds of diets, which I think most of them deprive your body from many nutrients, and I cannot eat blend food, it needs to be exciting, fragrant, and most of all stimulate my sense. So yes I am deeply in love, and here is the “heureux élu“, the lucky one, that makes my palate race. Et ça, c’est l’amour!!!!!
This type of dressing can be used in many ways, I just like it on grilled vegetables, the sweetness of the grill pepper combined with capers and lemon results in a wonderful and magical blend.
Now my other little weakness is the mâche salad, I have always been going crazy for it, we grew it in the garden and it’s a very common salad in France. I have some strong memories of huge quantities of mâche prepared just for me when I came home from High school (I was lucky enough to come and have lunch with my parents when going to school)…and those memories will not fade away.
Ingredients for 4 (2 skewers each)
- 3 small zucchini, cut crosswise (about 3/4 inch thick)
- 1/2 red onion
- 16 cherry tomatoes
- 1 piece haloumi
- mâche salad
- 1 cup fava beans
- 1/3 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon
- salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbs basil, chopped finely
- 1 tsp capers, chopped finely
- zest of 1 lemon (keep some for decoration)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Preparation
In a mixing container, combine zucchini, tomatoes, onions, then add cumin, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover, marinate and refrigerate for a few hours.
After they marinate, using a bamboo skewer, take a zucchini slice, an onion piece, a piece of haloumi, onion and proceed with all the ingredients. Grill on a grill pan until all the sides are golden brown. Serve hot on a bed of fava bean/mâche salad, and spoon vinaigrette on top.
For the vinaigrette
Roast pepper in the oven under broiler. When the skin is all charred, take pepper out from oven, let it cool, then remove skin and seeds. Cut in small dices.
In a bowl, combine peppers, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, basil, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Mix well.
For the salad
Remove fava beans from their pod. Bring a pot of boiling water to a boil, then add fava beans. Cook for about 3 minutes (less if the beans are small and tender), drain and peel. Set aside.
Let the fava bean cool. Mix with mache salad, and drizzle with a little oil, lemon juice and a little bit of salt.
As cute as caviar – Black quinoa, adzuki beans salad with fennel, carrots and mushrooms
May 16th
Aussi mignon que le caviar – Salade de quinoa et haricots adzuki, fenouil, carottes et champignons
I had bought some adzuki beans a while ago, yes I know there are so many kinds of beans, and this one is one among many others. It’s a bean mainly grown in the Himalayas and used in Asia in sweet preparations, they’re mostly known as red beans. Of course, I am not Asian, therefore in my culture beans are prepared in savory dishes and I wanted to try to prepare them in a more Western way, because after all a bean is a bean. I love black quinoa, it tends to be more flavorful and earthy than white quinoa and its nuttiness in this dish allied with the sweetness of fennel and red beans make it a palate pleasing combination.
Honestly, I was not sure I would post this because I thought it will be another quinoa/bean dish which is not the first on on my blog. After the first bite, I definitely thought it was blog-worthy, the colors were so contrasting all together and it resulted in a delicious and harmonious blend of flavors.
After yesterday delicious snapper with kumquat sauce I had shot, which for whatever reason my camera decided to not “save”, and after I ate everything, realized that not even one shot was there. I was wondering if this would happen again with this red bean dish…It seemed like my Canon was in a good mood today, and decided to keep this one. It happened a few times before and tends to be frustrating, especially after the terrible week I had.
Sometimes to speed up the cooking process of beans that have not been previously soaked, I add a little baking soda, it does reduce cooking time.
You can eat this salad warm or cold, either way it’s delicious.
Ingredients for 4
- 1 cup black quinoa
- 1 cup adzuki beans
- broth (1/2 onion, 1/2 carrot, 1 celery stick, 1 bay leaf, thyme)
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced in half lengthwise then crosswise
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms, diced
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tbs cilantro, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 2 tbs olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cook beans in water with all carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf, thyme. Cook for about 45 minutes until the beans are soft. Drain and rinse.
Steam quinoa like you would do with rice.
In a pan, heat olive oil. Add shallot and let brown, add garlic and cook for another minute. Add carrots and fennel. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. When the vegetables are half cooked, add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Stir well and cook until the mushroom water evaporates.
Combine quinoa with beans, then add the vegetables. Let it cool.
For the vinaigrette, add all ingredients together mix well. Pour vinaigrette on the vegetable/quinoa mixture. Add cilantro, toss and serve.
Salad or tapas? – Smoke Trout on a cucumber mint and chives salad
May 3rd
Salade ou tapas? – Salade de truite fumée sur concombre à la menthe, fromage blanc et ciboulette
This weekend has been busy with birthday parties and other types of events, and we have been experiencing a hot and sunny weather in the Bay Area so when I see a ray of sun, I cannot help and be outside…which usually means quick dishes, nonetheless savory, one cannot be neglected to the expenses of the other.
I like to serve this as a small dish, I call it salad but can be called tapas as well. I have a little weakness for smoke trout but any smoke fish will work as well. In France you can find a large variety of smoked fishes in the supermarket, usually in the packaged fish specialty area of the supermarket. It’s either cooked and smoke or raw and smoked. Smoke trout is easy to find in the US but always saw this cooked version. Every year when I go home, there always a bunch of new products to discover and try out.
Another wonderful use of fromage blanc here, where the smoke flavor of the fish combined with creamy fromage blanc, faisselle (I don’t think it’s available in the US), or any other kind of fresh cheese, makes a perfectly balanced combination. The smoke flavor which can be sometimes strong is toned down by the creaminess and softness of the fromage blanc.
Ingredients for 2
- 1/2 english cucumber, seeds removed and diced finely
- 1 smoke trout fillet
- 2 tbs fromage blanc
- 1 tsp chives, chopped
- 1 tsp mint chopped
- 1 tsp dill, chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp strong Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- pepper
- 1 tsp rock salt
Preparation
Sprinkle rock salt on cucumber to drain them from their water. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. Rinse and remove squeeze extra water.
In a bowl combine fromage blanc with herbs, mustard, lemon juice and pepper. Mix well and add to the cucumbers.
Place a slice of cucumber in a small plate, add one or two tbs of cucumber mixture on top and finish withsome smoke trout. Decorate with fresh herbs and serve.
Let's grill all of them – Grilled fennel salad with red onions, baby roma tomatoes – mustard capers dressing
Apr 22nd
On va tous les griller – Salade de fenouils grillés, oignons rouges, tomates romaines naines – vinaigrette de moutarde et câpres
I am just wondering when allergy season will end, I think this year it’s been a bad year and I have to chose between allergy pills that will stop the itchy eyes, sneezes and runny nose but make me so sleepy and drowsy or continue life being congested and still drowsy. At this point, I don’t know, I just want to function normally. I understand that complaining about something so minor is silly when half of the planet is dealing with life and death situations, so I will just focus on simple food that is easy to make and that remind me that delicious food can help alleviate some minor discomfort.
I usually serve this flavorful salad just simply the way it is, as a salad, or with melting potato bouchées or grilled fish. All the vegetables have been grilled and they blend together beautifully, they remain crunchy, and have their natural flavors enhanced by the hot grill.
It takes about 15 minutes to make including the chopping of the vegetables and grilling, so I consider this a “fast food” dish. Fast food literally meaning food that is prepared fast, in my kitchen, I don’t associate it with unhealthy and processed food.
Now if you want simple, quick and delicious, this is the one, but it’s also peu calorique! (low in calories) so even better. I noticed a lot of people are on a diet or trying to lose weight, I guess that’s a sign summer is on its way and that swim suits and light revealing clothes too. As far as San Francisco and its beaches are concerned, you might need a scarf and wind jacket instead of a swim suit…I just want to dream of a swim suit…and thinking about it, I don’t remember when was last time I wore one of those.
I love cuisine sur le grill, the beauty of it is that you can grill anything, vegetables, fruits, potatoes, just about anything you want while keeping all the flavors, the colors and shapes of your ingredients.
Baby roma tomatoes are perfect for grilling because they’re firm and slightly bigger than cherry tomatoes and a lot sweeter, so you can grill them easily, they will remain firm but need to grill them quickly at high heat so they won’t get mushy.
Ingredients for 3-4 as a side dish
- 2 fennel bulbs, sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- about 10-12 baby roma tomatoes, cut lengthwise
- 1 tbs capers, chopped
- 1 tsp strong Dijon mustard
- juice of one Meyer lemon
- 2 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the vinaigrette
Combine oil, mustard, lemon juice, capers, salt and pepper. Stir well all ingredients together.
Using a grill pan, grill all vegetables, starting with the fennel, the onions and tomatoes. Place them in a mixing bowl.
Add vinaigrette on grilled vegetables and serve with favorite fish or savory galettes.
Let's get back in shape – Grilled sweet potato and spinach salad with blood orange and candied ginger vinaigrette
Apr 17th
On se refait une petite santé? – Salade de patates douces grillées et pousses d’épinards – vinaigrette d’orange sanguine et gingembre confit
I am not sure where I had this for the first time…maybe in Boston (since I lived there at some point in my life before moving to San Francisco) at a Slovenian’s friend’s house… or maybe not. I know it has something to do with New England, even though has nothing to do with New England’s cuisine in terms of flavors. I love this salad, it’s pungent, fresh, citrusy and has a very unique flavor due to candied ginger. I never had candied ginger other than in Japanese restaurants and served with sushi but it goes perfectly with sweet potatoes, as surprising as it may sound.
I think I tend to deviate more towards a vegan diet still using dairy and eggs (so I guess technically, it’s not vegan). I have not been enjoying eating fish either lately, and I have no idea why this is happening, maybe this has something to do with my horrible allergies and stuffed head. I prepared a beautiful trout dish last night since a friend came over for dinner, and could not enjoy it. Let’s hope this is just temporary, I want to be able to enjoy fish again! In the meantime, let’s go vegan!
What I love about this salad is the contrast in flavors and textures between the warm grilled potatoes and the cold spinach salad. The orange juice in the dressing enhances the natural sweetness of the potato and along with the garlic, really adds a very refreshing sensation at the first bite. This is not French, nor Italian, nor Mediterranean, but it’s really delicious, besides the grilled potato gives a little sweet finish to the dish!
Ingredients for 2
- 1 medium size sweet potato, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 2 tbs olive oil
- juice of one blood orange
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 scallion, chopped
- a few walnut, chopped
- 1 tsp candied ginger, chopped roughly
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Coat potatoes with some olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, then broil in the oven. When one side is golden brown, turn the other side and let it broil until it turns golden brown.
For the vinaigrette, mix all ingredients together (except the spinach).
Place spinach in one plate, then add nicely the potatoes on top and sprinkle with vinaigrette.
You can serve the potatoes hot, warm or cold to your preference.
The salad of all seasons – Warm spinach salad with shrimps, langoustines and edamame with a ginger lime vinaigrette
Mar 13th
La salade de toutes saisons – Salade tiède d’épinards, crevettes, langoustines et edamame, vinaigrette au gingembre et citron vert
Yes spring is on its way, well some days it feels like summer, then the following day the rain keeps pouring but I just want to believe spring is coming (never under estimate the power of denial), so I am starting to eat and experiment more salads dishes to get in that mood..but to be honest, it’s especially because my diet has been lacking raw leaves lately.
As much as I love San Francisco, I miss the four seasons, and not the two seasons of summer and winter like in some areas of the East Coast. The four seasons with four different climates, therefore a more gradual change of vegetation and variation of garde-robe (wardrobe). Here you go from wearing boots to wearing sandals, which is somehow radical, there is no springs clothes. It makes things easy at least.
This salad is not necessary “springy” nor “summery” since it doesn’t have any seasonal vegetables, but it’s very fresh and has a great combination of textures. The addition of edamame in salads is always a big pleasure, their delicate crunchy bites is delightful, and more so with a ginger-lime vinaigrette. I love to use avocado oil when combined with ginger, it’s as fruity as olive oil but not as strong and enhances the dressing without drowning the dish due to the powerful flavor of the ginger.
The other characteristic of this salad is that the shrimps and langoustines are mixed with the spinach while hot, so the spinach leaves get entangled with the seafood and become semi-cooked and lukewarm, therefore absorb the vinaigrette much better. Lukewarm spinach salads are my favorites.
Ingredients for 2
- 10 medium size shrimps
- 10 langoustine tales
- 1.5 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup edamame, shelled
- 1 inch ginger root, peeled and grated
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbs avocado oil
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the vinaigrette, mix lime juice, avocado oil, ginger, cayenne, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir all ingredients well.
Saute shrimps and langoustines tales in hot olive oil, add salt and pepper. Drain olive oil.
Mix edamame with spinach, add hot seafood to the spinach and vinaigrette. Toss well and serve.
