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Salad 2016 –

SLB

By SLB
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SLB

SLB

Posted
Posted

Host's note: this topic is continued from Salad (2011 - 2015).

 

 

I had a plain green salad yesterday at Gotham Bar & Grill in New York, with the most remarkable dressing.  They swore up and down that it was all about the aged sherry vinegar; but, it was the *brightest* sherry vinegar I have ever encountered.  I mean "bright" in a way that is just . . . not really a sherry quality.  I don't know if that makes sense.

 

But now I'm on a mission.  I spent mucho bucks today on aged sherry vinegars at Despana in Soho.  We'll see how it goes.  I'm very excited.  Also, a little nervous, I'm really inspired by the Salad threads but I guess I should've searched for a salad-dressing thread.

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SLB

SLB

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Well, I walked back by Gotham B&G today, and reviewed the menu to confirm something that was flickering deep in my memory:  the menu says aged sherry, not aged sherry vinegar. 

 

Which would really run up the cost of the trials . . . .  

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Anna N

Anna N

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Isn't ALL sherry aged?

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

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Smithy

Smithy

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Too bad about the misunderstanding, but look at it this way: with a sherry vinegar you need not worry about serving your prized salad and dressing to someone who wants to avoid alcohol.  I think I'd start with a nice vinaigrette based on a nut oil (walnut?) and a sherry vinegar.  I seem to recall having good results with that combination in the past, although it's been a while.

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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SLB

SLB

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Posted (edited)
16 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Isn't ALL sherry aged?

Could be; the waitress was distinctly emphasizing that fact about theirs, though.  

 

God, I just had a flashback to childhood:  "Cooking Sherry".  I could not believe anyone cooked with that stuff, ever!  The, uh, nose . . .   

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SLB

SLB

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An update.  It turns out that Gotham Bar & Grill has published a cookbook.  One that, lo and behold, has a recipe for its "house dressing".  [for the record, the house dressing notes aged sherry vinegar, and also a bit of dijon mustard; the dijon was probably bringing the brightness, in reflection.  But there wasn't much in what I had that day, at least, I did not ping dijon, honestly.]

 

DUH!!!  I'm not sure why I blanked on the possibility of a resto-cookbook . . . .

 

But anyway, fortunately eG member hongda was kind enough to hip me to it.  Many, many thanks!  

 

So, onward.  I'll report back on the sherry vinegars as info develops.  But we can move on, hopefully to some joyful winter salads.

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kbjesq

kbjesq

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Paper-thinly sliced fennel, julienned green apple, parsley, pickled red onion with just a few broken, toasted walnuts and a light crumbling of blue cheese.  Meyer lemon vinaigrette. 

I know it sounds like there is too much going on but it was crazily harmonious and I've eaten the whole bowl by myself. And here I always thought that I hated fennel. Now I have to figure out what I'm going to feed to the others. LOL 

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SLB

SLB

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My very favorite sherry vinegar (so far) is on the left of the photo, Gran Gusto.  I strongly prefer it to the L'Estornell, which is widely available and, how shall I say, stronger. 

 

The Fino-only vinegar in the middle is really very good, but I personally do not like very sweet vinegars in vinaigrettes.  I thought this one would not be too sweet (having tasted it on a piece of rather nice bread), but it turns out to be every time I make it into a lettuce dressing.  I have this issue with balsamic, as well, where the vinegar is "good" (and damn high), but it's just too sweet for lettuce, for my palate anyway.  Not that I don't eat other things that will shine with a fine vinegar splash.  But we are talkin' salad here.    

 

I do want to try an oloroso-only vinegar, which is reportedly very dry.  I just hit this balk-point on the spending, it comes from a separate part of my brain when I'm in fine-food establishments.  It's probably a kind of a blessing.

 

Anyway.  I don't really think I've come up with what they're doing at Gotham Bar & Grill, recipe notwithstanding; but in the multiple dressings with these decent vinegars, I've kind of forgotten about it.  The truth is, there are a lot of ways to get something really good going . . . .

 

 

2016-01-27 19.32.20.jpg

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Paul Bacino

Paul Bacino

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We love making tomato and onion salads

 

Mine used baby cherry ( I think these were cherubs )  white onion, I use garlic salt, House blend of Italian seasoning/ fresh basil,  Red wine vinegar and Lemon juice.  Yes a touch of sugar sometimes.

 

 

 

 

25023337446_c41eb405a0_k.jpg

Edited by Paul Bacino (log)
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Its good to have Morels

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HungryChris

HungryChris

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Posted

Watercress, endive and avocado salad with a lemon, rosemary and caper vinaigrette. I have two rosemary plants that I am trying to winter over indoors. They seem to like the western exposure they are in. They have long spindly new shoot that are not at all woody and lend themselves quite well to the vinaigrette.

HC

 

IMG_0237.thumb.JPG.a191546b7b66d4aefb8fbIMG_0236.thumb.JPG.19ae0e1d590d8f46379f0

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SLB

SLB

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So, I recently heard an episode of "The Moth Radio Hour" featuring a testimony from Chef Chris Fischer from The Beach Plum on Martha's Vineyard.  The episode was from the night the Obamas showed up.  There is a really very touching discussion of a salad that was prepped and served to the Obamas, and it noted that the dressing was composed of blended salad greens along with the vinaigrette basics.  

 

Using blended salad greens in the dressing is a new one for me.  But as soon as things get springy and fresh around here, I'm going to try it.  It sounds perfect!  

 

[Obvs Chef Fischer could easily be an egulleter; if so, hi!  Loved your tender Moth segment.]  

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
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On February 26, 2016 at 5:46 PM, SLB said:

So, I recently heard an episode of "The Moth Radio Hour" featuring a testimony from Chef Chris Fischer from The Beach Plum on Martha's Vineyard.  The episode was from the night the Obamas showed up.  There is a really very touching discussion of a salad that was prepped and served to the Obamas, and it noted that the dressing was composed of blended salad greens along with the vinaigrette basics.  

 

Using blended salad greens in the dressing is a new one for me.  But as soon as things get springy and fresh around here, I'm going to try it.  It sounds perfect!  

 

[Obvs Chef Fischer could easily be an egulleter; if so, hi!  Loved your tender Moth segment.]  

 

 

Thanks for mentioning this, @SLB!  I listened to it last night.  It's a good story and I thought his description of the salad, including the blended greens in the dressing and the young girl who made it using local, family-grown produce was absolutely lovely.  

If anyone else wants to listen, here's a link to that story on The Moth and (edited to add) a link to his family's farm, Beetlebung Farm that contains info on his cookbook.

Edited by blue_dolphin
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HungryChris

HungryChris

Posted
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Potato salad with the first chives of spring. Making this got me thinking about the jerk chicken with potato salad we had at Cuzzin's on St. Thomas so I'll be making jerk chicken to have with this tonight!

HC

IMG_0400.thumb.JPG.8b7fa473af9f7c8e06acf

 

Edited by HungryChris
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HungryChris

HungryChris

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Deb and I go to the Antique / Flea Market in Brimfield, MA, 3 times a year. It has become a tailgate tradition for us since we had a bad experience paying too much for crappy BBQ chicken one year and I decided to pack a picnic lunch the next time. This mac salad was based on a bruschetta they showed being prepared in the movie Julie and Julia. I just mutated it a bit. It has become a tradition, and Deb loves it.

 

IMG_1316.JPG

Starting with a cup of small shells, cooked, 1 diced medium tomato, a handful of fresh basil chopped, 1 TBS chopped capers, 1 TBS of whole capers, 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, a few dashes of garlic powder, ground black pepper to taste and I save the seasoned oil from the marinated mozzarella balls we get from TJ's and use that, but good olive oil, if not. Mix and chill.

HC

 

 

 

 

Edited by HungryChris
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Okanagancook

Okanagancook

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We made several salads for our annual pig roast.  I used almost exclusively "Raising the Salad Bar".  The salad pictured below is a green bean/snow pea salad with hazel nuts (not added yet) from Ottolenghi's first book.  It was fantastic.  The other salads were also excellent.  This salad book is highly recommended.

DSC01453 (1).jpg

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Bhukhhad

Bhukhhad

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Fellow EG'ans

Its time to show me your salad. Whatever you are making today or a typical day. I am looking for salads in real life, and learning how to take and post photos along with eating healthy. 

Please give a name to each salad and a photo and recipe. Stories would be wonderful of course! Thats why I am here. 

Thanks all. 

 

Bhukhhad (which means someone who is Always Hungry:))

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Bhukhhad

Bhukhhad

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My first attempt at Asian Papaya Salad

 

It all began with a peeler. I found a nifty little gadget that peels papaya into thin long noodles! So of course I had to have it. 

Armed with my new kitchen tool, I bought a green papaya. Peeled and shredded I discovered a 'buy one get one free gift': as you shred from outside inwards, you can stop when you are at a cylinder surrounding the papaya seeds!! No need to scoop or mess with the seeds! 

For one medium papaya

2 cloves garlic

1 tomato

2 serrano chilies

salt

lemon juice

splenda

roasted peanuts without skins

 

I coursely ground or pounded all the rest of the ingredients and added them to the shredded green papaya. I mixed and cooled the salad in the fridge. 

Here is my question: how do I make the papaya more crisp? It stayed somewhat limp. But delicious. Here is my picture. 

image.jpeg

image.jpeg

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