Salad

Salads are only boring if you make a boring salad.

Too often, salad is an afterthought… a lazy way to add some greens and vegetables to a plate full of meat and starch. And sometimes that’s OK. 

But as a cook, salads can be incredibly exciting and full of opportunity. There’s a wide variety of vegetables, combinations and pairings of tastes and textures, spices, and techniques that can be brought to bear in composing a full meal out of a salad. 

It just takes a bit of creativity, and focus. As a cook, I find that challenging and rewarding. However there are so many options available and choices to make, it can get overwhelming. Typically I like to practice what’s called “arm’s reach cooking” — which is making something from the ingredients you have at hand. The choice is easy, because the choice is limited. 

When the choices are endless, you have to practice a little discipline. 

I was reminded of that this week, as we have our first practical exam in the culinary program coming up. The assignment — create a composed salad using one of the cold sauces we’ve learned to date (either a mayo or vinaigrette based sauce) and use at least five ingredients. 

A composed salad is basically a mixed salad with a protein or other “main” that stands out. Putting together a composed salad requires thinking of each element as a component, and thinking through what each of those components adds to the dish and how they support each other. 

Here’s how I think of it. (This isn’t an “official” list, just my thinking): 

• Greens: think leafy, raw, and somewhat bitter. Kale, arugula, spinach, or just regular old lettuce. 

• Grains: something chewy, starchy, and filling. Farro, rice, quinoa. 

• Fat: this can be a creamy sauce (mayo-based) or an element of richness from cheese or eggs to balance out the acidity if you use a vinegar-based sauce.

• Crunch: nuts, toasted breads, seeds. Something that gives a little pop of texture and flavor.

• Sweetness: fruit, honey in a sauce, even tomatoes.

• Tanginess: you can get this from your vinaigrette, or from additions like pickled garnishes, olives, anchovies.

• Raw and cooked vegetables: The raw can be your greens, or things like avocado, cucumber (which also adds crunch).

• Meat: chicken, steak, fish, shrimp, etc. (totally optional).

Now, the key to approaching something like this is to make a few, smart choices, and execute them simply. I did not do that. I got spun up in the tyranny of infinite choices and decisions, and just spiraled out of control. As I was conceptualizing what I wanted to create, I just kept adding, and adding, and adjusting, and compensating, and rationalizing. 

The result was a muddled mess of too many ingredients, lots of work, but no vision, flavor, or enjoyment. I was struggling, cooking blind… chasing a half-thought-out idea and hoping for a happy accident that never came. It wasn’t fun. And if I’ve learned anything about cooking, it’s that if I’m not having fun doing it, then I’m probably doing something wrong. 

So I threw out the entire concept and started from scratch. I did keep the original motivation though — I wanted to make a vegetable-forward dish, not a big showoff protein (chicken, salmon, etc) supported by other ingredients. I wanted the salad to be a salad. 

But I needed an anchor… one component against which the choices for all other components could be made. It’s like a forced limitation that keeps you focused and provides clarity. 

I chose carrots. Carrots are kind of like meat in that you can sear the surface, but you still need to cook the interior enough to not be raw (just not too much, or it’s overcooked). I wanted to apply the lessons I learned about heat to a vegetable, and use it like one would a protein atop the salad, sliced like you would chicken or steak. 

That’s where I started. Here’s where I ended up…

Carrots al Forno with Brussels Sprouts, Arugula, Farro, and Pancetta-Scallion Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette

Nearly half (40 of the 100 points) of the score for this test is on the vinaigrette, so stands to reason I’d sort this out first. Since I wasn’t using a protein, I needed a powerful vinaigrette that would pack a lot of flavor without being overly acidic. 

Originally I wanted to do a spicy, chimichurri style vinaigrette using the green carrot tops. But as cool as it sounded, it didn’t really taste much of anything and just didn’t work. So switched to a pancetta/scallion/shallot vinaigrette,  using the rendered fat as part of the emulsification and reserving the crispy bits as part of the garnish. 

• Cut 3-4 oz pancetta into a small dice and add to a cold pan and a drizzle of oil. Put heat on medium and let the fat slowly render and collect in the pan. Turn off heat and remove half of the crispy pancetta (reserve for later). 

• Add 2-3 sliced scallions, 1 sliced shallot, and 1 sliced chili pepper (I used a red serrano for heat and color). Stir into the still-hot fat until soft. 

• Add ¼ cup vinegar (I’m using apple cider vinegar). 

• Pour into bowl, and whisk in ½-¾ cup oil until emulsified

• Optional: add golden raisins

• Season, adjust for taste, and set aside

Farro

• Heat a 2 qt pot over medium until warm and add a drizzle of oil. 

• Add a smashed clove of garlic and cook until light brown.

• Add ½ cup raw farro and toast until fragrant (3-5 minutes) … watch the heat!

• Add a bay leaf and a cup of water (or more, depending on the farro you use). 

• Bring just to a boil, then lower to simmer, cover, and cook for 20 min. 

• Drain, remove garlic/bay and lay out on a sheet pan to allow farro to fully cool.

Brussels Sprouts

Remove just the outer leaves (not the core) of the Brussels sprouts, to get about a cup per serving. You can use these raw, or give them a blanch. If blanching, allow them to fully dry before using. Then toss the sprouts with the farro in roughly equal parts (your choice on the ratio) and toss with at least half the vinaigrette. Let it sit and soak up the dressing for a good 20-30 minutes .

Carrots

• Roast carrots whole with just a drizzle of neutral oil and salt at 400 until they start to show a little color and are a bit soft (but not fully cooked through)

• Remove and let sit until close to plating. 

• When ready, cut carrots in half lengthwise and lay in a hot carbon steel or cast iron pan to sear. 

• As they sear, cut side down, at a tablespoon each of butter and honey until melted, and baste the carrots with a spoon. 

• Turn and continue basting

• Remove to a sheet pan to cool  

Topping

• Roast and crush a handful of hazelnuts

• Chop the hazelnuts with golden raisins, orange zest, and parsley… enough for a good cup or so total

• Add the reserved crispy pancetta and wait for plating

Plating

• Toss the Brussels sprouts/farro/vinaigrette with arugula and a bit of the crunchy topping. 

• Mound above on a plate.

• Sprinkle all but a tablespoon of the rest of the topping over the salad

• Lay the honey butter based carrots over the top like you would sliced chicken 

• Drizzle with a little more of the pancetta/scallion vinaigrette if needed

• Add the rest of the topping 

• Enjoy!

Note: the photo for this post did all the above, but included a base of whipped ricotta. I decided to lose the ricotta b/c while really good, it dampened the impact of the vinaigrette. Seeing as we’re being judged on the vinaigrette (not the ricotta) it had to go. I may pipe a little of the ricotta atop the carrots instead… we’ll see.