Off The Counter: Blood Orange + Pickled Shallot Salad

Citrus is at is best this time of year and my favorite is blood oranges. Their burgundy blush rinds make beautiful dishes. I’ve used them in salads for years but as of late my obsession with picked shallots has added a delightful twist to their sweetness.

Ingredients:

Blood oranges, fennel, fennel greens, pickled shallots, olive oil, white wine vinegar, sugar salt and pepper.

Instructions: (Mind you, I'm not one for measuring ingredients, so depending on the size of the salad and your preference as to just how much dressing is enough, your own judgement should come into play).

Quick Pickled Shallots: Thinly slice shallots, cover with white wine vinegar, add a tablespoon of sugar and let rest for an hour or the time it takes to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Peel 2-3 blood oranges and cut into cubes. Thinnly slice the fennel and  arrange both in a large shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle oil olive (my new favorite it Madagascar Black Peppercorn from Amphora) and rice or grapefruit balsamic vinegar.

Garnish with trimmed fennel greens and slice citrus. Enjoy.

What are your favorite salad ingredients?

Off The Counter: Hearts Of Palm Salad

 My mother-in-law introduced me to hearts of palm [in a salad] almost 24 years ago when we first met.  She would combine them with coarsely cut tomatoes, peppers, and red onions, and often serve this summer staple with a baguette (for those of us who wanted to soak up every bit of its delicious dressing).  Needless to say, plenty of chilled wine accompanied the salad and the rest of the meal.

For some reason the salad disappeared from our culinary repertoire for many years, but recently it resurfaced.  In a big way.  Just last week, I stopped by Natalia's place and she made me my very own hearts of palm salad.  We reminisced about the salads of the past and their unique, refreshing flavors.

I was so delighted to have been reunited with the "palms", that I've began making this salad myself.  Take a look and read all about the ingredients below:

Ingredients:

Hearts of palm, tomatoes, peppers, red onion, olive oil, lemon, cilantro or basil, salt and pepper.

Instructions:

Thinly slice the red onion and let it soak in olive oil (this helps take the bite out of it).  Then coarsely cut the remaining ingredients and add them to the onions.   Drizzle with a little more olive oil (if needed) and freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Add the herb of choice.  Natalia adds cilantro, basil or parsley, whatever she has at hand.  I've been using Thai basil.  Any of these herbs add a unique twist to the salad.  Salt and pepper it to your liking and enjoy.  Don't forget the baguette! 

Off The Counter: Petite Peas and Meyer Lemon Salad

My mother in-law prepared this salad for us a little while back and it was so good that I felt the need to recreate it and blog about it.  The combination of the crunchy iceberg lettuce, the fresh sweet peas and the juice of a Meyer lemon makes for a refreshing end to a hearty winter meal.  Yes, she served this salad after an Italian sausage ravioli and Chateaubriand roast (with a brandied mushroom sauce) dinner.  Did I mention hearty?!

Salad ingredients and instructions below:

Ingredients:

Firm avocado, iceberg lettuce, fresh peas, parsley, Meyer lemon, olive oil and sea salt

Instructions:

Cook the peas for a minute and rinse with cold water.  Chop up the iceberg lettuce and place in a bowl.  Add a diced avocado and the cooked peas and toss.  Sprinkle with fresh, finely chopped parsley.  Drizzle the salad with olive oil and the juice of one Meyer lemon.  Salt and pepper to your liking (preferably with sea salt).

I keep lemon slices (and sea salt) on the side so one can season it to his/her liking.

Enjoy!

Off The Counter: Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad

We've had a plethora of persimmons this season thanks to friends who must be farming them.  My usual approach to consuming these beauties is simple:  cut, peel and eat.  I haven't experimented mixing them with other fruits or vegetables until now.  Inspired by a salad I ate at Pizzaiolo, I combined bitter greens, roasted hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds with this divine fruit.  The combination creates a dish that's bitter-sweet, a little crunchy and seriously pretty.  A list of ingredients and instructions is provided below.  Take a look:

Ingredients:

2 Persimmons, 1 pomegranate, endive, radicchio, chicory, hazelnuts, olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, honey and sea salt.

Instructions:

Spread a cup or so of hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.  Peel and thinly slice the persimmons.  Halve a pomegranate and knock out the seeds with a wooden hammer.  Place torn greens in a bowl and top with the fruits and nuts.  For the dressing, combine olive oil and rice vinegar  and then slowly whisk in honey to your liking.  Drizzle it on the salad and sprinkle sea salt on top.

Enjoy!

For those who may be new to Cocoon Home's Blog Off The Counter feature,  I would like to warn you that I'm not one for measuring, especially when comes to a salad and its dressing.  I enjoy adjusting the ingredients to my own taste buds.  So to you I say:  go for it!

Off The Counter: The ABC Salad

Before the last long weekend of the summer comes to an end,  I'd like to share with you the avocado, beet and cucumber salad I've been obsessed with lately.  Combining salty cucumbers, boiled golden beets and firm avocados with a bit of fresh mint, this salad transitions perfectly from this season to the next.  Ingredients and instructions below.

Ingredients:

Golden beets, California avocados, Persian cucumbers, mint, salt, pepper, olive oil and seasoned rice vinegar.

Instructions:

Chop the cucumbers (peeled or not), salt and let stand while you prepare the remaining ingredients.  Trim the stems and leaves off the beets and boil till they're just slightly soft.  Run the beets under cool water and peel.  Once the beets are completely cooled, dice them and put in a salad bowl.  Add cucumbers and diced avocados.  Sprinkle in some fresh mint leaves.  Season with olive oil, rice vinegar, salt and pepper.

Enjoy!!