Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times - Mark Bittman [18]
1 big head of romaine lettuce
1 bunch of arugula
1 bunch of watercress
2 medium cucumbers or 1 English (seedless) cucumber
1 bunch of radishes
2 yellow or red bell peppers
1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup good-quality vinegar, more or less
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Roughly chop the greens and put them in a big bowl.
2. Peel the cucumber, then cut it in half lengthwise; seed if necessary and chop into ½-inch dice. Trim the radishes and chop into ½-inch dice. Seed and core the peppers and chop into ½-inch dice. Peel and mince the onion. Chop the carrots into ½-inch dice. Chop the celery into ½-inch dice. Toss all the vegetables with the greens.
3. Combine the oil, vinegar, shallot, and mustard and beat with a fork or wire whisk, or emulsify in a blender or with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
4. Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing.
RAW BEET SALAD
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 10 MINUTES
EATEN RAW, BEETS are delicious; even many self-proclaimed beet haters will like them in this salad.
To eat a beet raw, you have to peel it and shred it. The first step is easiest with a regular vegetable peeler. I do the second with the metal blade of a food processor, pulsing the machine on and off until the beets are finely cut. You could use the shredding blade, but it isn’t any easier or better. Or you could use a manual grater, but only if you’re looking for an upper-body workout.
1 pound beets
1 large shallot
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or other good-quality strong vinegar
Minced fresh parsley, dill, chervil, rosemary, or tarragon
1. Peel the beets and the shallot. Combine them in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse carefully until the beets are shredded; do not puree. (Or grate the beets by hand and mince the shallots; combine.) Scrape into a bowl.
2. Toss with the salt, pepper, mustard, oil, and vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Toss in the herbs and serve.
SIMPLE CUCUMBER SALAD
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 1 HOUR, LARGELY UNATTENDED
MANY CUCUMBERS ARE best if they’re salted first. The process removes some of their bitterness and makes them extra-crisp—it takes some time but almost no effort. Start with one or two Kirby (pickling) cucumbers per person—or half of a medium cucumber or about a third of a long (“English”) cucumber.
For a full-meal cucumber salad with a Southeast Asian flair, try Cucumber Salad with Scallops.
About 1½ pounds cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup coarsely chopped and loosely packed fresh mint or dill
Juice of ½ lemon
1. Put the cucumber slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt, just a little more than if you were planning to eat them right away. Set the colander in the sink.
2. After 30 to 45 minutes, press the cucumbers to extract as much liquid as possible. Toss them with the mint, the lemon juice, and a healthy grinding of black pepper. Serve within a few hours.
SEAWEED SALAD WITH CUCUMBER
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 20 MINUTES
THIS IS SIMPLY a kind of sea-based mesclun with a distinctively sesame-flavored dressing. The only challenge in making it lies in the shopping. Few supermarkets carry any seaweed at all, so you need to hit an Asian or health food market for any kind of selection. At most Japanese markets and some health food stores, you can find what amounts to a prepackaged assortment of seaweed salad greens; these are a little more expensive than buying individual seaweeds but will give you a good variety without a big investment.
1 ounce wakame or assorted