Vegetable Salads: Radish, Cabbage, Tomato, Beet, Potato, and So Forth
The truth is you’re already a cook.
Nobody teaches you anything,
but you can be touched, you can be awakened.
When you put down the book and start asking,
“What have we here?” you come to your senses.
Though recipes abound, for soups and salads,
breads and entrées, for getting enlightened
and perfecting the moment, still
the unique flavor of Reality
appears in each breath, each bite,
each step, unbounded and undirected.
Each thing just as it is,
What do you make of it?
CAN YOU TELL FROM THE NUMBER of recipes in this section that I love salads? Let me count the ways. My favorite food has shifted from potatoes to arugula. I love the sweet juiciness of Chinese cabbage, the bitter earthiness of kale, the zest of lemon, the mellow brown tartness of balsamic vinegar. Also I love to cut radishes into strips with red on the ends, zucchini into green-tipped pieces. I delight in the invigorating flavor of fresh herbs, not only basil, cilantro, mint, and tarragon, but even flat-leafed parsley. I never seem to run short of ingredients to add—there are so many bright and colorful ingredients to choose from and combine. It’s a bountiful universe (well, perhaps not everywhere).
For me this is not about being vegan, or eating raw foods because it’s better for you or better for the planet. I taste what I put in my mouth. I savor it. And the world of all these vegetable (and potato and grain and bean) salads is one place that I find pleasure, satisfaction, and well-being—I am fulfilled and not stuffed to lethargy.
The Virtue of Radishes
The simplicity of this recipe is deceptive. Radishes in the supermarket often don’t look too happy, and this dish depends on the goodness of the radishes, which probably has more to do with their upbringing than the creativity of the cook. Find radishes that delight you. You might have to try a farmers market or plant some in your yard or a window box.
Radishes, round and red, white and elongated, or red with white
Sweet butter
Salt
Wash the radishes and remove the largest leaves. Arrange on a platter and serve with butter and salt in little dishes on the side.
This might be accompanied with sparkling cider or the mildly alcoholic French sparkling cider.
Radish and Carrot Salad with Green Bell Pepper
SERVES 2 TO 4 PEOPLE
1 small green bell pepper
10 to 12 radishes
1 large or 2 small carrots, grated
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons cider, white wine, or rice wine vinegar
1 pinch of salt
2 teaspoons dill weed
Cut the pepper in half lengthwise and remove stem and seeds. Slice each half lengthwise into 4 or 5 pieces, then crosswise into thin pieces. Slice the radishes into rounds, then crosswise into red-tipped strips. Combine the peppers and radishes with carrots.
Stir honey into vinegar to dissolve. Toss the dressing with the salad along with a pinch of salt and the dill weed. You’re all set.
Radish Salad with Sprouts and Oranges
Even though I like the flavor and texture of alfalfa sprouts, I don’t eat them very often, but when I do, this seems to be the main way I enjoy them—soaked in orange juice. I mention that because not everyone appreciates sprouts, which are seen as being too much like rabbit food—hence, a sproutless variation also follows.
SERVES 3 TO 4 PEOPLE
3 oranges
1 bunch of radishes
3 to 4 ounces alfalfa sprouts
1 to 2 tablespoons orange marmalade (optional)
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
Cut the peel off the oranges, and slice them into rounds or half rounds (see A Third Way to Slice). Slice the radishes into rounds (and then crosswise into julienne pieces if you would like). Break up the clump of sprouts into smaller pieces and toss with the oranges and radishes. I like it this way—clean, refreshing flavors with no oil, salt, or pepper.
I usually get navel oranges, which are sweeter than Valencias, so if it turns out that you find the salad too tart, try sweetening it with orange marmalade and perhaps a touch of balsamic vinegar. Drain off some of the juice, mix it with the marmalade, and retoss.
VARIATION
In place of the alfalfa sprouts, use 2 to 3 tablespoons of chives cut into narrow sections or a couple green onions cut into thin pieces. To fill out the bulk of the salad, you may wish to add another orange. Adding flat-leaf parsley leaves would be another option.
Excellent Apple Salad
One of our cooks at Tassajara describes this salad as so, so, so good. Made without mayonnaise, the salad has clean, refreshing flavors. The fresh mint makes a big difference, and (if you are feeling large-hearted) taking the time to do the variation—blanching the walnuts and removing the skins makes them much less bitter.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
3 Gala or Fuji apples
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 stalks of celery, thinly cut into diagonal pieces
1 cup pistachios or walnuts, roasted and chopped
½ cup raisins or currants
2 tablespoons honey
1½ tablespoons sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 to 2 pinches of salt
¼ cup fresh spearmint, minced
Radishes Smile, and All Beings Rejoice
What makes food food interests me deeply. Not everything that is edible nourishes the spirit, or soothes our deeper hungers: for food to be food, it must feed. We all know this, and that each of us is nourished by particular foods. Still, we forget at times that it is not just the food in front of us, but our readiness to receive, to be blessed with food, that allows food to do its feeding.
Some hungers, of course, do not respond to food, yet to eat well—and this needn’t be elaborate—means the world cares. Or perhaps more precisely it means that one of the world’s myriad creatures—the one who is doing the eating—feels cared for. Which brings us to radishes.
My friends Pamela and Jerry, who had a cooking school in their home, wanted me to meet their friend Robert. At the time Robert was still involved with his restaurant in San Francisco called Le Trou. Even my daughter, who lived in France for nine years, didn’t quite get the name when she came to visit.
“The Hole?” she asked, somewhat baffled.
“Yes, it’s short for The Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurant,” Robert explained dryly.
We had picked a date when we could all go to Le Trou, but it turned out to be a night when the restaurant was closed. No problem, we were told. Robert wished to invite us to his house for dinner. Splendid! A cook who will cook even on his day off—I felt honored already. One chef meeting another; what could be in store?
I decided to be as gracious as my wine cellar would allow, and so I brought along two bottles of ten-year-old California wines. Not knowing the menu I didn’t know whether they would be appropriate for the meal, but I knew well enough I had better not count on drinking them that night. Let the chef decide.
After a bit of back and forth on a dimly lit street with tiny numbers on the houses, we found number 300 and rang the doorbell. We were greeted enthusiastically by Robert and escorted up the stairs into warmth and light. Giving Robert the wine, I saw two bottles of twenty-year-old Bordeaux awaited us on the mantelpiece. “Oh fine, fine,” I exclaimed, “have these another time.” I was thrilled. Robert does have his ways of taking you in, making you comfortable and happy.
Already won over, I was still not prepared for the magnificent simplicity of our appetizers. Radishes! Seated at a low table, we came face-to-face with platters of radishes, brilliantly red and curvaceous, some elongated and white tipped, rootlets intact with topknots of green leaves sprouting from the opposite end. It was love at first sight. Gazing at the plenitude of radishes, red and round with narrow roots and spreading stems, I felt a swelling joy.
Perhaps I am unusual: in fact, even for me it was rare to be so awed by radishes. So often one’s first response might be more like “Radishes?” or “Radishes, that’s it?” or “Radishes, geez . . .” and then perhaps a reminder to “OK, try to be polite.” Yet these radishes kept growing on me, as though they exuded happiness.
Next to the platters of radishes were small dishes of sweet butter and salt. I tried a radish, first with salt, then with butter, then with butter and salt, then some plain bites—amazing, four dishes in one. Fundamental goodness, so often elusive, was plain to taste.
Accompanying the radishes was French sparkling cider, the kind that is mildly alcoholic, slightly bitter, and not especially sweet—its tartness quite refreshing with the peppery crunchy radishes, the creamy butter, and the salt. The radishes also sparkled somehow shining with the gemlike quality inherent in objects which have been removed from dirt and polished. Life reveals its preciousness.
The rest of the meal was excellent: succulent slices of roast lamb, a salad with a curry vinaigrette. The wines were indeed superb, but what remains most vividly in my heart are the radishes.
To be able to see the virtue, to appreciate the goodness, of simple unadorned ingredients—this is probably the primary task of a cook. When radishes aren’t good enough, pretty soon nothing is good enough. Everything falls short. Nothing measures up.
Yet when someone can pick up a radish and be delighted, this is the basis for innumerable dishes. Delight moves through radishes and people alike, letting things speak, perhaps even sing for themselves, bringing out the best at each step. A radish appears, radiantly expressing the radishness of radishes, and all beings benefit.
Slice apples into quarters lengthwise and cut out the cores. Then cut into ½-inch chunks, and toss with the lemon juice. Combine with remaining ingredients, reserving the mint for garnish. Check seasoning: Salty? Sweet? Sour? Garnish with the mint.
VARIATION
To make the walnuts less bitter, blanch in boiling water for one minute. Then cool and remove skins. Dry and roast in a 350° oven for 15 to 20 minutes or longer to dry them out and lightly toast them.
Pineapple-Jicama Salad with Avocado, Chilies, and Lime
This is a zesty and refreshing salad in hot weather. It can be really mouth-awakening and eye-watering or mildly pleasing, depending on the availability of ingredients and your taste for chilies. Pineapple you know; jicama you may not know—it is a delightfully crunchy vegetable from Mexico.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
3 large leaves Romaine lettuce, sliced into strips, or whole small leaves
½ red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
¼ cup Red Onion Pickle (see below) or ¼ red onion, cut crosswise into thin arcs
Cilantro leaves, left whole
1 small pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups)
1 cup jicama, cut into thin matchsticks, or 1 apple, sliced
1 poblano chili, cut into thin rings, or 1 green bell pepper
12 sweet-smelling cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Fresh green chili (jalapeño or serrano), finely diced (optional)
Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette or another dressing of your choice
1 to 2 avocados, cut into chunks
Set aside the lettuce and also some of the pepper strips, onions, and cilantro leaves for garnish. Combine the remaining salad ingredients, except for the avocado, in a large bowl.
Prepare the vinaigrette, and mix it into the salad, tossing gently with a large rubber spatula or your hands. Then fold in the avocado chunks.
Mound the salad on a platter, rim the sides with the lettuce, and garnish with the reserved vegetables and cilantro.
Red Onion Pickle
I still enjoy raw onion, but not in the large doses I used to, and over the years I’ve seen a lot of raw onion left on the side of otherwise empty plates. This has led me to appreciate the mildness of pickled red onion, which can be used for garnishing salads, adding to sandwiches, or enlivening vegetable dishes. They are relatively easy to make and convenient to have available.
FOR 1 ONION
1 red onion (6 to 8 ounces)
Boiling water
½ cup red wine vinegar
Cold water
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper, Tabasco, or red chili, to taste
Dried herbs of your choice (optional)
Cut the ends off the red onion and make a slit up one side, so you can peel back the papery skin and thinnest outer layer of onion. Cut a small piece off of the rounded side so that the onion will have a flat place to sit, then slice it thinly crosswise into rounds. Place the sliced onion in a bowl and cover with boiling water, a cup or two. Let it sit for 5 to 10 seconds, then drain off the water. (Or if you want a stronger onion flavor, place the onion in a strainer and pour the boiling water over and through the onion.)
Add the vinegar and ½ cup or so of cold water to cover the onion, along with some salt and your choice of pepper. Let sit 30 minutes or longer. Drain to use. Or leave in the liquid and store in the refrigerator.
Add dried herbs for some additional flavor if you choose: oregano, thyme, or herbes de Provence.
Cabbage Salads
Cabbage is a very versatile for making salads. Here are some suggestions for how to utilize it as a background ingredient. (You might also want to refer to the Thin-Slice Cabbage Salad. The Purple Cabbage Salad is another thin-slice, salted cabbage salad.) Although I sometimes think of cabbage as having a mild flavor, when I taste it carefully I discover a slightly peppery, floral quality. Because raw cabbage is substantial and takes a fair amount of chewing, it is usually “shredded” or cut into very thin slices. (“Shredded” is used here as another word for cutting thinly.) Again, following the suggestions will be some specific recipes.
Chinese Cabbage Salad with Orange and Tahini Dressing
Chinese cabbage is tender and mild-flavored with a slight peppery quality, and carries dressings well. I used to think that this was a specialty item, but then I found it in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and London, Ontario: a cosmopolitan delicacy now found in most supermarkets.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
1 small or ½ large Chinese cabbage
4 to 5 oranges
¼ cup cilantro, mint, or flat-leafed parsley, whole leaves
Slice the cabbage into quarters and then into thin strips crosswise or at an angle crosswise. To get the full orange color, cut the peel off the oranges. Cut the oranges in chunks, rounds, or half rounds. Set aside some of the orange for garnish and mix the rest of them in with the cabbage.
Mix together the Thick Tahini Dressing and set aside. The dressing should be thick; once it is on the cabbage, it will thin out, as the salt draws water out of the cabbage.
Toss the dressing together with the cabbage and oranges and garnish with the orange slices. Where is the dark green? Now I want some cilantro, (spear)mint, or parsley on there. If you would rather, go ahead and julienne or mince the greens a bit.
Chinese Cabbage Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette
Aside from the Chinese cabbage, all the other ingredients in this salad are from the West. Again, the cabbage blends in well with the other ingredients.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
1 small or ½ large Chinese cabbage
1 to 1½ cups Gruyère, Monterey Jack, Gouda, or Edam cheese, grated
½ to ¾ cup pitted black olives, sliced
Slice the cabbage into quarters and then into thin strips crosswise or at an angle crosswise.
Set aside a portion of the grated cheese and sliced olives, and mix the remainder with the cabbage.
Mix together the Garlic Vinaigrette. Toss it with the salad. Depending on the amount of cabbage you use, you may not need all the dressing. The amount of salt in the dressing is intended to be somewhat smaller than usual because of the salt in the cheese and olives, so check it out. Garnish with the remainder of the cheese and olives.
Chinese Cabbage Salad with Oranges and Mint
Chinese cabbage makes such an excellent ingredient for salads: being moist and refreshing, it makes for tender, easy chewing. I make this salad quite plain—the dressing is simply the juice of the orange, with a touch of salt—but you are welcome to season it as you see fit. (The Kim Chee will give you a start on coming up with possibilities.)
SERVES 3 TO 4 PEOPLE
½ small head Chinese cabbage
Salt
3 navel oranges
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
Cut the half cabbage in half and cut out the core. Cut crosswise on the diagonal into fairly thin slices. Put into a bowl, and sprinkle on a bit of salt, perhaps ¼ teaspoon. Work it into the cabbage, gently squeezing with your hands. If the cabbage is not becoming wet and limp after a minute or so of squeezing, add a pinch or two more salt, and work some more.
Cut the peel off the oranges and then cut the oranges into rounds. Mix together the cabbage, oranges, and mint.
VARIATION
If you do not have fresh mint available, use some minced parsley and a few pinches of ground fennel or anise seed.
Purple Cabbage Salad with Mango, Red Bell Pepper, Smoked Almonds, and Avocado
Stunning colors dazzle the eye, vibrant flavors stimulate the tongue, delight flowers. And you can share it with others!
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
½ head purple cabbage (10 to 12 ounces), thinly sliced
½ to 1 teaspoon salt
1 red bell pepper
4 tablespoons lime juice
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon grated ginger
3 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup cilantro, julienne or minced
1 mango
1 avocado
½ cup smoked almonds, chopped large pieces
Put the sliced cabbage in a bowl, add ½ teaspoon of the salt, and hand-fry, squeezing vigorously in your hands, tossing, mixing, squeezing until the cabbage begins to soften and release moisture. Add pinches of salt as necessary, continuing to squeeze and mix, (tasting as you go along so that you do not get too much salt) until the cabbage becomes tender, juicy, and lightly salted.
Cut the bell pepper in half and remove the core, seeds, and pith. Slice each half into 4 pieces lengthwise and then into thin strips crosswise. Mix in with the cabbage by hand. Combine the lime juice and honey and mix into the cabbage along with the ginger. Mix in half of the green onion and cilantro, reserving the other half for garnish.
To prep the mango, carefully slice off the skin all the way around. Stand the mango on its side—the slightly longer side is vertical—and cut off ⅛-inch slices until you get to the pit. Turn around and cut slices off the opposite side. Cut the remaining flesh of the mango off the pit as well. Cut the slices as you choose (big or small pieces), and reserving a few pieces for the top, combine the rest of the mango with the salad.
Prepare decorative avocado slices and (again saving a few for the top) fold gently into the salad.
On top sprinkle on half of the almonds, the decorative mango and avocado pieces, the rest of the almonds, the reserved cilantro, and green onion. Let your awareness be quiet enough and soft enough to receive the blessedness.
VARIATIONS
Rotten Pickles
Suzuki Roshi once told us a story from his childhood that left a particularly poignant taste in my mouth. Food is not just food. The entire universe comes along with it. Human nature makes its appearance bite after bite.
As a boy of perhaps ten or eleven, Suzuki Roshi had been sent by his father to study with a Zen teacher who was his father’s disciple. There were apparently four or five boys altogether. In the spring they would help their teacher make daikon pickles. The long white radishes would be layered in barrels with salt and nuka (rice bran).
We used to make these pickles at Tassajara. The mixture is dry at the outset, but as the barrel sits, salt draws water out of the radishes, moistening the nuka and thereby salting the radishes. At least, that’s how it’s meant to work. The salt acts as a preservative. The rice bran provides flavor and perhaps nutrition.
One year at the temple in Japan, a batch of pickles the boys and their teacher made didn’t quite make it; a number of the radishes developed noticeably “off” flavors, which happens when there is not enough salt. What to do when something doesn’t turn out the way it should, the way you wanted, the way you planned? The teacher served them anyway! Perhaps he found this all well and good, but boys will be boys, and the young Suzuki Roshi and his companions refused to eat them. Each day the pickles would be served, and each day studiously avoided.
At last Suzuki Roshi decided to take matters into his own hands. One night he got the pickles, took them out to the far end of the garden, dug a hole, and buried them. Isn’t that what you do with something distasteful? Dig a hole, put the rotten stuff in, and cover it with dirt—a straightforward, elegant solution, returning earth to earth. Let it compost. Keep it covered.
Yet life is not always that simple. The next day the pickles were back on the table! Things you bury don’t always stay put. What an unpleasant surprise, and what a sinking feeling to have what you were trying to hide come out into the open. The teacher, however, did not say anything about the pickles having been buried, or whether or not he knew who buried them. He merely stated that those pickles would have to be eaten before the boys got anything else to eat.
Sometimes we have no choice; we have to taste and digest what we find distasteful. Suzuki Roshi said that it was his first experience of “no-thought,” when the conceptualizing mind stops and one experiences something nonreactively with no added comments. Chew and swallow. Chew and swallow. He could eat the pickles only if his mind did not produce a single thought.
The world itself is swallowed up. For a time the storyline disappears. No more “This is awful,” “How distasteful,” “How unfair,” “What did I do to deserve this,” or even “Yuck,” because then you would have to spit the pickle out, or choke it up. Just chew and swallow.
We need to be able to conceptualize, to decide what is good to eat and what is not, yet we can suffer a lot by trying to have nothing but delicious experiences. Inevitably we will have to chew on and digest some difficult, painful moments. We’ve all had our painful experiences: family tragedies, children with cancer, parents or partners with Alzheimer’s. And we do our best to chew and swallow.
We would like to say, “Skip the pickles,” but this is the great dilemma that life serves up: Not everything is tasty and cooked to perfection, and there is no way to avoid all that is unpleasant. If we become too finicky and picky, we are unable to eat, to really be nourished by life.
The dirt of our life contains both good and bad, sweet and sour, bitter and pungent. The cook unearths what is there and labors to make it nourishing.
Asian Slaw
With garlic, ginger, and cilantro, this salad has a nice bite. It is an excellent accompaniment to Roasted Vegetables with Satay Peanut Sauce, but you can probably find other uses as well.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
½ small head Chinese (Napa) cabbage, cut thinly (about 4 cups)
1 small red bell pepper, cut into small thin strips (about 1 cup)
3 to 4 scallions
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 serrano chili, seeds removed and minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons brown sesame seeds, roasted
⅓ cup cilantro, julienne or minced
Cut cabbage into quarters lengthwise and cut out core, then slice the quarters into thin strips. Cut the red pepper in half and remove stems and seeds, then cut again lengthwise before cutting crosswise into very thin strips. Mince the white part of the scallions and cut the green part into thin diagonal pieces.
Combine the ginger, garlic, and serrano chili with the vinegar, oil, and honey or sugar. Toss with the cabbage, red pepper, and green onion. Season with salt and pepper. Taste to see if you would care to adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the roasted sesame seeds and the cilantro.
VARIATIONS
Kim Chee
This is a Korean pickle which the Japanese also make. It can be quite strong if you like hot stuff, or made more mild for salad eating.
1 head of cabbage (usually Chinese cabbage)
1½ tablespoons salt
Garlic
Fresh ginger
Sesame seeds, roasted
Red pepper
Cut the cabbage into quarters lengthwise, then into bite-size chunks. Place in a bowl or crock and mix in the salt. Press overnight (see Salting Vegetables). Pour off the accumulated water the next day and save it for soup. Taste the cabbage and rinse it off if overly salty.
Season to taste with garlic, then with freshly grated ginger. Add some roasted sesame seeds and, at the end, some red pepper to taste. While you can be generous with the garlic and ginger, the red pepper is potent, and its strength comes in the aftertaste, so use a bit of caution there. Taste the pickle as you add each seasoning so you know what is happening to it—you can make it as strong as you like. After seasoning, the pickle can be stored in glass jars in the refrigerator. The flavor improves with age.
For immediate use, slice the cabbage thinly, salt to taste, hand-fry then add the remaining ingredients.
Kale Salad with Radish, Apple, Avocado, and Sunflower Seeds
This kale salad surprises many people with how incredibly tasty it is. The secret is the hand-frying with salt—thank you, Javier Cabral, for the terminology—which tenderizes the kale bringing out some of its juices. The other ingredients may vary, but here is a colorful combination of flavors and textures: fruits, roots, and seeds. The dressing is sweet-and-sour without any oil, so the overall effect is refreshing, bright, flavorful, and easy-to-chew. The variations are boundless.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
12 to 15 leaves dinosaur or other kale (about a bunch)
½ to 1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Black or red pepper (optional)
1 apple
6 radishes, julienne pieces or rounds
1 avocado, chunks or slices
½ cup sunflower seeds, roasted
Rinse off the kale. Cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces, including stems if using dinosaur kale. (For the regular kale remove the leaves from the stems before cutting them crosswise.) Sprinkle on a ½ teaspoon of salt to start with, and squeeze vigorously with your hands so that the kale softens and moisture begins to sweat out. Taste carefully, so that you do not add too much salt, but, as needed, add a bit more salt to bring out the moisture, squeezing the kale between additions. Taste . . . already so good.
Mix together the lemon juice and honey, and combine with the kale. Taste . . . it’s even better. Add the fresh ginger and some pepper if you want it. (Stop here, if you do not have the remaining ingredients!)
Slice the apple into quarters and remove the cores. Cut the quarters in half lengthwise and then slice crosswise into narrow pieces. Gently stir into the kale along with the radishes and avocados. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top before serving.
VARIATIONS
Carrot-Ginger Salad with Golden Raisins and Sour Cream
Use carrots with a sweet, full flavor that are not too woody. These two roots, carrot and ginger, go well together, and their natural sweetness is enhanced by the raisins.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
1 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
½ cup sour cream
Rind of 1 lemon, grated
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt
4 cups carrots, grated
Cover the raisins with hot water, let stand for 20 minutes to plump them up, then drain, reserving the liquid for soup. Mix the ginger together with the sour cream, lemon rind, and lemon juice, then salt to taste.
Combine the carrots, raisins, and dressing. Toss well. Adjust seasoning, adding more lemon, ginger, or salt as you wish. The raisins should make it sweet enough, but if not, add a little honey or sugar.
VARIATIONS
Avocado Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Vibrant and bright, this salad has the sweet, smoky flavor of grilled red peppers along with the buttery pale green of the avocado.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
2 to 3 avocados at room temperature
Niçoise or other small black olives to garnish
Make up the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Spoon out the sauce onto four (to six) individual serving plates. Slice the avocados, and fan out the avocado slices on top of the sauce. Garnish with the olives.
Avocado Platter with Nectarines and Roasted Red Pepper
You must have noticed by now that I am a big fan of avocados and roasted red peppers. Here they are combined with nectarines: pale green with orange and brick red; oily smoothness and refreshing juiciness accented with smoky fleshiness.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
2 avocados
2 ripe nectarines
⅓ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey or white sugar
1 shallot, diced finely
12 to 15 basil or mint leaves, sliced, or 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon or parsley, minced
Prepare the roasted red pepper, cut it into strips, and season it with the balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
Prepare the avocados in decorative slices. Fan them out on a large serving platter or individual plates. Slice the nectarines. I like to try out different ways of cutting. One interesting way is to leave the nectarine whole, cut round slices off one side, and then the opposite side, then finish by pushing out the pit and cutting what’s left. Arrange the nectarine slices with the avocado. I prefer to pile the red pepper slices in 2 or 3 places, rather than distribute them over the avocado and nectarine. Or another possibility is to have the red pepper in the middle surrounded by nectarine slices, bordered by the avocado slices.
Whisk together the olive oil with the orange juice, lemon juice, honey, and shallots, and spoon it over the avocado and nectarine slices. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper where you think it will do the most good (more on the avocados?). Slice the fresh basil or mint leaves into thin strips (julienne), and scatter them over the top.
VARIATIONS
Summer Salad with Summer Squash
Fresh flavors, light feeling, bright colors—see what you come up with.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
3 summer squashes (zucchini, crookneck, or scallop)
1 red bell pepper
1 shallot, diced
2 to 3 pinches salt
1 tablespoon rice wine or tarragon vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
Tabasco
½ cup grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
Play around and find out which way of cutting makes the shapes pleasing. Perhaps the squash could be cut into julienne pieces and the red pepper into short strips.
Combine the squash with the peppers and diced shallot. Sprinkle on the salt and gently work it in with your hands. Season with the vinegar, sweetening, and Tabasco. Garnish with the grated cheese.
VARIATIONS
Zucchini Salad
A light blanching of the zucchini, while keeping it fresh, brightens the color and brings out some of the sweetness.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
3 zucchini
1 carrot
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Peel of 1 lemon, grated
Salt
Pepper
½ cup chopped walnut, roasted
2 tablespoons fresh basil or mint, julienne pieces or minced
Cut the zucchini in thin strips or ovals, and cut the carrot into julienne pieces or grate it. Blanch briefly in boiling, lightly salted water, perhaps a minute or two. Remove and drain. Spread out on a dish towel to cool for a few minutes, then combine with the olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the roasted walnut pieces and the fresh herbs.
Celebrating Tomatoes!
To celebrate tomatoes keep your eye out for tomatoes worth celebrating—or perhaps nose around for them—whether from the supermarket, a vegetable stand or farmers market, your garden or a friend’s. The more flavorful the tomatoes are, the simpler I make the dressing—in this case just vinegar and sugar—so that their unique gifts will not be overshadowed. Similarly, you may want to utilize the milder flavor of the chives rather than the shallot. The Garnished Tomato Platter recipe that follows provides several possible variations.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
2 pounds tomatoes
2 shallots, finely diced, or 1 bunch chives, sliced in ¼-inch pieces or narrower
⅓ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
Salt
Pepper
Rinse off the tomatoes and remove any stems. When I have more than one variety, I like to cut them and arrange them on a platter, keeping each kind separate, but you might prefer to mix them. Slice the tomatoes into rounds or cut them into wedges. Cut cherry tomatoes or Sweet 100s in half, as the cut pieces will be easier to bite into and release more flavor. Arrange on a platter.
Combine the shallots with the vinegar and sugar, and spoon the mixture over the tomatoes. Just before serving sprinkle on some salt and pepper. (Putting on the salt earlier will draw a good deal of water out of the tomatoes and make them soupy.) If using the chives, scatter them over the surface.
Garnished Tomato Platter
Here are some ingredients that might enhance your tomatoes. Choose what you like from among them.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
1 recipe Celebrating Tomatoes!
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh garlic, just a hint (if you can’t resist)
½ pound fresh mozzarella (or possibly feta), cut into slices or, if using ciliegine, cut into half balls
⅓ cup niçoise olives
¼ cup pine nuts, roasted
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or marjoram, minced
1 dozen basil leaves, cut into strips
The olive oil or garlic can be combined with the dressing to spoon over the tomatoes. The fresh mozzarella (or feta) may be arranged with the tomatoes. The olives, pine nuts, or fresh herbs may be sprinkled over the top of the tomatoes.
Tomato Salad with Avocado and Black Olives
In the summer I enjoy the combination of avocados prepared with tomatoes. Here is a sample. There are so many beautiful tomatoes these days, so see what you can find that brings you pleasure: red, yellow, Heirloom, cherry tomatoes—perhaps a variety of colors, although red tomatoes contrast well with the avocado.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
2 pounds ripe, juicy tomatoes
2 avocados
⅓ cup black olives (niçoise, kalamata, or oil-cured) or 2 tablespoons capers
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 bunch chives or 2 green onions
Salt
½ green chili (serrano or jalapeño), minced, or 1 green onion (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or oregano, minced (optional)
Tomato Ecstasy
Almost everyone has the capacity to taste, to discriminate between various flavors, yet having the capacity doesn’t mean that people exercise it. One reason it is underutilized is that people tend to be timid about using language to articulate the differences they have noticed—they might be “wrong.” I find it fascinating how language helps to develop taste. Often, when we cannot put a label on what we’ve noticed, it loses its significance. Conversely, when awareness has labels to attach to experience, details and nuances are suddenly relevant; they can be tagged.
One example of this is professional tea tasting. According to an article I read, almost anyone with the appropriate training can learn to be a tea taster. Participants at tea-tasting school are given twenty different teas and told, “This is what we mean by ‘bright.’” Even though the twenty teas are different, they have this one common characteristic, “bright,” which the tasters are expected to identify. Another twenty teas are “bold” or “smoky,” “chesty” or “full-bodied.” In this way one can learn the requisite language and subsequently be able to pick out the “bright” or “bold” which gives Lipton’s or Twinings its distinctive flavor.
Outside the context of a particular profession with its specific terminology, we are often at a loss. In response to the question “What is the flavor of a tomato?” we are likely to throw up our hands in exasperation and say, “Well, you know, it tastes like a tomato!” as if that explained it, and in our culture it often does. Growers market pale red objects that are shaped like tomatoes but have a mealy dry texture with the flavor of mildly tart water, and still they make a killing. The buying public doesn’t find the distinctions important enough to give them voice.
Our culture teaches us that food is only food, that a tomato is a tomato (no matter how bland and insipid it is), and we learn not to pay attention to what is most important: the essential vibrancy of tomato. When we fail to notice the essential juicy, lush, and meaty vibrancy of tomato, somewhere inside of us our heart shrivels up, our succulent fecundity is unrecognized and uncalled for. We too are dry and mealy, and longing for something to break us open and make us feel alive and flowing.
In late summer I go to the Real Foods market on Stanyan Street in San Francisco and I buy tomatoes: beefsteak tomatoes, Golden Jubilee, Lemon Boy, Marvel Stripe, Zebra, Cherokee Purple, green grape, and cherry tomatoes. They often have a dozen kinds or more: red, yellow, orange, purple, and golden tomatoes; some sweeter; some more lemony; some meaty, fruity, herbaceous, or earthy.
I must tell you, there is a tomato-eating ecstasy (and it’s completely legal). My mouth explodes with sunlight, water, blue skies, patches of cloud. Birds call and insects hum. Earth—be it red, black, brown, or yellow dirt—as been distilled into flesh and seed, skin and juice. My body responds and comes alive.
A smile breaks forth. I am home, a place wild and robust. If a tomato can be this fully a tomato, it must be OK for me to be fully me, with all my bugs and weeds and unexplored but fertile mud.
If a tomato is just a tomato, well then, you will never know this ecstasy, and somewhere inside unfulfilled appetites will be aching and yearning to be fed. Tomatoes with no discernible taste, pulpy pink water, will not satisfy this hunger for vigor and vitality. You can taste the difference.
All these tomatoes at Real Foods also have a “family” name, the place they come from, because that is also what or who they are: Knoll Farm, Full Belly Farm, Webb Ranch, Hungry Hollow, Terra Firma. When Kofi, a yoga teacher friend, came to dinner, he said that when he grew up in Ghana they always knew where the fruits or vegetables were from, this hillside or that valley, and who grew them. It’s unavoidably part of the vegetable, part of the fruit. He said that even after years of living in the West he still couldn’t understand how we could eat anonymous produce so indiscriminately. Don’t we have any sense about these differences?
What is not measurable tends to be overlooked. What is distinctly human, distinctly individual, unique, alive, and different tends to be unacknowledged, unvoiced. I say, let the tomatoes sing, let them dance, let them do cartwheels in your mouth, let them awaken your heart, your soul, your spirit. Let them speak sermons, soliloquies, and sonnets.
Wash, de-stem, and cut the tomatoes into wedges or rounds (or cherry tomatoes in half). Cut the avocados lengthwise, remove the pits, spoon the flesh out of the peels, and cut the flesh into fork-sized chunks. (Make them large enough so that they will not disappear into mush with some gentle stirring.) What do you think? Are you going to pit the olives? Combine the tomato pieces with the avocado and olives.
Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and, if using it, the green chili. Toss lightly with the tomato mixture. Cut the chives into ¼-inch sections, or the green onions into thin rounds, using as much of the green as you wish. Just before serving, sprinkle with salt and garnish with the chives or green onion and the fresh herbs, if using.
Tomato Salad with Provolone and Fresh Herbs
SERVES 4 PEOPLE MODERATELY
2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes
4 ounces provolone cheese
3 to 4 green onions (about ½ cup), thinly sliced (both whites and greens)
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground
Cut the tomatoes in half vertically. Then cut out the stems and cores, and cut the tomatoes into wedges. Place in a bowl. Cut the provolone cheese into thin strips and mix with the tomatoes. Toss with the green onions, the parsley, the olive oil, and some of the vinegar. Since the salt will draw water out of the tomatoes, wait to add it until right before serving. At that time season with salt, pepper, and perhaps additional vinegar.
Green Bean and Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese
For many years, big tough green beans called Kentucky Wonder beans were all that was available at supermarkets. Now more tender varieties such as Blue Lake are likely to be carried there.
The back end of vegetable peelers used to have a slot that you could pull green beans through to shred them lengthwise, one by one. That was fun—and made Kentucky Wonders edible. I still like to cut the green beans lengthwise, but I do it by hand with my Japanese vegetable knife—and whatever happened to those peelers with the little slots?
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
½ pound green beans
1½ pounds flavorful ripe tomatoes
½ pound feta cheese
2 shallots, finely diced or minced
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 to 4 pinches of salt
Pepper
⅓ cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips, or 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh thyme or marjoram, minced
After washing and trimming off the ends of the green beans—you need only to cut off the stem end—cut the beans in half lengthwise or in 3-inch-long diagonal strips. This is certainly not an exact procedure, because the beans curve in various directions, but it will allow them to cook more quickly and become more tender, if you do it. (Or simply cook the whole beans.) Steam or blanch the beans until they are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain.
Cut the tomatoes into quarters lengthwise, cut out the cores, and then cut into wedges. Cut the feta cheese into cubes or strips. Toss the green beans, tomatoes, cheese, and shallots together with the olive oil, then with the vinegar. Before adding salt, check to see how salty the feta cheese is—I get a kind that is fairly mild—then season to taste with salt and pepper. Like more vinegar? Garnish with the fresh herbs.
Corn Salad with Zucchini and Roasted Red Pepper
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
2 zucchini
1 ear of fresh corn
Water
Salt
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced or julienne strips
Fresh cilantro leaves, whole
Cut the roasted pepper into strips. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Cut the corn off the cob. Blanch the zucchini and corn briefly in boiling, lightly salted water. Remove after a minute or two and drain.
Combine in bowl with the peppers. Dress with the lemon and honey mixed together and the minced cilantro. Garnish with some whole fresh cilantro leaves.
Cucumber Salad
The cool refreshing cucumber can be offered by themselves, or brightened with orange slices and a green garnish.
Cucumbers
Vinegar
Sugar
Orange slices (optional)
Chives or green onion (optional)
Orange flower water or rose water (optional)
Slice the cucumbers and dress simply with vinegar sweetened with sugar (usually about equal amounts). To make it more colorful and appetizing, add a few orange slices, perhaps some chives or green onion. To give it something of a Middle Eastern flavor, add a few drops of orange flower water or rose water.
Cucumber and Yogurt Salad
Cucumber combined with yogurt makes a cooling side-dish, and is used in several traditional cuisines.
Cucumbers
Plain yogurt
Salt
Pepper
Mint, freshly chopped
Slice the cucumbers, then mix all the ingredients together and let chill. The mint gives the salad a Middle Eastern flavor.
VARIATION
For an Indian flavor, use minced green chili, chopped cilantro, and/or ground cumin seeds instead of the mint.
Pungent Cucumbers
The cucumbers and red bell pepper are very lightly cooked making them mellow and receptive to the seasoning. Pungent is an accurate designation for this mouth-warming, peppery cucumber salad or relish.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut in half rounds
½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 serrano chili, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
¾ teaspoon Szechwan peppercorns or black pepper
Mint or cilantro leaves (optional)
Combine cucumber and red bell pepper. Cover briefly with boiling water—for perhaps half a minute—and drain.
Heat oil with ginger and chili, then remove from the heat, and combine with the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and pepper. Toss with the cucumbers and red peppers.
Serve immediately or let marinate for up to 6 hours. Serve at room temperature, garnished with the mint or cilantro leaves, if using them.
Melon Platter with Avocado and Fresh Figs
Three of my favorite foods: one beautiful presentation.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE GENEROUSLY
½ cantaloupe or honeydew melon
2 avocados
8 fresh, ripe figs
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 shallot, finely diced, or ½ bunch of chives, finely sliced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, cut into thin strips
Since I do not have a melon baller, I cut the peel off the melon and then slice it into C-shaped pieces, but if one is available, you could also make melon balls. Prepare decorative avocado slices (see Avocado). Cut the stems off the figs, and then slice them in half lengthwise. Arrange the avocado and fruits on a large platter. A general rule of thumb is to begin with the ingredient that is the largest, either the melon or the avocado, and then fill in with the smaller pieces.
Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt. If using shallots whisk them in, as well. Spoon the dressing over the avocado, melon, and figs. If you are trying to use less oil, OK, use more vinegar and sugar. If using chives instead of shallots, distribute them along with the mint over the top of the arrangement.
VARIATION
When I don’t have figs or a second type of melon to complete the platter, I have found sliced radishes to be an excellent addition, strewn over the other ingredients.
Melon Salad with Lime and Mint
I make this salad with whatever melon I find available: cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, casaba, Crenshaw, or sometimes a colorful combination—such delicious refreshment.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
½ pound melon
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons white sugar or maple syrup
Salt
15 to 18 mint leaves, sliced into narrow strips (about ¼ cup)
Cut the melon open and remove the seeds. If using watermelon, remove the seeds while you work with it. Use a melon baller to make melon balls, or cut off the rind, and cut the melon into chunks.
Combine the lime juice and sugar or maple syrup and toss it with the melon, then add a couple pinches of salt. Garnish with the mint leaves. The simplified version, of course, is to slice the melon and serve it with wedges of lime.
Eggplant Salad
Eggplant provides a good basis for olive oil, lemon, garlic. Tomato pieces and olives dot the eggplant while lemon wedges brighten the borders.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
1 to 2 eggplants, depending on size, 1 pound or so
5 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup minced onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
¼ cup niçoise or oil-cured olives
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Preheat oven to 375°. Smooth (or brush) a tablespoon of the olive oil onto the eggplant(s) and bake it for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning about every 20 minutes, until the eggplant is quite softened. Let cool, then cut open and remove the fleshy interior from the skin. Mash the flesh and season with the minced onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons each of the olive oil and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread the eggplant mixture out on a plate or platter.
Combine with remaining 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and lemon juice with the sugar and toss with the tomato wedges. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Decorate the eggplant puree with the dressed tomatoes and olives. Place the lemon wedges around the sides.
VARIATION
Another flavorful option would be to use leftover eggplant, which has already been cooked and seasoned. In this case the eggplant may not be suitable for mashing, but you can utilize the same seasonings and freshen up the eggplant with the tomatoes and olives. Perhaps a garnish of fresh basil cut into thin strips, as well.
Grilled Eggplant Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
This is a variation on a recipe in The Greens Cookbook. People enjoy it so much, you can have up to one eggplant for every two people—that’s how good it is. Although basil and arugula are the herb seasonings that are called for, I have also made this salad using fresh tarragon or cilantro. If arugula is not available, go ahead and use a whole bunch of basil.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
2 globe eggplants
Olive oil
2 red bell peppers
½ bunch fresh basil
½ bunch fresh arugula
6 cloves of garlic, coarsely minced
2 shallots, finely diced
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Slice the eggplant crosswise into pieces ¼ to ⅜ inch thick. Brush each side with olive oil. Grill them over charcoal until they are well browned on both sides and bend easily when tested with tongs. (Are you still using that wonderful mesquite charcoal and deforesting northern Mexico? Now you can get Eco Char, which is made from walnut shells.) The eggplant should not be al dente, so if in doubt, take a slice off the grill, cut it open, and try it. When done, set the eggplant aside. (The eggplant slices could also be roasted in a 425° oven for about 40 minutes.)
Cut the red peppers in half, remove the seeds and pith. Cut the halves in half, toss with olive oil, and charcoal-grill, turning occasionally, until the deep red color (and texture) softens, and there are perhaps spots of black. Or oven-roast with the eggplant. Set them aside. Rinse and spin dry the basil and the arugula. Remove the basil leaves from the stems and cut the arugula into 1-inch lengths.
When the eggplant and peppers are cool enough to handle, cut the eggplant rounds into quarters and the peppers crosswise into ½-inch strips. (If you’ve gotten large sections of black on the pepper skins or if the skins have blistered, you are welcome to remove the skins before slicing.) Combine the garlic and shallots, and then mix into the vegetables. Toss with the basil and arugula. Season to taste with balsamic vinegar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Mixed Vegetable Salad
As cooks we can often forget that vegetables can be made into a salad by being lightly cooked and dressed with olive oil and vinegar. The resulting dish can be served hot or cold. No single ingredient need be stressed. With some enhancement leftover vegetables become fresh and flavorful. The variations provide a few more suggestions.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
1 pound of vegetables of your choice: celery, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, green bean, asparagus, summer squashes, or lightly cooked vegetable leftovers
1 yellow onion or red or green bell pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt or soy sauce
Dark sesame oil or olive oil
Peel of ½ lemon, minced (optional)
Cut the vegetables in small pieces or thin strips, so that they can cook quickly. Dice the onion or bell pepper. (Use more or fewer vegetables keeping in mind that fewer often gives the dish more definition and that more can provide a variety of color and texture.) Heat the oil and stir-fry vegetables (including onion or bell pepper) for 3 minutes. Spoon on the vinegar along with a sprinkling of salt or soy sauce. Cover and steam for 1 to 3 minutes. (Keep the vegetables crisp.) Adjust seasoning and serve, or transfer the vegetables to a bowl and let cool. Sprinkle with dark sesame or olive oil when serving. Lemon zest is called that for a reason—because that’s what it provides: some zip.
VARIATIONS
Coming to Your Senses
Back in the sixties at Tassajara our diet was fairly austere. Nowadays we have a “back door café,” where we put out fruit, breads, jams, peanut butter, and other leftovers for snacking, but in those days our hunger was focused on the three meals. So those few occasions to eat took on great significance. Some of us ate voluminously and ravenously. Especially at lunch a feeding frenzy would often unfold.
A group of us would eat sixteen, eighteen, twenty half slices of bread, the equivalent of eight to ten full slices, and this was not light and airy bread but homemade, chewy, dense bread, plus gobs of spread. And very few people gained weight. Perhaps all those calories got burned up in the frenzy to eat more, although I was working pretty long hours, too.
Plus all this eating was done in just a few scant minutes. In Zen practice apparently it was not appropriate to savor food or linger over it. Within five or six minutes after we had finished our pre-meal chanting and begun eating, seconds would be served, so after an initial taste of each bowl, a quick decision was needed. “Which bowl do I want more of the most? Oh, oh, here come the servers. Stuff it in.” It was painful to be so driven.
I noticed several things even in those times of seemingly insatiable appetite. Initially during a meal I would be aware of the flavor and texture of foods—the creamy nuttiness of oatmeal, the crunch and earthiness of carrot—and with this experiencing of the food a wonderfully sweet pleasure arose. Yet as soon as I decided “I want more of that!” the pleasure ceased; the flavor and texture disappeared. All that remained was craving, a focus on “getting more” (receiving seconds), even though I already had “more” right there in my bowl (which I had to get rid of in order to get more).
Since we were sitting cross-legged for our meals, my sore legs were also a pivotal factor. Being absorbed by eating meant that I would be less preoccupied with my aching knees and painful legs, so if anything, I wished that the meal would go faster. I wished that the pain would go away, that this would all be over. Having food in my bowls and in my mouth to occupy my awareness seemed like a useful way to take my mind off the pain. Isn’t that the reason to overeat? To make the pain go away?
Looking back at this I am reminded of James Baraz, one of my vipassana teachers, describing his infant son eating strawberries: if the boy couldn’t have both hands full of strawberries while eating strawberries he would start screaming in frustration, even though you could see his mouth was full of strawberries. (He’s likely grown out of this by now.)
A little awareness is such a difficult thing. You see what a fool you are being, yet you continue helplessly in the grip of the same foolishness, but the awareness does not go away. What an embarrassment.
At some point I took a simple, yet momentous step against the current: I would just eat. I would just taste and experience each mouthful, setting aside all considerations of the future and whether it would bring more of the same. When the meal was over, I would have eaten instead of having chased after imagined delights, overlooking what was already in my mouth.
Overnight I started eating half as much and feeling more satisfaction than ever. I learned to ignore all of my scattered-brained objections: “But this is so dumb and boring,” “How will I get more if I don’t rush through what I have?” and “Where’s the fun and excitement of chasing after things?” Still I knew that I didn’t want to end up being at the mercy of my desire, missing out on the pleasures of root, shoot, leaf, and fruit.
Come to your senses. It is not the things of this world, be they chocolate or brown rice, that lead you astray. Losing your way comes from giving no mind to what is present while chasing after imaginary pleasures which are illusive and unobtainable. To wake up is to know what is already yours.
Beet Salad with Radish and Cucumber
The earthiness of the beets provides a reddish-purple bed for the crisp and refreshing radishes and cucumbers. Each is dressed slightly differently for added interest.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
4 beets, cooked
¼ teaspoon whole anise seed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic or sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Salt
Red pepper (chili flakes, Tabasco, or homemade chili powder)
1 cucumber
6 red radishes
2 tablespoons rice wine or Champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced, or flat-leafed parsley, julienne pieces
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon (optional)
Slice the beets into half rounds or thin wedges. Grind the anise seed in a mortar and pestle, or mince it coarsely with a knife. Toss the beets with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and anise seed, and then season to taste with salt and red pepper. Spread out on a plate or platter.
Peel the cucumber and cut into rounds. Slice the radishes into rounds or julienne pieces. Toss the cucumber and radish with the rice vinegar, sugar, and dried thyme. Season with salt and black pepper. Arrange on top of the beets.
Cut the chives into narrow pieces (or the parsley into julienne strips) and use to garnish the cucumber and radishes. Another option would be to use fresh tarragon to garnish.
VARIATION
Slice up 3 or 4 sun-dried tomatoes to go in with the beets and/or mix a tablespoon of capers in with the cucumber and radishes.
Beet Salad with Watercress
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
5 to 6 large or 10 to 12 small beets (about 1 pound)
1 bunch watercress
2 green onions
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
¾ teaspoon allspice
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat oven to 375°. Baking the beets rather than boiling or steaming them will give them a richer flavor. Leave an inch of stem on the beets and place them whole in a baking dish. Add about ½ inch of water, cover, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove and let cool, then slip off the stems and skin by hand. Slice the beets into rounds or half rounds.
Remove any tough stems from the watercress, then wash and dry it. Thinly slice the green onions. Save some of the green for garnish, then mince the rest of the onions, especially the white part.
Combine the vinegar and honey. Use about two-thirds of it to dress the beets, along with the minced green onion. Then season the beets with the allspice, and some salt and pepper. Toss the cress with the olive oil, then with the remaining vinegar-honey mixture and some salt and pepper. Serve the beets and cress side by side and garnish the beets with the remaining green onion slices.
VARIATION
Use 2 to 3 dozen leaves of arugula instead of the watercress—or what do you have in your garden or refrigerator, calling to you?
Beet Salad with Pomegranate Vinegar and Pomegranate Syrup
The pomegranate vinegar and syrup sneak up on you—what appears to be the same-old deep red-purple beets suddenly sparkles in your mouth. You may know, but your guests express astonishment, “what the . . .?” The trick is to locate the pomegranate vinegar and the pomegranate syrup (or pomegranate molasses). Serve with some salad greens on the side if you wish.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
3 to 4 cooked beets
3 tablespoons pomegranate vinegar
3 tablespoons pomegranate syrup or pomegranate molasses
Salt
Red pepper or ground chili
2 tablespoons sliced chives
Slice the beets into half rounds or narrow half wedges. Mix together the pomegranate vinegar and syrup and dress the beets. Taste and add a touch more of the vinegar or syrup if you want. Salt lightly so the flavors come into focus, but not so much you taste salt. Use a few pinches of red pepper so that the flavors fill your mouth, but not so much that the beets are hot.
Garnish with the chives.
Potato Salad with Arugula and Garlic-Mustard Vinaigrette
I make this salad over and over for lunches, dinners, and picnics. People keep asking, “Where did you get the recipe?” (Oh, out of thin air . . . careful observation of the obvious, following my bliss.) The arugula, with its mustardy quality, brightly accents the potato, but if arugula is not available, spinach is a good green, leafy alternative.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
2 pounds red potatoes
Water
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper, freshly ground
3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
½ bunch arugula or small spinach
Wash the potatoes and cut into bite-size chunks: halves, quarters, eighths, or more, depending on the size of the potatoes. Cook potatoes in boiling, salted water 6 to 8 minutes until tender. (Personally I am not a fan of those al dente potato salads.)
Whisk shallots, garlic, mustard, salt, and several grinds of pepper together with the vinegar in large bowl. Whisk in the olive oil. Drain the potatoes. Toss with the vinaigrette. Cool for 20 to 30 minutes, before adding the arugula.
Cut the stems off the arugula and if the leaves are large, cut them in half crosswise. (You can cut the whole bunch while it is nicely bound together, then wash and spin dry what you will use.) Fold the arugula into the potatoes. Depending on how hot the potatoes are, the arugula may cook very slightly, soften, and sweeten. The dish can sit a while before serving, if desired. Adjust salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste before serving.
Potato Salad with Corn and Red Pepper
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
2 ears of corn (about 1½ cups kernels)
1½ pounds red potatoes, cubed
1 red bell pepper
¼ cup olive oil
4 to 6 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
Salt
Pepper
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, whole leaves removed from stems, or 1 bunch of watercress, large stems removed
I suggest cutting the kernels off the corn while it is laying flat on the counter (see Sweet Corn). Cook the potato cubes in lightly salted water until tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. When done to your liking, add the corn for about 30 seconds, then drain (reserving the liquid if you have another use for it).
Meanwhile, cut the red bell pepper lengthwise, then cut it crosswise into thin strips. Sauté the red pepper strips in the heated olive oil for a minute or so, add the green onion and garlic, and continue cooking another minute or two. Combine the cooked peppers (oil, onion, garlic) with the drained potatoes and corn. Season with the vinegar and salt and black pepper to taste. Serve garnished with the parsley or watercress.
Warm Radicchio Salad with Fresh Mozzarella, Avocado, and Fire-Roasted Walnuts
You’ve never had my warm radicchio salad, have you? The rosy dark lavenders of the warm radicchio provide a majestic canvas for the white mozzarella, the lemony green of the avocado, the browns of the walnuts, the greens of the garnish. I’ve never had leftovers of this salad, which I serve on a sky-blue platter.
The bitterness of the radicchio is softened by the light sauté with garlic and the steaming with balsamic, and sets off the oily richness of the other main ingredients. (Adding tomato as mentioned in the variations also softens the bitterness.) This is also a dish I take to (and assemble) at potlucks where it disappears quickly—and provides ample proteins and healthy oils.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
½ cup walnut halves (or pieces)
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
8 ounces fresh mozzarella (bocconcini or ciliegine)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1 to 2 heads radicchio (about 12 ounces), the round ones (not Trevisio)
1 shallot, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Pepper
1 avocado
2 green onions, cut thinly
12 basil leaves, chiffonade (optional)
Roast the walnuts in a dry skillet until lightly browned and fragrant (5 to 6 minutes). Sprinkle on the sugar and a pinch or two of salt, and continue cooking so that the sugar melts. Stir (with a heat-resistant rubber spatula) as best you can to coat the walnuts with the melted sugar and salt. Remove immediately to a bowl—and for ease of cleaning, rinse out the pan immediately as well. (This is a modest amount of sugar for sweetening the walnuts, as I am not aiming for nut candy.)
Prepare the fresh mozzarella by having it luxuriate in olive oil prior to gracing the salad. If the fresh mozzarella is bocconcini slice it into ⅛-inch rounds. (Cut the ciliegine in half.) Put in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the herbes de Provence. If you think about it, turn from time to time.
Prep the radicchio by cutting it into quarters top to bottom. Cut out the core and lift out half of the leaves. Cut these in half crosswise. Cut the bottom half of leaves in half lengthwise and 3 or 4 pieces crosswise. (Though not exact, the pieces are about the same size.)
Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet, sauté the radicchio with the shallots for perhaps a minute, and add the garlic and a pinch or two of salt. Cook briefly, then add the balsamic vinegar, and continue cooking, stirring until the radicchio is lightly wilted—soft and succulent. Add some black pepper, freshly ground, and check the seasoning. Remove to platter or large plate and spread it out in a thin layer.
Open the avocado and cut decorative slices. On top of the radicchio position the fresh mozzarella cheese, the avocado slices, then the walnuts (crumble them apart first if you need to). Garnish with the green onion and, if you have it, the fresh basil.
VARIATION
Add 1 peeled, diced tomato to the radicchio when sautéing, or add 6 sundried tomatoes cut into strips with the garnishings.
Warm Red Cabbage Salad with Dried Fruit and Feta
This recipe takes a California cuisine classic and dresses it up with dried fruit and feta cheese. I enjoy poking around for what to use, besides the cabbage, in the way of fruit, nuts, and cheese.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon white sugar
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, diced
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound red cabbage, cut into thin shreds
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
4 ounces dried fruit (apricot, peach, or pear), stewed and sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 ounces feta cheese (sheep’s milk)
½ to ¾ cup Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces), freshly grated
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced, or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Roast the sunflower seeds in a dry skillet for 5 to 8 minutes until lightly browned. Sprinkle on the sugar and a pinch or two of salt. Stir briefly to dissolve the sugar, and then remove from the heat. Get the seeds out of the pan immediately into a bowl, so that they do not stick to the pan as it cools. (Once the seeds have cooled in the bowl, you can break them apart easily.)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion for several minutes. Stir in the garlic, cook briefly, and add the cabbage. Stir and cook a couple of minutes, then add the rosemary, dried fruit (if it’s soft enough you don’t to precook it), and vinegar. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the cabbage is as tender as you like.
Stir in the feta cheese, and check the seasoning. Serve garnished with the Parmesan and the thyme or parsley.
Garbanzo Bean Salad with Garlic-Lemon Vinaigrette
This salad sparkles with color and flavor to accent the mellow earth tones of the garbanzo beans. It’s a great salad to take in various flavor directions, so in addition to the (humble) Garlic-Lemon Vinaigrette, you could also try out some of the variations.
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
2 stalks celery, cut in thin commas or boomerangs
1 red pepper, cut in thin strips or diced
1 dill pickle, diced or inch-long strips
4 red radishes, juliennes
1 carrot, juliennes
2 tomatoes
2 to 3 green onions, cut to thin pieces
¼ cup parsley, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons cilantro, minced (optional)
Mix up the dressing and combine it with the hot beans, or heat it with the beans for deeper penetration. Some of the beans could be mashed and mixed with the dressing. Let cool.
Cut the vegetables into thin, shapely pieces as described, or chop, grate, or mince them, as you wish. Combine with the beans. Cut the tomatoes in wedges, and set them aside for garnishing.
When ready to serve, drain off some of the vinaigrette, and toss with the tomatoes. Mix some into the salad and place the rest on top. Garnish with the green onions and parsley, and/or cilantro, if using it.
VARIATIONS
White Bean Salad with Olives and Zucchini
The lightly sautéed vegetables add nutty summer flavors and a slight bit of crunchiness to the soft earthiness of the beans.
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
½ cup dry white beans (navy beans) (about 1½ cups cooked)
4 cups water
1 large or 2 small zucchini
2 shallots
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large carrot, grated
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 ounces niçoise or kalamata olives, pitted (about ⅓ to ½ cup olive pieces)
1 jalapeño chili, minced
½ teaspoon sugar
Salt
Fresh basil sprigs for garnish (optional)
If you think of it, soak the white beans overnight. Cook with the 4 cups of water until tender, 20 to 30 minutes if beans are presoaked, about 1 hour if not (or pressure-cook).
Cut the zucchini with the Chinese rolling cut. Mince the shallots. Sauté the shallots and zucchini in the olive oil for a minute or two, then add the carrot. After another minute, add the lemon juice, then remove from the heat.
When the beans are tender—completely!—drain them (reserving the liquid for another use), and combine them with the sautéed vegetables. Add the olive pieces, minced chili, and sugar, then salt to taste. If you want basil, remove the leaves from the stems, roll a pile of them into a log, and slice crosswise into narrow pieces. Wait for the salad to cool, then mix in the basil. I thought this was also excellent without the basil, but basil is such a big part of summer . . .
Mediterranean Rice Salad
I love finding uses for leftovers, and here’s a way to utilize rice, turning it into a sparkling, flavorful salad.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
2 cups cooked rice
1 green pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons water, white wine, or dry vermouth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated or minced lemon zest
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup olives (niçoise, oil-cured, or kalamata)
1 tablespoon capers
Salt
Pepper, freshly grated
2 tomatoes
3 green onions, thinly sliced
12 large fresh basil leaves, cut thinly (optional)
1 cup Asiago or Parmesan cheese, grated
Cook the rice (starting with one cup raw), if you do not have any leftover.
Dice the green pepper or cut it into quarters lengthwise and then crosswise into thin strips.
Sauté the peppers in the olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes, add the garlic and cook another minute. Mix in the water or wine (cleaning the bottom of the pan) and then combine with the rice.
Mix in the lemon juice, lemon peel, thyme, oregano, olives, and capers, then season with salt and pepper.
Cut off the tops and bottoms of the tomatoes, then cut them in half through the equator, before cutting the halves into wedges. Toss lightly with the rice mixture. Check the seasoning for salt, pepper, lemon, herbs—and adjust.
Garnish with the green onion and basil (if you are using it). Serve with the grated cheese on the side.
Tabbouli Salad
Bulgur makes a wonderful salad with a fragrant wheaty flavor. Part of the convenience of this salad is that the bulgur can simply be soaked before adding the other ingredients. The green of parsley, cilantro, and mint graces the basic recipe, while the variation allows for the addition of cucumber and tomato.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE
1 cup bulgur
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon whole cumin seed, freshly ground or minced
Salt
Pepper, freshly grated
2 green onions, minced
½ cup parsley, minced
½ cup cilantro, minced
½ cup mint, minced
¼ cup pine nuts, roasted, or walnuts, roasted and chopped
Soak the bulgur in twice as much water for 5 minutes to 1 hour until it’s tender. Drain any water that has not been absorbed and save it for soup or bread. Season with the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin seed, salt, and black pepper.
Combine the seasoned bulgur with the green onion and minced greens. (Use more of one of the other greens, if you do not have all three available.) Check the seasoning to see if you want more of anything. Serve garnished with the roasted pine nuts.
VARIATIONS
Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, and Red Onion
SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE
½ pound macaroni or shell pasta
Water
1 red onion (about 6 ounces), thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, quartered lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
½ tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon red chili pepper or Tabasco, to taste
Salt
2 tablespoons capers (optional)
Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water until tender. Add the red onion and green bell pepper slices and continue cooking for another 30 seconds. Drain (reserving the liquid for another use if possible).
Combine with the olive oil, tomatoes, vinegar, red pepper, and salt to taste. If you’re in the mood, add some capers.