When we think about dressing up our everyday
salads, we tend to think of what we can add. We build and layer, until our salad
resembles leafy greens about as much as it does a 1970s variety hour. Here,
instead, is salad made of one ingredient, plus dressing and cheese—from Toro
Bravo, a tapas restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Austere as this salad may seem,
it’s got two tricks that will make you better at making all of your
salads.
First up: Slivers of raw onion and spicy pricks of
garlic seem like a good idea, until you’re breathing fire 30 minutes later. Toro
Bravo’s answer: Infuse the vinegar with chopped red onion for an hour, then
remove it. The vinegar is left richer and more complex, without the oppressive
oniony kickback.
Once you add dressing to radicchio leaves or other
slippery lettuces, it tends to bounce off into the bottom of the bowl. This is
where the second trick comes in. You’ll toss the dressed leaves again with a
dusting of finely grated Manchego to help the coating stick. Everything you need
is right here.
Serves 4 to 8
2 to 3 heads
radicchio
¼ cup (60ml) good-quality balsamic
vinegar
¼ cup (60ml) good-quality sherry
vinegar
1 red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
¾ cup (180ml) olive
oil
1½ cups (150g) finely grated
Manchego cheese
Salt
1 Remove the cores from the radicchio and discard. Chop
into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces. You should have 4 quarts (3.8L). Pour 1 gallon of
water into a large bowl and add enough ice to make the water icy cold. Once
cold, strain out the ice and add the radicchio to the water. Let it sit for 15
minutes to remove some of its bitterness. Strain and then spin in a salad
spinner until dry. Fluff the dried radicchio.
2 In a large bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, sherry
vinegar, and chopped red onion. Break the onion up into pieces so that all of
that oniony flavor gets into the vinegar. (Note: If you want to quick pickle and
eat the onions themselves, Food52 contributor hardlikearmour suggests adding the
honey now, too.) Let it sit for 1 hour and then strain out the onions.
3 Add the honey and olive oil to the strained vinegars
and whisk. Using your hands, toss the radicchio with the dressing until evenly
coated. Add 1 cup (100g) of the Manchego, salt, and toss again.
4 To serve, top the salad in a bowl with the remaining
½ cup (50g) of grated Manchego or distribute the salad and cheese among four to
eight bowls or plates.
0 التعليقات: