Thank goodness our produce departments have become WAY so much better.
Salad can now be the star of the meal and I love those that are. I'm always on the lookout for something new, but in general, I make a pretty good salad.
I will tell you though, that manservant always "saves" his salad to the end of the meal.
Salad isn't his thing, though he does always eat it, and if there are too many extra veggies in it, there is always a neat little pile on the side of his plate.
His favorite salad is a Caesar and that is easy to explain, given the fact that veggies aren't really his thing.
He, of course, would tell you that he really doesn't mind eating veggies as long as they don't interfere with the main ingredient on his plate, which usually is chicken or fish.
How To Make a Salad:
1. The greens - I like to vary these from night to night, but I love arugula, romaine, baby lettuces and spinach and kale. Manservant hates kale so I only buy the baby kale. Every now and then I throw in bibb lettuce. I don't usually mix these lettuces, but by the end of the week, it is good to do that.
2. Veggies - these often consist of peppers, cukes, tomatoes, onions of any variety , beets, roasted squash, radishes, peas, and whatever else seems to go with the main course
3. Cheese - Not always, but I love a bit of cheese in my salad; but only if the main course does not have cheese in it.
4. Crunch - This could be nuts or croutons, olives, pepperocini, sun dried tomatoes, capers, pasta, rice. Yes, I know all of these aren't quite crunchy, but they give a lot of texture to a salad.
5. Other meats - Often I add a little pepperoni or chicken sausage that comes in a variety of flavors, I like to use a spicy chicken chorizo with Spanish dishes, for an example.
6. Fruits - Salad is great with apples, and berries and dried fruits. I love dried apricots or raisins, currants or dates. A salad feels positively luxurious when dried strawberries or dried cherries are thrown in. Dried fruit gives great texture and flavor to any salad.
7. Dressing - Usually a basic vinaigrette that I vary in flavor with different vinegars, mustards, honey, brown sugar or maple syrup, and even different oils.
Hopefully, by thinking of a salad as the sum of its parts, one can see that with a little imagination the salad can become one that everyone will talk about AND consume with gusto.
Recently, I made this spinach salad that I really fell in love with.
It is another Ottolenghi adaptation and one that I've already made several times, because I like it so much.
It contains za'atar, which is a spice mix that consists of toasted sesame seeds, thyme or hyssop, ground sumac and some salt.
I love the flavor that it gives and I love this all by itself on bread drizzled with a bit of fruity olive oil.
One must be careful when buying za'atar as I've seen some concoctions that contain cumin and other ingredients that aren't standard for za'atar.
Also, make sure the za'atar is fresh. Sesame seeds tend to go rancid somewhat fast in warm temperatures, so if the za'atar is old it can smell rancid if the sesame seeds go bad.
One thing is for sure- the above is a great take on how to make a salad. And this salad is very worth making!
Israeli Salad
Roasted Za'atar Chickpeas
Sage Roasted Chicken with Bread Salad
Kale Salad with Cherries, Almonds and Feta
Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables
Recipe
Spinach Salad with Za'atar, Dates, Almonds and Fried Bread
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
This is a great spinach salad. Every ingredient is important and if you have never had za'atar you will love it!
Ingredients
1 T white wine vinegar
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 ½ oz chopped or quartered dried Medjool dates, or currants, or raisins or dried apricots
2 T butter
2T olive oil
2 slices pita or I used Italian artisan whole wheat bread cut into bite sized pieces
½ c sliced almonds
2 t za'atar or sumac
½ t chili flakes
About 4 c of baby spinach
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt
Instructions
Put the vinegar, onion and dates in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix well. Leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Heat butter and ½ the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the pita or bread and cook for up to 10 minutes, until bread is gold and crispy. Add sliced almonds at end of cooking time to brown them, just a bit. Remove from heat and mix in the za'atar, chili flakes, and ¼ t salt. Set aside to cool.
Toss spinach leaves with the bread mixture in a large salad bowl. Add dates and red onion mixture, the remaining olive oil, the lemon juice, and another pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning. Serve and Enjoy!
The Sketched Chef says
I have never heard of some ingredients, but the salad looks absolutely beautiful and flavorful !
Spicie Foodie says
This is such a wonderful salad packed with an abundance of flavour. Thanks for sharing!
Amy says
I agree, the markets are way better in carrying wider variety of fresh produce. I love your simple and flavorful salad. 🙂
Guru Uru says
Absolutely delicious salad, such exotic ingredients 😀
Cheers
CCU
Biz says
I am going to have to try that seasoning, I think I would love it. I am with you on salads, the more things to the party the better! Fruit, nuts, craisins. My husband loves the wedge salad though - 1/4 head of lettuce, blue cheese dressing, and if he's feeling saucy, some croutons! So glad you joined the healthy FB page Abbe!
Laura Dembowski says
I don't eat salads that often, but when I do, I always make it totally from scratch. No bagged lettuces. No bottled dressings. This salad has so many great flavors and textures working together.
shannon weber says
i would say you had me at za'tar, but you also had me at dates and fried bread. you had me at all of it! i love this salad.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Fried Bread. Well, I just thought we should call those crunchy golden bits of goodness what they are. I guess croutons would have worked! Thanks Shannon!
Wilson Ng says
They are too beautiful to be eaten!
Wilson
Abbe Odenwalder says
But one well worth eating! Thanks Wilson!
cquek says
How gorgeous is this?!
Abbe Odenwalder says
🙂
Lisa H. says
Beautiful salad.
Never heard of Zaatar until I came over to Oz..and fell in love with it eversince 😀
Abbe Odenwalder says
I'm with you Lisa. I discovered it in Israel and have loved it ever since. Enjoy and thanks for writing!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
Main course salads are exactly the same way for me, crunch and dried fruit and nuts are almost exclusive. This is a GOOD one! Great recipe to use some of my za'atar too.
Abbe Odenwalder says
It is a great way to use your za'atar. Don't let it go bad. Honestly, I use it on just about everything!
Abbe Townsend says
Fab salad, Abbe - spinach is my all time favourite food on the planet... ever 🙂
Abbe Odenwalder says
Oh Nusrat! You are too kind. And I could eat a big bucket, too! And thanks for following me!
Liz Berg says
Your salad philosophy is just like mine! A little crunch, a little cheese, a little fruit...and a variable vinaigrette. I almost picked up some za'atar at Penzey's...now I have a good reason to buy some 🙂
Nusrat Azim says
I can eat a big bucket full of this green, pretty salad 🙂
Thanks a ton for the awesome recipe and lovely, warm pictures.
I'm following you 🙂
Angie Schneider says
I too love salads, esp. the seasonal one. Yours looks wonderful, Abbe.
anna @ annamayeveryday says
I love a good salad, nothing better. This one looks great too, delicious.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks Anna. And thanks for visiting. I always remember a good salad!
Nazneen Hamilton says
My daughter eats all the things she doesn't like first and saves the best for last! Opposite to your manservant it seems! My family loves salad, the one who likes them the least is probably me! My 8 yr old adores salads.
This is a good one though, I love zaatar and dates, the combo is excellent!!
Nazneen
Abbe Odenwalder says
You must have a very good daughter! I like that train of thought-the best for last! This is a really good salad. Try it Nazneen. I'll bet it's a hit!
Kitchen Riffs says
Great looking salad! Nice flavors and texture. You might make taco salad for the manservant - probably enough meat in it to satisfy him, and you can sneak in all sorts of veggies. 😉 Fun post - thanks.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Taco salad is a good idea and he does like salad for a main course as long as I top it with a lot of protein! Thanks!
Sharon says
Thank you, Abbe. I'm a salad newbie. The seven categories help a lot 🙂
Abbe Odenwalder says
I'm glad it helps, Sharon. Nothing compliments a meal more than a salad!