Christmas
salad? Really? Isn't this the wrong season? Well, it is red and green and white, and I have an excuse—a new
toy. Meet my spiralizer.
It
all started in Skibbereen a couple of weeks ago, when we had lunch at the café
attached to the West Cork Arts Center. Those nice people were responsible for
the amazing red (beet and carrot) soup I wrote about here a while back. They
make good food there, including desserts, which of course we had to investigate
thoroughly.
They
had a beet salad on the menu. Have I mentioned before that I don’t like beets?
Well, I’ll have to edit that opinion: I don’t like the gummy sweet kind my
mother used to serve. But the simple raw version is growing on me, so I tried
the salad.
What
was intriguing was that the beets formed a kind of spaghetti-like cluster on
top of the greens. You’d think by now I’d have every kitchen gadget known to
humankind, but somehow I’d missed the spiralizer. So now I have one (a rather
rudimentary version, I will admit—I will have to investigate further options).
Before
I tackled the beet recipe I had to experiment with the little critter. Carrots
bombed—too tough. Turnips worked once I peeled them. So did potatoes. The
zucchini was a pleasant surprise--it worked very well. Apples were a disaster—they fell apart. But
the raw beets, once peeled, came out fine. (Note: I now have a stash of vegetable
strings in the fridge. Not all would I want to eat raw, so I parboiled the
tougher ones for a couple of minutes before refrigerating them. Haven’t gotten
to all of them yet, but I fried up the potato strings and they cooked up nice
and crisp.)
Turnip |
Potato |
I
tracked down whichever salad green has the red stems (the packages weren’t much
help—mostly they say something like “Leafy Medley. The Irish call them “mixed
leaves” on menus) which was what the café used, and which fit the holiday color
theme. Putting the salad together is simple:
--wash
your leaves if necessary and spin dry. Array on individual medium-size plates.
--shred
the beets.
--make
a nest of your shredded beets (or whatever other vegetables you’re using) on
top of the leaves.
--sprinkle
with sunflower seeds (the white note)—toasting them briefly gives them a slightly
mellower flavor, if you have the time and space in your oven.
--drizzle
with your favorite vinaigrette (or any non-creamy dressing)
--Serve!
In
hindsight I think marinating the shredded beets in the dressing would have been
a good idea, but not for too long or they’d get soggy and limp.
The
result? A pretty, easy-to-make dish to add to your holiday table.
And
a giveaway! While the next County Cork Mystery, Many a Twist, will be out next
month, I thought it would be more appropriate for the season to give away a
hardcover copy of Cruel Winter, which takes place during a blizzard and involves
cooking for a group of stranded strangers who are snowed in at the pub--and one of them might be a murderer.
Leave a comment by the end of Sunday and I'll pick a winner!
Delicious recipe and I would love to read this book! EMS591@aol.com
ReplyDeleteInteresting salad. I have a spiralizer. I really must start using it! I love your County Cork mysteries.
ReplyDeleteLove this series! Thanks for sharing the salad recipe. Dspinlexo at aol dot com.
ReplyDeleteAs an adult, I love beets. I had a bad encounter with them as a child, but now I love them steamed with butter, fixed Harvard style or pickled. I am thinking that the greens you use are baby beet greens? or baby Swiss chard? A spiralizer is high on my list of next-to-get for my kitchen. moodiesmum at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteA very tempting salad with all the veggies I enjoy. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteStores like Fresh Market and Whole Foods have a vast array of spiralized veggies for sale--including butternut squash and sweet potatoes. I tried the butternut, but over-estimated how much time to leave it in the pan with some other goodies. Still tasty, just rather soft.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know I liked beets until my sister grew them. Those over cooked frozen ones were worthless.
This looks lovely.
I was very proud of myself: I took all those spiralized veggies I didn't use in the salad, chopped them up a bit, and added them to tomato sauce last night. Tasty!
ReplyDeleteI like salad but don’t eat it as much in the winter.
ReplyDeletesgiden at verizon(.)net
That is a beautiful salad. Thanks for the recipe and the giveaway. aut1063(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI don't have a spiralizer yet...I'll have to think about getting one! I imagine you could use the spiralized potatoes to make latkes.
ReplyDeleteActually I did try frying the potatoes in a cast iron pan--nice and crisp!
DeleteI would enjoy this tasty salad and a spiralizer is just what I need since it would be used daily. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI was gifted a spiralizer but have not opened the package yet. I love the colors for the winter salad.
ReplyDeletelittle lamb lst at yahoo dot com
Who could pass up this great recipe...so looking forward to the next County Cork book in the series...looks like a great read for the winter season! cmeier2001@live.com
ReplyDeleteReading this series has made me want to visit Ireland again.
ReplyDeleteturtle6422(at)gmail(dot)com
Salad sounds amazing. I haven't read this series yet, would love to read about Ireland.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Salad looks amazing - love beets.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
The Cork County Series is one of my favorites. Merry Christmas to Every one! dbahn(at)iw(dot)net
ReplyDeleteI do love all my veggies & beets are on that list for sure. Thanks for the giveaway. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteOoh, never thought of beets like that, must try some soon. My sister-in-law loves her spiralizer and is getting me one! Can't wait to try it on all those tasty veggies. Would love to read the book. Thanks for the chance, Sheila!
ReplyDeletelola777_22 at hotmail dot com
This is a new gadget to me. Small kitchen, not much room for gadgets. I think another way to get the effect would be with a food processor using the shredding blade. Close. Very lovely looking salad. Festive! I have some reading to do to catch up in this series. It’s a fun read...so many new series I’m learning about. Thanks for the visits to county cork! Lldawnjm (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteI had a spiralizer and lost it when we moved last winter. I need to get another one. And the book sounds awesome, I love stories about being snowed in! booknerdcat@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI love your books Sheila and I have read every one you have ever written with the exception of the new one and I am going to get it soon.
ReplyDeletePlease include me in your drawing and have a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy Happy New Year.
nlfatwindstreamdotnet
The book sounds great--I'd love to read it! legallyblonde1961 at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteOoh sounds good.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com