Friday, December 15, 2017

Christmas Salad

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


Zucchini

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!




25 comments:

  1. Delicious recipe and I would love to read this book! EMS591@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting salad. I have a spiralizer. I really must start using it! I love your County Cork mysteries.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love this series! Thanks for sharing the salad recipe. Dspinlexo at aol dot com.

    ReplyDelete
  4. As 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

    ReplyDelete
  5. A very tempting salad with all the veggies I enjoy. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Stores 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.
    I didn't know I liked beets until my sister grew them. Those over cooked frozen ones were worthless.

    This looks lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 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!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like salad but don’t eat it as much in the winter.
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

    ReplyDelete
  9. That is a beautiful salad. Thanks for the recipe and the giveaway. aut1063(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually I did try frying the potatoes in a cast iron pan--nice and crisp!

      Delete
  11. I would enjoy this tasty salad and a spiralizer is just what I need since it would be used daily. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was gifted a spiralizer but have not opened the package yet. I love the colors for the winter salad.
    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. 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

    ReplyDelete
  14. Reading this series has made me want to visit Ireland again.
    turtle6422(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Salad sounds amazing. I haven't read this series yet, would love to read about Ireland.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Salad looks amazing - love beets.

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Cork County Series is one of my favorites. Merry Christmas to Every one! dbahn(at)iw(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  18. I do love all my veggies & beets are on that list for sure. Thanks for the giveaway. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ooh, 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!
    lola777_22 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. 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

    ReplyDelete
  21. I 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

    ReplyDelete
  22. I 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.
    Please include me in your drawing and have a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy Happy New Year.
    nlfatwindstreamdotnet

    ReplyDelete
  23. The book sounds great--I'd love to read it! legallyblonde1961 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ooh sounds good.
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete