Jerusalem Salad

Last Year's Post: Lemony Green Beans with Toasted Almonds
Two Years Ago:  Dutch Baby

The reason I'm posting this particular recipe now is because Thanksgiving is coming up, which means one thing: leftover turkey.  Serving this salad in the days following Thanksgiving will accomplish several things, all good - it's a dramatic departure in taste from what you'll have been eating, it's very light and healthy, and it's very easy to make.  Since it's served at room temperature, it's also very accommodating for a house full of guests.  And if some of them happen to be vegetarians (or you are), this salad is excellent with tofu in place of turkey, or without either one because it has plenty of fiber and protein already.  It would be fun to set out a big bowl of each of the ingredients and let everyone make their own salad, taking as much or as little of each as they want.

I call this recipe Jerusalem Salad because I found its inspiration in a recipe from the cookbook "Jerusalem" by the famed chef Yotam Ottolenghi.  I'm a big fan of his Middle Eastern style of cooking and the flavors and textures of that cuisine.  The original recipe was for the vegetable salad and the spiced chickpeas; I added the rest of the ingredients to make it an entree salad.  But the vegetable salad and the chickpeas are the stars.  The vegetable salad isn't just tomatoes and cucumbers and onion, but adds radishes and red peppers for additional crunch and flavor.  It's delicious on its own.

The chickpeas are the exotic taste in the salad due to the spice mix of cardamom, cumin and allspice.  I toned down the amount of spice slightly from the original recipe solely due to personal preference.  My suggestion is to toss the chickpeas in the spice mix as written and then taste one before putting them in the skillet, adding more of one or all spices to your taste as desired.

The key to success for salads is to have a variety of textures, colors and flavors so I added pistachios for crunch, quinoa for nuttiness, and yogurt for creaminess.  Sumac is a fun garnish for the yogurt because it adds a little color and has a slightly sharp taste, but paprika would be a good substitute.  Or just don't worry about a garnish.  I'm aware that I worry more about garnishes than most people, although I'm not completely sure what that says about me.

Split, toasted pitas broken into large pieces are excellent served on the side.

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Jerusalem Salad

Serves 4

Note: this salad is excellent served with toasted pita on the side.

For the dressing:

5 tablespoons olive oil

Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tablespoons juice

1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 clove garlic, grated

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper

For the spiced chickpeas:

1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or the equivalent amount of dried chickpeas, cooked)

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the salad:

½ English cucumber

2 cups cherry tomatoes

4-6 radishes, trimmed

1 red pepper, seeded and ribs removed

½ red onion

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley

2 cups cooked couscous or quinoa

8 large leaves of Bibb or butter lettuce

½ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

2 cups cooked shredded turkey or chicken, optional, or can use tofu instead

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Ground sumac or paprika for garnish, optional

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake vigorously.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

To make the spiced chickpeas, put the spices in a shallow bowl and mix well.  Add the drained chickpeas and stir to coat evenly.  Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet and toast the chickpeas in a single layer for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid sticking (you may have to do 2 batches).  Set aside.

To make the vegetable salad, chop the cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, red pepper and red onion into bite-sized pieces.   Toss together with the cilantro and parsley.

To plate the salad, place 2 lettuce leaves on each of 4 plates.  Top with optional turkey, spiced chickpeas, vegetable salad, couscous or quinoa, and pistachios.  Add a dollop of yogurt to each plate and garnish with sumac or paprika, optional.  Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Grain Bowls with Halloumi Cheese

Last Year's Post: Seared Scallops with Herb-Butter Sauce
Two Years Ago:  Rustic Greens and Potato Pie

I recently came across an article in Bon Appetit about how to make the best grain bowls.  It started by discussing the grains and suggested using a combo such as black rice with red quinoa.  Hmm, I thought, I just happen to have both.  It went on to suggest greens such as kale or napa cabbage (I just happened to have a half head of napa cabbage sitting in the refrigerator).  Another suggestion to add was winter squash with Gochujang (who has Gochujang hanging around?  me!).  I felt like it was a sign that I needed to make this right now - all I needed was some butternut squash and halloumi.  Now, I realize that most normal people will not have all those ingredients but don't worry, there are many other options listed below.

As for halloumi, I've been wanting to try it for a while.  It's a cheese with a high melting point so you can grill or pan-fry it for a nice brown crispy exterior without it melting all over.  I remembered seeing some at the natural foods store but wanted to see if my neighborhood Safeway carried it since I was there anyway.  While I was checking out the cheese case I asked The Lawyer to talk to the deli employee to see if she knew whether they carried it.  The following conversation is absolutely true:

Me:  "Could you ask to see if they carry halloumi?"
The Lawyer:  "Do you carry hallooni?"
Me:  "Halloumi"
The Lawyer:  "Hallooni"
Deli Employee:  "Hallooni?"
Me:  "Halloumi cheese"
Deli Employee to 2nd Deli Employee:  "Do we carry hallooni?"
2nd Deli Employee:  "Hoonoony?"
Me:  "Never mind".  (Sigh.)

Off to the natural foods store.  Halloumi is a white cheese typically is sold in a block and packaged in plastic.  It may also be referred to as "grilling cheese".  You can find it in natural food stores, cheese shops, and some high-end grocery stores.  It has a mild taste similar to mozzarella and is not as salty as feta.

Grain bowls are fun and easy to customize with different grains, vegetables, greens and vinaigrettes.  I loved the idea of the spicy, creamy butternut squash with crunchy cabbage and halloumi cheese, but you could go with broccoli, tomatoes and kale, for example.  If you don't feel like trying halloumi, substitute feta or mozzarella or Jack cheese.  And use any one or more grains that you happen to have on hand, and any combination of nuts and seeds.  The maple mustard dressing goes particularly well with spicy foods and bitter greens such as kale, but you could also use a bottled balsamic vinaigrette.

We loved the butternut squash with Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) but it will likely require a trip to your local Asian market.  You could substitute a little hot sauce, harissa or sriracha and get much the same effect, or leave it out entirely and just roast the squash with a little olive oil, salt and pepper if you don't want the heat.  Carrots or sweet potatoes could also substitute for the squash.

There is so much going on here in terms of flavor and texture between the grains, nuts and seeds, squash, cabbage, cheese and vinaigrette that you'll never notice the meal is both vegetarian and good for you.  Although there are a number of ingredients and steps, note that the grains, squash and vinaigrette can all be made in advance.  The remaining prep and toasting the seeds, nuts and cheese takes just minutes so this actually could be a great weekday dinner with a little advance planning.

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Grain Bowls with Halloumi Cheese

Serves 4

Note:  If you don’t want to make the Gochujang Squash recipe, just roast squash according to the directions and either eliminate the heat or substitute a small amount of hot sauce, harissa or sriracha

1 1/3 cups uncooked grains such a quinoa, rice, farro, or bulgur, or a mix (I used 50/50 red quinoa and black rice)

2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into bite-sized pieces and roasted (see following recipe)

Maple Mustard vinaigrette (see following recipe) or bottled balsamic vinaigrette

2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage or Tuscan kale

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ cup mixed seeds and small nuts (I used sesame, poppy, caraway, fennel and sunflower seeds plus pine nuts)

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 (1/4-inch) slices of Halloumi cheese

Micro-greens, for garnish (optional)

Make ahead:  cook grains according to package directions and cool.  Cook squash according to directions (below) and cool.  Make maple mustard vinaigrette and refrigerate.

Shortly before serving, slice the cabbage or kale and put in a medium bowl with the apple cider vinegar.  With your hands, gently squeeze the cabbage or kale with the vinegar – this will soften it slightly.

Heat the olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet and add the seeds and nuts.  Toast, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove the seeds and nuts from the skillet with a slotted spoon but do not drain the remaining olive oil.

Toast the Halloumi slices in the remaining oil over medium heat until golden on one side, then remove to cool.

To assemble, divide grains between four shallow bowls.  Top with cabbage, squash, seeds and nuts, two slices of cheese per bowl, and micro-greens.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

Gochujang Roasted Squash

1 teaspoon Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 teaspooons minced chives

Sea salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Whisk Gochujang, soy sauce, oil, and sesame seeds in a medium bowl.  Add squash and toss to coat.  Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes until tender and browned on the edges.  Let cool; top with chives and salt.

Maple Mustard Vinaigrette

1/2 c walnut oil or canola oil
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c cider vinegar
2 T mustard
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl and refrigerate, covered, for up to two weeks.