Out of Hibernation

In what has been my longest absence from posting a recipe, I am now returning, along with mild weather and perennial herbs. I have yet to use the chives, sage, oregano, and parsley which has valiantly returned to my rooftop garden, but those recipes will be forthcoming.

Winter left me with little time to experiment in the kitchen, but also with a new cookbook: New Flavors for Salads. I was determined to eat more vegetables in the winter and this was my inspiration. The book is arranged by season so it was a great resource to use for winter vegetable recipes. Additionally, I started frequenting the Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal and building my menu off what they had available, rather than planning a menu and searching for the food.

One result of this new trend in my cooking was the following recipe. I had very little time to cook dinner and no clue what I was in the mood for. After a trip to the Fair Food Farmstand i, I had jerusalem artichoke because I wanted to find out what it was, golden beets because I love beets and the golden ones are beautiful, and butter lettuce cause it loooked pretty. I had shrimp on hand and leftover lemon dressing from a recipe in Forklore, my other new favorite cookbook and restaurant. The result? Try it yourself!

shrimp, beets, artichoke salad with lemon dressing

Refreshing Salad

Ingredients

1/2 lb shrimp
8 white peppercorns
1 clove garlic
1 t dry mustard
1 head butter lettuce
1 jerusalem artichoke
2 golden beets
ground black pepper

Dressing

1/2 c oil
1/3 c lemon juice
1 lemon zested
dash of salt

1. Fill a pot with water and add white peppercorns, crushed garlic clove, and dry mustard. Bring to a boil.
2. Once boiling, add the shrimp and simmer for a few minutes until pink and solid.
3. Drain the shrimp and rinse under cold water. Set aside. (Peel if necessary.)
4. Skin and slice beets.
5. Bring fresh water to a boil.
6. Immerse beets in boiling water (drop burner temperature to maintain a gentle boil) for about 5 minutes to blanche.
7. Drain beets and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
8. Peel artichoke and mince.
9. Clean lettuce and chop as a chiffonade. (Roll up lengthwise and chop in 1/4″ slices. When unfurled, you will have long thin ribbons of lettuce, known as a “chiffonade” in French.)
10. Combine all ingredients with a few gratings of black pepper. Drizzle with dressing (below) and serve.

Dressing

1. Combine oil, lemon juice, zest, and salt.

Drink Pairings
I do not consider myself a wine or beer afficianado, but occasionally I can give some pointers on the subject. I have been drinking Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Walt Wit White with this salad. It is a classic summer Belgian-style white beer which pairs well with light food. I have also recently started to enjoy Spanish cava wines. This salad is generic enough that any white wine will compliment it well. Let me know if you have any other suggestions!

Variations
First of all, the shrimp is an optional addition to this salad. I made it a meal and wanted to have some protein with it. The flavors added to the water to boil the shrimp were an attempt to impart more subtle flavors to the salad. I think it worked, but again, these additions are a little something extra.

Tags: food, lemon, recipe, salad, shrimp