People often tell me that I should open a restaurant. Let me tell you now, I am not interested! I had a business several years ago. I owned a flower shop and though it really was a wonderful experience, Valentine’s Day this year reminded me of how thankful I am today to be an employee for someone else. All that said- IF I was to open a restaurant I do know what I would call it.
I would call my restaurant “Sizzling Salads”. As many of my concepts for cooking today do, this idea came from a family favorite. In the summers, we would often have what my folks called a wilted salad. My dad would grow a huge garden and the ingredients for this salad came from that garden. It was a base of green leaf lettuce and mustard greens with some chopped green onions and radishes. Drizzled with white vinegar and seasoned with salt and pepper, the salad was now ready for the “wilting”. After browning several slices of bacon and crumbling them over the salad, the bacon fat is poured over the waiting greens. I can still hear the dramatic sizzling as the hot fat hits the damp greens and feel the tingle in my nostrils responding to the sharp fragrance of the oil meeting the vinegar.
I loved that salad, although the name was a turn off to many people. To some people, the name wilted salad brings up notions of greens gone bad and vegetables past their prime. To me, the name conjures up images of fresh vegetables and a dramatic presentation with the promise of exciting flavors dancing across my palate. I am intrigued by combining raw and cooked vegetables and the textural difference this provides.
I enjoy grilling salads as well. Hearts of romaine work really well on the grill. I use a variety of vegetables, whatever I have on hand. I particularly like to grill corn, onions or maybe some summer squashes for this salad. A bunch of green onions dressed with some olive oil and cooked on a hot grill is a superb addition to a salad or finished with some sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper makes a wonderful side dish on its own. Generally, I prepare all of the vegetables, grilled and raw, and then grill the lettuce at the last minute. I like to use a screaming hot grill and cook the lettuce for just a minute or so each side. The lettuce should be crisped and blackened on the edges and have grill marks on the outside while still cool and firm in the center. I then chop the lettuce and layer it with the other vegetables in the waiting salad bowl. Top it off with some good olive oil and rich balsamic vinegar. Some of my favorite additions are raw cucumbers and tomatoes, maybe some black beans, whatever works well together. Pay attention to differing shapes, textures and colors. I promise you will delight and impress your friends with this easy, quick dish. It’s a great way to use up some leftovers, too. My most recent experiment with what I would call a sizzling salad involves poached eggs.
I love poaching eggs in all sorts of liquids. When I was a child and sick, my mother would poach eggs in milk. It is so simple, just milk, eggs, a little butter and salt. This with some dry toast really soothes the body and soul. To this day, that is what I want when I’m not feeling well. I love to expand on this idea with the addition of chili peppers or onions, making a soup base in which to poach the eggs. The possibilities are endless, I think.
For this salad, I poached the eggs in oil. It began with the fat resulting from rendering lardons of bacon. I added olive oil and a bit of butter. Rich, yes I know. I sliced an onion as thinly as possible in half moons. After crisping them in the oil, I removed the onions to a paper towel to drain. After adding some red pepper flakes I turned the oil on a low heat. I gently broke the eggs into the now well seasoned oil. There should be enough oil in the pan to mostly cover the top of the eggs.
I put a big handful of arugula on a plate and squeezed some fresh lemon juice over the greens along with salt and pepper. At this point I’m thinking about a hollandaise sauce. Just as the whites are firm, I removed the eggs from the oil with a slotted spoon. I let in drain for just a moment before putting them directly on top of the mound of greens. After topping the eggs with the bacon and onions I finished it with some Sriracha sauce. Imagine cutting into the eggs and the liquid yokes oozing through the fronds of arugula melding with the lemon juice, bacon and onions. Oh my, it was so sensual and satisfying; it stands on its own as a meal.
As the possibilities are endless for poaching eggs, the same can be said for sizzling salads. Do some experimenting of your own. Start with a base of your favorite salad greens and add whatever. Make sure some of the ingredients are hot and some cold, some crunchy and some soft. Play with combining flavors and create your own new favorite.
Yummy!
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