Seriously,
what’s not to love? Crisp hearts of romaine provide a base for a colorful riot
of diced peppers, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, pepperjack cheese, scallions, and
avocado. A zingy chile-lime
vinaigrette ties the ingredients all together, while a handful of crumbled blue
corn tortilla chips push this salad over the top.
This has
been a long-time favorite salad of mine, and I’ve foisted it on at least twenty
different people this week. It
makes a satisfying solo meal, but I think it’s
especially perfect for a big crowd of people, especially when that party
takes place on the most stunning late spring night on a beautiful roof top.
My friend
Hannah hosted a cello party the other night, having borrowed her upstairs
neighbors' roof terrace for a few hours. Most people would eagerly
accept an invitation to a little cocktail soiree outside, but convincing six other cellists at the end of an arduous workweek to schlep their large
instruments up five flights of stairs to the roof of a brownstone to read
chamber music? That’s impressive. Yet Hannah has such an infectious
enthusiasm that nobody could resist.
So that’s
how more than twenty of us ended up on an Upper West Side rooftop listening to the entire New York City Ballet cello section rock out on arrangements of
everything from Bach to Lady Gaga, including a particularly impressive 5-cello
rendition of “Pulp Fiction”! The wine and laughter were both free-flowing
throughout the evening, and it was one of the most delightful parties I’ve been
to in years.
I was
asked to bring a salad to supplement the wonderful spread of goodies that
Hannah had laid out, and this southwestern chopped salad seemed to hit an
appropriately festive note. I made
an enormous bowlful for the party, figuring that it’s always better to have too
much rather than not enough. But I
guess everyone really worked up an appetite for there wasn’t a single bite of
it left by the end of the evening.
I guess I’m not the only one who finds this salad particularly
crave-worthy.
One Year
Ago: Otto Mania
Two Years
Ago: Browned Butter Brownies
Three
Years Ago: Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Four
Years Ago: Northwest Seafood Ceviche
BLACK
BEAN AND BLUE CORN CHOPPED SALAD
This
colorful chopped salad with a southwestern flavor was inspired by one of my
favorite childhood salads from the Crocodile Café in L.A. Instead of frying up
blue corn tortillas and adding the crispy strips to the salad, I crumble a
handful of blue corn tortilla chips over the salad just before serving which
adds a nice bit of crunchy texture.
Let this recipe be a springboard for your imagination, adding or
subtracting ingredients according to your taste and whatever you have on hand.
For the
dressing:
The
zest and juice of 1 lime
1
tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼
teaspoon chipotle chile powder (or use your favorite chili powder)
½ cup
olive oil
Salt
and pepper
For the
salad:
1 bunch
romaine hearts, leaves washed and patted dry
1 red
pepper, cut into ½-inch dice
1
yellow pepper, cut into ½-inch dice
1 cup
baby grape tomatoes, quartered
½ a
large hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded, cut into ½-inch dice
2
scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup
cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 (15
ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups
frozen white kernel corn, cooked according to package directions till just
tender-crisp
4 oz.
pepper jack cheese, diced
1
avocado, cut into ½-inch dice
Several handfuls of blue
corn tortilla chips, crushed
Whisk
together the lime zest and juice, mustard and chile powder in a small
bowl. Add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking until
emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Chop
the romaine hearts into bite-sized pieces and place in a large salad
bowl. Add the diced peppers, tomatoes, scallions and cilantro. Add
the black beans, corn, pepper jack cheese and avocado. Toss with the
dressing, combining thoroughly. Just before serving, add the crushed blue
corn tortilla chips and toss again.
Serves
4 as a main course salad, 6 as a starter salad.
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