Good Fat Cooking

CHAPTER 1

SALADS

Salads are all about texture and crunch in particular, which is why raw vegetables are so fundamental to them. The health bonus here is that raw vegetables have not lost any of their vitamins and minerals through cooking. As I mentioned earlier, fat is needed in order for your body to be able to make use of the vitamins and minerals in raw vegetables. I don't confine my salads to raw vegetables, though. I'll often throw in some cooked vegetables, nuts, cheese, or grains for contrasting textures because contrast always makes a recipe more interesting. Salads also need some acidity or tanginess to brighten up your palate, so vinegar, lemon juice, and even fresh fruits come into play. The great unifier that carries flavor from one bite to the next is healthy fat. It takes the many parts of a salad and unites them into a whole.

Beets, Goat Cheese, and Crunchy Herb Salad

Beets and goat cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly. In this recipe, I give the combo added zip with a flavorful honey mustard vinaigrette. The icing on the cake, in a manner of speaking, is my take on gremolata. I took some liberties and added my own favorite combination of herbs and included orange zest because its fruity tanginess balances the alkaline beets.

Serves 4

For the beets:
1/2 pound baby golden beets
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 pound baby red beets

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 pound baby candy striped beets, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandoline

For the gremolata:
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
1 tablespoon chopped chervil
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

To assemble:
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

To make the beets:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a piece of foil, toss the golden beets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, and pepper and wrap tightly. Repeat with the red beets, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and a second piece of foil. Roast in the oven until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and peel the beets under cool running water while they're still hot.

To make the dressing:
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sherry vinegar, honey, and mustard. Quarter the beets and place them in separate bowls. Pour half of the vinaigrette over each and toss. Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature. Place the striped beets in a third bowl.

To make the gremolata:
In a small bowl, combine the sunflower seeds, parsley, dill, mint, chervil, lemon zest, orange zest, olive oil, sea salt, and cayenne pepper. Divide among the beets, including the shaved beets, and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the beets among 4 plates. Top with the goat cheese and serve.


Baby Beets with Goat Cheese and Fennel

I love beets. You would kind of guess that from a guy who named his restaurant The little Beet. Here, I combine beets—richly purple and deeply golden—with crisp, paper-thin shaved fennel, goat cheese, mint, and dill. The crunchy fennel adds snap, but just as important, its light licorice flavor brings out the sweetness of the beets. Mint does too. That makes them ideal partners for beets, which are known for their sugar content. This is a great winter salad because the colors and textures make it feel fresh as a spring breeze.

Serves 4

For the beets:
1/2 pound baby golden beets
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 pound baby red beets

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

To assemble:
1/4 £d baby candy striped beets, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 grapefruit-size bulb fennel, trimmed, cored, and thinly shaved on a mandoline
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
2 sprigs dill, picked Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

To make the beets:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a piece of foil, toss the golden beets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, and pepper and wrap tightly. Repeat with the red beets, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and a second piece of foil. Roast in the oven until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and peel the beets under cool running water while they're still hot.

To make the dressing:
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sherry vinegar, honey, and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Quarter the beets and place them in separate bowls. Pour half of the vinaigrette over each and toss. Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.

To assemble:
Place the striped beets and fennel in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, mint, and dill. Pour over the fennel and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide the fennel among 4 plates. Arrange some of each beet over the fennel and top with the goat cheese.


Tons of Crunch Summer Bean Salad

Whenever I see more than one kind of bean (shell beans or green beans) in a salad, I think of those tired old three-bean salads that take up space on a buffet without adding much interesting flavor or texture. Don't blame the beans. When you cut them into small dice and dress them with fresh herbs, olive oil, and lemon, they are a wakeup call for your palate. Here I use wax beans and green beans. Why this combination? Because that's what they had at the farmers' market the week that I first threw this together, and you can't do better than fresh produce in the height of the season. If sweet sugar snaps and dragon tongue (gotta love that name!) are available, use them. If tomatoes are happening, you could dice a nice juicy beefsteak, and while you're at it, crumble a little feta cheese on top. The salad can be made ahead and refrigerated. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 4

1 pound mixed fresh yellow wax and string beans, cut into small dice
3 sprigs fresh mint, leaves only
2 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves only
3 sprigs fresh parsley, leaves only
2 sprigs fresh dill, leaves only
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the beans. Add the mint, tarragon, parsley, and dill and toss. Pour the lemon juice and olive oil over the bean mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.