How to Chef it up

a few tips to chef up your salads and vegetables

For this weeks Lazy Fancy article I’m offering easy ways to chef up your salads, inspire you to shake up your usual recipes and get you in and out of the kitchen quickly and outdoors with friends.

Buy all the herbs.

Yes, herbs sometimes elicit strong opinions from eaters (looking at you Cilantro, Dill and Tarragon) but my strong recommendation is to use a lot of them. This is hands down the easiest way to chef up a salad. Whether you’re blending them into a vinaigrette, finely chopping and add light dusting of mixed herbs, or adding whole leaves (my preferred method) this will pack a flavor punch to any salad. Making even the simplest green salad taste interesting.

Add “acid” (that’s what the pro’s call it).

Vinegar and citrus are both “acidic” ingredients, and acid is the key ingredient in any dressing or vinaigrette. Given the option between a simple vinaigrette or dressing like buttermilk, green goddess or more flavor specific miso ginger or a lime pepita, I’ll always pick a vinaigrette because it just makes the produce pop versus another layer. Plus, making vinaigrettes at home requires less ingredients and I can make a big batch and use it as a base for another dressing (like chicken salad, coleslaw or salsa). Even a squeeze or fresh zesting of lemon, lime, orange will add a zing to vegetables and fruit instead of a vinaigrette and will chef up your cooking game.

Consider playing with these different vinegars for flavor variations on a simple vinaigrette:

• Sherry Vinegar: adds a more nutty, round flavor

• Balsamic Vinegar: adds a rich sweetness, notes of fig or cherry

• White & Red Wine Vinegar: these add an astringent, bright pop

• Apple Cider: “alive” with probiotics, strong apple-cider flavor

Stick to seasonal.

This sounds maybe too simple but shopping for peak-season produce will change how you cook, and ultimately what you enjoy. The farmers did most of the work for you, all you have to do is add salt, fat and acid to enhance the natural flavor of the produce. Ever met someone who despised tomatoes, they probably ate a Roma tomato in December (mealy, no flavor). You’d be surprised once you stop eating your favorite veggies year round and focus on eating them in their season how refined the flavor is. 

This book is my go-to guide for shopping within season, and the complimentary recipes.

What to look for now: summer squash of all varieties, corn, tomatoes (especially sun golds), varieties of basil, alliums, eggplant, peppers, varieties of pitted fruit from cherries, peaches, plums, pluots, nectarines, and melons.

Grill it, broil it or roast it.

Especially in the summer throwing your vegetables (and even fruit or a head of lettuce) on the grill makes them more exciting. When I’m feeling lazy and I don’t want to fire up the grill broiling or simply roasting your veggies will coax more flavor out. I broil and roast most of my vegetables in the winter for the same reason.

RECIPES

Simple Herb Salad

I’m a fan of leafy greens at every meal. I make this salad weekly, if not daily and pair it with whatever I’m throwing together for breakfast, lunch or dinner. So basic, but I have to share.

Ingredients

• Mesclun or Spring Mix Lettuces

• Herbs: cilantro, dill, mint, basil, tarragon, chives (skip whatever you like)

• Optional: Shaved radish, Persian cucumber, red or orange bell pepper

• Optional: Feta cheese, Ricotta Salata, Goat Cheese

Basic Vinaigrette

Ingredients | makes 1 cup

• 2/3 c good quality extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 c champagne vinegar

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1/2 a lemon zested & juiced 

• 1/2 tsp raw honey

• 1 large garlic clove

• 1 shallot, minced 

• Flaky salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method

In a small bowl, whisk together the champagne vinegar, lemon juice, dijon mustard and raw honey with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Using a microplane, grate garlic into the small bowl. Next, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Finish with cracked pepper and lemon zest. This can also be done in a blender for a thick emulsified vinaigrette.

Toss all the ingredients except the cheese in a big bowl, sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Garnish with the cheese.

Tomato, Fennel & Stone Fruit Salad

I developed this recipe last year for a Supper Club hosted with Evite and it is the definition of a lazy fancy recipe.  It’s so juicy, sweet and special because of the high-summer produce, and takes less than ten minutes to prepare.

Ingredients | serves 4-6

• 2 Heirloom Tomato

• 4 Pluots

• 2 fennel bulbs + fronds

• Optional: Feta cheese or Ricotta Salata cheese

For the Dressing

Ingredients | makes 1 cup

• 2/3 c good quality extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 c sherry vinegar

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1/2 tsp raw honey

• 1 large garlic clove

• 1 shallot, minced 

• Flaky salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method

In a small bowl, whisk together the sherry vinegar, dijon mustard and raw honey with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Using a microplane, grate garlic into the small bowl. Next, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Finish with cracked pepper.  This can also be done in a blender.

Slice the tomato, stone fruit and place in a large low bowl. Shave the fennel thinly over the tomato and stone fruit. Drizzle with the sherry vinaigrette. Then crumble the feta cheese over the salad. Garnish with fennel fronds for an extra punch of the anise flavor. 

Grilled Cesar Salad

Salad

Ingredients | serves 4-6

• 2-3 heads of Romaine (depending on size)

• Day old bread for croutons (optional)

• 1 block parmigiano reggiano

• 1 head flat-leaf parsley

• grapeseed, sunflower or avocado oil for the grill

Dressing

Ingredients | makes 1 cup

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tsp or 1 anchovy filet

• 1 c parmigiano reggiano

• ¾  c grapeseed or sunflower oil

• ¼ c olive oil

• 1 clove large clove garlic

• ½ lemon juiced & zested

Salad

Ingredients | serves 4-6

Method

In a small mixing bowl, place egg yolk, anchovy, lemon juice and microplane the garlic into the yolk. Add a pinch of flaky sea salt and whisk together. Pour the sunflower oil at a slow drizzle while continuing to whisk. The mixture should thicken slightly. Using the microplane, finely grate all the parmigiano reggiano into the yolk mixture, reserving enough to garnish the salad with. Finish with a teaspoon of Evermill Lemon Pepper or freshly ground pepper and lemon zest. 

Optional: tear the day old bread into 1-2 inch pieces, drizzle with olive oil and flaky sea salt. Broil in the oven for 2-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

To prepare the lettuce, slice the romaine lengthwise (ie VERTICALLY). It’s very important to keep the root of the lettuce intact so you can grill easily. Slice in half, then depending on the size of the romaine head, slice again lengthwise into quarters. Drizzle with oil and a pinch of salt. Grill the lettuce cut side down, on medium-high for 2 minutes. No need to grill the other side. Repeat until all pieces have been grilled.

Lay the grilled romaine diagonally on a platter, spoon the dressing over the lettuce. Garnish with more lemon zest, shavings of parmigiano reggiano, and freshly chopped parsley.

Charred Corn, Summer Squash & Tomato Confit

When I moved to California I spent a bit of time working at Gjelina, I was inbetween jobs (a bit lost) and I thought it would guide me back to my roots working in hospitality, what it did for me was amplify my love of cooking and hosting. This recipe is inspired by a dish they serve.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs small to medium summer squash

• 2 husks of yellow corn

• 1 pint sun gold tomatoes

• 4 large cloves of garlic

• A few whole stems of fresh sage, oregano, and basil

• A few whole stems fresh mint and basil for garnish

• 1/3 c extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking

• Flaky & fine sea salt, freshly ground pepper to taste

• 1/4 c shelled pistachios or pine nuts, toasted

• 1 tbsp Za’atar seasoning

Method

Heat the grill on medium-high.

Slice the squash in half. For squash or zucchini that is vertical shape, cut lengthwise, for round, slice into discs. Using a pairing knife, score the squash in a crisscross pattern. Salt generously with fine sea salt and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then wipe the water condensation off. This draws out excess water from the squash so it gets a nice golden brown crust when cooking.

Peel the corn and coat with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Remove the stems from the tomatoes and place in a small 1/4 sheet pan or shallow grill-safe pan, coat the tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil, add the whole garlic cloves, and stems of sage, oregano & basil, and a pinch of salt to taste.

Place the tomatoes on the grill and keep it closed until the tomatoes begin to burst, shrivel and cook down. About 10-15 minutes. Remove from grill and pull out the whole stems of herbs.

Grill the squash, corn until they have a nice grill marks. For the squash, only grill the cut-side so they retain their texture.

Cut the grilled corn off the cobb, and slice the vertical squash into 2 inch pieces on the bias, leave the round squash pieces as discs and place on a serving platter. Top with the tomato confit. Tear the fresh mint, basil leaves and scatter on-top of the squash, corn and confit. Garnish with flakey sea salt, za’atar seasoning. Serve warm or room temperature.