arts&life

dining in

Seasonal
Salads

It’s not winter yet! Let’s keep
a taste of summer on our
tables as long as we can.

Annabel Cohen

Columnist

T

he autumn Jewish holidays are
behind us, but our weather has
been anything but fall.
Like many, I’m just not ready for hot,
stick-to-the-kishkas eating. I still feel like
cooking light with lots of vegetables and
Indian summer meals.
So, salads still make a lot of sense.
Some all green, some more filling with
added protein. I like them at the begin-
ning of a meal (before the entrée), as the
main course or after the dinner entree —
Continental style. But as the days grow
shorter, my ingredients become slightly
less springy. As the fall and winter pro-
duce makes its way into stores, I adapt.
The following are some of my favorite
salad recipes with just the tiniest chang-
es to make them seasonal. With root veg-
etables in our near future, let’s hold on to
warmish weather for as long as possible.

44

October 26 • 2017

jn

MANGO-CILANTRO CHICKEN SALAD

WARM POTATO ARUGULA SALAD

2 lbs. boneless and skinless chicken
breasts, grilled or boiled
3 cups ½-inch diced mango, fresh or
frozen (thawed)
1 cup mayonnaise or thick, plain Greek
yogurt
1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup sesame seeds
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
¹ / 3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. drained capers
Salad:
2 pounds medium new or redskin pota-
toes, unpeeled, cut into
1-inch chunks
10 ounces baby arugula
1 cup thin sliced celery
½ cup very-thin sliced red or Bermuda
onion
1½ cup frozen peas, thawed
16 Kalamata olives
24 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
lengthwise
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to
taste

Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes and
place in a large bowl. Add remaining
ingredients and toss well. Chill until
ready to serve. Serve over a bed of
greens, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Make dressing: Combine all dressing
ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting
lid and shake well. Set aside.
Place potatoes in a large saucepan
and add water to cover. Bring to a boil
and cook potatoes for 20-30 minutes,
until tender (you may add an extra
potato to check for doneness). When
the potatoes are cooked, drain well,
but do not rinse.
While the potatoes are cooking,
combine greens with watercress in
a large bowl. Add the potatoes and
remaining ingredients and half the
dressing and toss gently but well.
Season to taste with salt and pepper
and add more dressing to taste. Serve
warm. Makes 6 servings.