Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Midori no Yaki Yasai Salada

Ok, since I just published this for the world to see, I hope the translation in this cookbook is correct and the title actually means "Grilled Green Salad!"

This recipe intrigued me because it's a cool salad, with a standard vinaigrette, but all the vegetables are cooked- some grilled, some blanched.  It's adapted from Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook.  I'm trying to get a grasp on more aspects of Japanese cuisine- I'm not sure how traditional this salad is, but it seems authentic to the restaurant it's from.  My only changes to this recipe were regarding a few varieties of the vegetables.

Grilled Green Salad
serves 4

Component 1:
8 oz spinach, gai lan, or other green
8 oz mizuna leaves

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and blanch each green vegetable separately.  Shock immediately to stop the cooking and set the color.  Drain, then squeeze gently to remove the excess water.  Cut into 2" sections.

Component 2:
1 cucumber, peeled if needed and sliced into 1/2" rounds
1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2" wedges
4 oz green beans (or chinese long beans)
8 stalks asparagus, ends trimmed
4 shiitake mushrooms

Heat a grill or cast iron grill pan until moderately hot.  Grill each vegetable variety individually, until lightly charred and tender.  Set aside.

Component 3:
2 T champagne vinegar
2 t shallot
6 T neutral oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 T chopped toasted pistachios

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and shallots.  Slowly whisk in the oil to emulsify, then season with salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange all the vegetables on a nice serving plate, dress with the vinaigrette, then top with the toasted pistachios.

1 comment:

  1. Looks fantastic. Should taste as good as it looks.

    ReplyDelete