This recipe, oddly enough, began with a ball of mozzarella cheese in my cheese drawer that was coming up on its expiration date. I had bought it to make pizzas, but I just didn’t have it in me on an 80 degree day to heat my oven to 500 degrees.
That’s when I remembered that my favorite type of dinner to make is just a salad with a whole bunch of stuff in it. It is my go to when it’s warm out and I want a light and refreshing, yet filling meal with minimal cooking. And, usually, I have a bunch of stuff in my refrigerator that needs to be used (i.e. the mozzarella). In college, my roommate referred to our salads as “family salads” because we would just throw whatever random proteins and accouterments we had languishing in our fridge into a bowl with the wilted salad greens that desperately needed to be used.
Although that description does not sound particularly appealing, this salad is the glammed up cousin of the family salad. It is also infinitely riffable. Don’t have any fava beans? Use lima beans or chick peas or any other bean you have lying around. No sugar snap peas? Frozen peas also work, or asparagus or zucchini. My version is just a jumping off point, feel free to make it your own.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
For Salad:
8-10 shitake mushrooms
1 small shallot
15-25 sugar snap peas
1/4 lb fava beans
Half pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 eggs
1 small avocado
4-6 oz fresh mozzarella
12 oz salad greens (I used spring mix and arugula from the garden, but you can use any mix you like)
Chive blossoms for decoration (optional)
For Dressing:
Inspired by Ottolenghi Spring Salad dressing
2 tablespoons lime juice
3/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon balsamic glaze, plus more for drizzling
Salt and pepper to taste
Passionfruit glaze (optional)
Method:
Wash off any dirt on the mushrooms and remove the very end of the stems.
Thinly slice the mushrooms and mince half of the shallot.
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil (or any cooking oil of your choosing) in a skillet, and sauté the shallots and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms are golden brown. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small pot, submerge the fava beans in water and boil until desired tenderness is reached. (I worked with frozen fava beans, which took about 35 minutes.)
While the beans boil, add another tablespoon of oil to the now empty skillet and add half the grape tomatoes. Roll them around in the oil and season with salt. Let them cook over medium heat until they are lightly blistered and about to burst.
About 10 minutes before the fava beans are done, add the peas to the boiling water, and let them steam. Then drain the beans and peas. Set aside with the mushroom mixture.
In the same small pot, place your two eggs and cover with cold water. Set over high heat for 9 minutes. After 9 minutes, turn off the heat and let the eggs sit uncovered in the water for 2 minutes. Then remove from the pot and let cool.
While the eggs are boiling, heat the frozen corn either in the microwave, or in the skillet once the tomatoes are done, just until warmed.
For dressing:
Whisk all the ingredients together in a jar or bowl and set aside.
To Assemble:
Wash and place your salad greens in a large bowl.
Scatter your fava beans, peas, corn, blistered tomatoes and mushrooms evenly across the top.
Cut the leftover raw tomatoes in half, slice up the avocado, and mince the raw half shallot. Scatter over the top of the salad.
Peel the eggs and quarter them. Place on top of the salad.
Tear up the mozzarella and scatter on top of the salad.
Pour the dressing all over the salad, and top with an additional drizzle of balsamic vinegar, if desired.
Decorate with chive blossoms (optional).
Never Enough Counter Space 