The Emotional Epicurean: Mediterranean mania

Does the word – salad – conjure up an image of iceberg lettuce with sticky heavy ranch dressing, desiccated julienned carrots, big starchy chunks of mushy tomato? When I first moved to the United States, I was surprised by the industrial size of restaurant servings and the sad lack of imagination in using grains and vegetables. I cringe and cry when I see big heads of uncooked broccoli or boiled peas in an 8 year olds’ plate. Eating that would feel like being slapped across the face by a wet fish.
I used to wonder - Is there a rule against adding cooked vegetables to the salad? Would a head roll of the shoulder if beans, couscous, barley or any other grain is added to the salad? Would I be made to walk the plank if I added seafood? Would it be a sin to use spices instead of just pepper? Thankfully, more and more people are wondering the same – except for lack of time to cook.
I would make a meal of a salad everyday just as easily as the sun shines for a few hours followed by the pitter-patter of rain in the Pacific Northwest. Imagine my delight when Ms. Butterfish presented me with Mediterranean Fresh, a book of one-plate salad meals that had enough creative dressing ideas that could make Da Vinci seem slow in comparison. When Ms. Extra Virgin Olive Oil visited with her munchkins, one of them a budding gourmet at age 2, I attacked this creative cookbook with vengeance.

Beet Salad with Roquefort cheese dressing

The choice combination is beets with goat cheese. But its time to give up flats and try 3-inch heels for a change. So I used a Roquefort cheese dressing with Spinach and Belgian endives instead of lettuce. Little baby potatoes and toasted walnuts tempered the edge of the dressing. The beets bleed into everything adding to the beauty of the salad.

Chick Pea salad

What to do with Chick peas, besides crushing them into submission with Tahini sauce, or making the famed Indian Chana Masala? Chick peas have a neutral flavor that goes well with lemony capers. Roasted peppers, garlic, olives, onions, parsley make the chick peas work extra hard to absorb these varied flavors. I gave the chick peas a helping hand with slices of hard boiled eggs. This dish turned out to be a visual delight.

Couscous

Couscous is a simple dish. To make it do the tango, cook it with saffron infusion, cumin, cinnamon and ginger. For the sweet and savory play of flavor, sprinkle with sliced almonds and soaked plump raisins.

Pasta salad

Pasta need not be dripping in any heavy sauce, nor need it be hot. I cooked it al dente, and added tangy sun-dried tomatoes, sliced Kalamata olives, peppers and red onions cooked in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salty feta cheese and my usual eclectic pesto. This was followed by ferocious tossing in an extra large salad bowl. Make sure to use a long fork, make a train of pasta, peppers, olives, sun dried tomato, and finally feta, using the fork like a mini-skewer. With a mouthful of this pasta, I saw the blue Mediterranean with the golden sun sinking into it, whitewashed rustic homes with deep earthy colors, and balmy winters.