Salad lovers, this info is for you! If you crave a crisp, refreshing salad for lunch, dinner or as a snack but want to go above and beyond iceberg lettuce and tomato, The Modern Salad: Innovative New American and International Recipes Inspired by Burma’s Iconic Tea Leaf Salad by Elizabeth Howes will take your salad game to a whole new level.
Bursting with bold flavors, hearty ingredients, crunchy textures and brilliant colors, the salads in this cookbook are a feast for your senses. The Modern Salad offers more than 35 recipes inspired by Burma’s iconic tea leaf salad, including Charcuterie Board Salad with Mustard-Maple Vinaigrette, Grilled Peach and Corn Salad with Lemongrass-Shallot Vinaigrette, Summer Fig and Caramelized Onion Salad with Aged Balsamic Reduction and Masala Chai Braised Pork and Garlic Udon Salad. The hardcover, full-color cookbook’s protein- and superfood-rich recipes are artfully presented in a deconstructed format.
“This book is not about superfoods, despite the fact that I have incorporated many. It’s not necessarily about achieving perfect health, or even about eating in the cleanest way possible,” explains author Elizabeth Howes. “These elements are both included and important, however. The core of this book is about reinvention and the transformative power of exhilarating whole food.”
Get a sneak peek below with Elizabeth’s recipe for Raw Beet and Green Apple Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette, excerpted from the book:
Raw Beet and Green Apple Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
As a child, many of my hours were spent at the kitchen table, long after the dishes had been cleared and the food put away. I would sit with a pile of canned beets on my plate, as they glared at me, in a heckling sort of way. They were disturbingly mushy with a strong metallic taste, and nothing good came of them. Thankfully, my first experience with fresh beets was an epiphany. Try the brilliant fuchsia and white-striped Italian Chioggia (kee-OH-jah) beets, if you can find them; their presentation is stunning. For the marmalade, I recommend Dundee brand, which uses Seville oranges from Scotland.
SERVES 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup orange marmalade
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large beets, peeled, and finely shaved with a vegetable peeler (about 4–5 cups)
- 2 cups tangerine or orange segments
- ¾ cup toasted and roughly chopped walnuts
- 2 cups julienned green apples
- ¼ pound ricotta salata cheese, finely shaved with a vegetable peeler
- ¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons whole fresh tarragon leaves
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, plus Maldon sea salt for finishing
Method
To make this simple citrus vinaigrette, whisk together the marmalade or jam, mustard and vinegar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and slowly stream in the olive oil until emulsified. Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate for up to a week.
Place the shaved beets in a large bowl of ice water to retain their crispness while you prepare the other ingredients. Once ready to assemble the salad, drain and thoroughly dry the beets so the vinaigrette will adhere to them well.
To assemble the salad, toss the beets, tangerine or orange segments, walnuts, apple and ricotta salata in a large bowl with the desired amount of vinaigrette. Serve on individual plates, garnish with tarragon leaves and season with Maldon sea salt and pepper.
- Photos: Courtesy of Ulysses Press/Kimberley Hasselbrink
