Winter Greens with Apple Walnut Anchovy Parm Mayo Dressing
CALLING ALL ANCHOVY KILLJOYS…LET YOUR MIND BE TRANSFORMED
Transformation of the mind. Sounds serious doesn’t it? I see people religiously wearing their Fitbit™, the first couple months of the new year. Coming from a different country and culture, I observed that Americans — at the end of every year without fail, set a big resolution for themselves. To shed 30 lbs. To run a marathon. To go back to school. To eat healthy, and therefore cook more at home, etc., etc. Interesting.
Like every other year, I didn’t make a resolution for myself. My doctors did ;D I love food. I love convenience. But combined, I can hardly have that. For example, this weekend I made our old set of friends who came for the Bronco game some ‘pub’ food. All the stuff that I used to stuff my face with, I no longer consume. I actually grabbed what my friends called “Crack chicken balls”, put it on my plate, and was about to eat it — until I realized it contains all purpose flour. For the next few months, I have to figure out what ‘inflames’ my body. To do that I have to go through a process of elimination. First on the list: Gluten.
I love bread. I could never imagine what my life would be without it. However, there are more and more brands out there for Gluten free bread, I’m still weary about it. What needs to take place is transformation of the mind. Yes, those serious sounding words!
I did not have any new year resolution. Yet, I have a transformation of mind. That life is no longer enjoyable when I have to suffer after I eat something my body doesn’t agree with. Living life to the fullest. I need to nurture my own body. The one that I often neglected and took for granted.
Okay, I’m gonna stop rambling. Here’s another clean recipe that isn’t short of flavor for you. Winter Greens with Apple Walnut Anchovy Parm Mayo Dressing. For those of you who don’t like Anchovies, my suggestion is – don’t just drop it. Just use less of them. Anchovies add an umami like taste – it adds layers of yumminess – a savory, almost meaty flavor to your dishes.
The sweet and slightly tart, intensely tasting pink lady apples offset the bitter and spicy taste of raddichio – which along with the crisp, hearty and bitter Belgian endives make them a good pair of greens for this Winter Salad. And friends, drizzle this salad with the homemade Parmesan Anchovy dressing. Delicious!
This recipe is adapted from The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji Lopez Great book, awesome recipes 🙂
- For mayo (makes 1 cup)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (or run it through a garlic press)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup EVOO
- Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- For dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise (see recipe above, or use store bought one)
- ½ cup Parmigiana-Reggiano
- 4 anchovy fillets, mashed into a paste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- For salad mixture
- 1 to 2 head radicchio, cored and finely sliced
- 1 large Belgian endives, cored and sliced
- 1 large Pink Lady or other tart apples such as Granny Smith, cored and cut into matchsticks
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 cups walnuts, toasted
- Make your mayo:
- Add egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, water and canola oil into a narrow cup. Using an immersion blender with a whisk attachment, mix until well combined. Slowly drizzle in EVOO. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make salad dressing:
- Combine mayo, parm, anchovies paste, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and whisk together until well combined.
- Putting it all together:
- Toss radicchio, endive, apples and parsley in a large bowl with dressing. Taste it, if you need more, you can always add more to your salad. Add walnuts and toss briefly. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
