This is one of those showpiece salads that start every dinner perfectly.
Snow peas are now available fo a short season so I am trying to enjoy them as much as I can. More on snow peas here.
The chef, describes a salad as made up of three components, acid usually from vinegar or lemon, crunch from from leaves and vegetables, and fat usually from olive oil and cheese.
This salad has them in perfect combination, the acid from preserved lemons, the fat from the soft warm cheese and the snow peas and greens adding the crunch.
What takes this salad to the next level is the beautifully spiced and coated goat cheese medallions that add that sense of luxury. The spiced preserved lemons supersede the traditional vinegar or lemon dressing and the snow peas add that sweet flavor of green. Do not be put off by the long ingredient list, the salad is quite simple, just an assembly of the dressing and the greens, and a simple pan fry of the cheese that takes a few minutes. You will be glad you made this salad once you taste it. This is a salad I want everyday!
I absolutely love this cookbook for the diversity of dishes, flavors and fun, casual style. The recipes from this cookbook are quite unique, this salad being a perfect example, and I should be cooking from this cookbook more often. This book also highlights the unique style and cuisine of the American North West, Portland the the region, fresh, beautiful cuisine that is foraged and amazing.
For more recipes from this cookbook click here.
Ingredients:
For the medallions:
1 log (4 oz) goat cheese
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup breadcrumbs, Panko preferred
1 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 fresh garlic minced finely
Salt, to taste
1/2-1 teaspoon ancho chili powder or any chili powder of your choosing
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten
For the salad:
1 teaspoon preserved lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced preserved lemons
1 generous pinch ground coriander seed
1 generous pinch ground cumin seed
1-1 1/2 cups snow or sugar snap peas, stringed and cut along the diagonal
1/3 cup mint, torn
2 cups greens, pea shoots if you can find them or baby spinach or arugula
See video on how to string snow or sugar snap peas.
For the salad, mix the preserved lemon juice, coriander and cumin powders, and the minced preserved lemons well. set aside.
Toss the snow peas or sugar snap peas and mint. When the goat cheese medallions are frying, toss the peas with the preserved lemon dressing. Layer on a bed of the greens in a wide bowl
For the goat cheese medallions, cut the log into 6 circles. If you cannot find a log, use a block of goat cheese cut into 1 inch cubes.
In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, chili powder, and pepper and mix well.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg till there are no more strings and it is smooth.
Heat the frying pan with the oil. Dip a piece of the goat cheese into the egg and allow the egg to drip off completely. Dredge the goat cheese in the breadcrumb mix and place in the skillet. repeat with the other pieces of cheese, but do not crowd the skillet too much. Fry on a hot flame till the medallions are a golden brown, turn and fry again till the other side is browned too. Remove and place on paper towels to drain very briefly.
Layer on the pea salad and serve immediately, while the goat cheese medallions are still hot and gooey.