Do you usually find salads boring? Perhaps it is because the most common salad has a base of lettuce leaves decorated with pieces of tomato (or onion, grated carrot, radishes with luck, etc). In reality, most salads fail because they are made routinely, without attention, without the care required by a dish to be delicious.
To make you change your mind we are going to share five salad recipes that, honestly, are not going to leave you indifferent. Oh, and we’ll give you some simple tips for preparing juicy, crunchy and attractive salads. Like our kohlrabi salad, a vegetable that is seen more and more in the markets and it is very easy to prepare with amazing results.
Our first tip is to use different vegetables to make salads varied and more attractive. Thanks to the interest in plant-based food, there is an increasing variety of seasonal vegetables in our markets. Fennel bulb, kohlrabi, parsnip, Daikon radish, are vegetables that were difficult to see a few years ago and are now easily available.
Purple and green kohlrabi bulbs
Preparing the vegetables thoroughly is just as important as the quality of the ingredients. Here are some tips :
- Combine two or three varieties of green leaves (eg. green lettuce, purple lettuce, escarole, arugula, watercress, endive, etc). Wash the leaves one by one and soak them in ice water half an hour before preparing the salad. Its texture will become plump, fresh and crunchy.
- Use seasonal vegetables in the salad (it doesn’t make sense to use flavorless tomatoes in winter). Use what the land has just produced (radishes, fennel, celery, etc.).
- The quality of the dressing makes the difference. A tasteless olive oil only adds fat to the dish. Use a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). Prepare simple and tasty vinaigrettes (with lemon and orange for example) like the ones we use in these five winter salad recipes:
- Red cabbage and orange salad with tahini, lemon and orange juice.
- Moroccan carrot salad with cumin, lemon and coriander.
- Avocado and chickpeas salad with pomegranate, lemon and EVOO.
- Green leaves salad with peas and beans with orange, EVOO and Sherry vinegar.
Kohlrabi is a traditional vegetable in central and northern Europe, and has recently become abundant in our markets. It is actually a variety of cabbage that emerged from the cross between common cabbage and white radish. It has a very smooth, fresh and fruity flavor and aroma. When we eat it raw, its greatest virtue appears, it is very crunchy and full of water, with a delicious bite.
Our carpaccio combines the freshness of kohlrabi with the intense, smoky flavors of black garlic. A lemon and EVOO dressing refreshes the whole dish. The result is a very fresh, crispy, tasty salad that leaves no one indifferent. Can you ask for more?
- 1 kohlrabi (1/2 lb.)
- 1 organic lemon
- 3 cloves of black garlic
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea salt
- Milled black pepper
- Cut the kohlrabi leaves and reserve them for other uses (stock, wok, etc). Remove the hard parts of the skin leaving a smooth and uniform surface. Brush and wash the kohlrabi thoroughly to remove any dirt.
- Using a mandolin (or vegetable peeler if you don't have one) cut the kohlrabi into very, very thin slices, ideally one millimeter thick.
- Work the lemon zest and reserve it.
- Put the kohlrabi slices in a bowl and with your hands, dress them with the juice of the lemon.
- Spread the slices on a flat dish and dress with the olive oil to your liking. Season with salt and pepper, try a slice and correct the dressing if necessary.
- Cut the black garlic into very thin slices and decorate the salad with them and with the lemon zest.
Toni and Javi are active daily cooks who explore the beauty of natural cooking. Our mission is to bring flavor and excellence to healthy eating! 
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