Finally, summer is within reach! Barbecues, Shabbat picnics, and backyard dinner parties are just around the corner, and that means it’s the perfect time to hone in on your salad game. That’s the way I see it, anyway–every picnic needs salad, so why not make it a showstopper?
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This seven layer salad is far from the cheese, olives, and iceberg lettuce chopped salad from back in the day. Packed with fresh, local produce and Israeli flavors, this one’s bursting with texture in every bite. In short, it’s bound to be the main event.
My approach to salads really changed after cooking my way through Yotam Ottelenghi’s “Jerusalem” and “Plenty“. In these books, herbs are used liberally, freed from the limited context of garnish. In learning how to cook Israeli salads, roasted chicken, pilafs, and tarts, I noticed how fresh herbs, particularly dill, mint, parsley, and cilantro, can go on pretty much anything. It tastes like summer, and brings a hint of sweetness and tinge of sour to every bite.
Below this fragrant, bright green layer of greens and toasted pistachios, you’ll dig into a layer of black lentils, which are shiny little bead-like lentils that hold their shape remarkably well. They’re also known as black beluga lentils for the caviar they resemble. Below that, you’ll find red cabbage, paper-thin slices of carrots, chopped sugarsnap peas, and cubed mango, all inspired by the locally-grown flavors of Israel.
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