Category: Salads

A classic salad

While la salade de noix aux gésiers / salad of walnuts with gizzards might not sound appetising, it turns out to be an easy and delicious starter. Gesiers confit are preserved duck gizzards which have been cooked in duck fat over low heat for a long time. They are tender and full of flavour and considered a delicacy in South-West France. I placed the opened tin of gésiers (brought back from our last visit to the Lot) in a pan of simmering water until the fat melted. I poured this off and patted the gésiers dry with kitchen paper. I cut them into small pieces. I placed sliced chicory in the centre of each plate and surrounded this with slices of orange. I scattered the gésiers and walnut pieces over the top and sprinkled with a walnut oil vinaigrette.

A bowl of sunshine

On a grey, gloomy day, I was cheered up by eating a bowl of la salade de riz aux olives / rice salad with olives. I cooked red Camargue rice in salted water and drained. While still warm, I poured over a few tablespoons of garlicky, balsamic vinaigrette, and left to cool. I mixed in chopped tomatoes and green and yellow peppers. I decorated with slices of hard boiled eggs, snippets of anchovy fillets, a scattering of capers, and some whole olives. These lovely ingredients reminded me of the Mediterranean and sunny days.

Winter salad

Strange though it may seem, this salad – les châtaignes en salad / chestnut salad – really works. I cheated a bit as I used ready prepared chestnuts and so it was very easy to assemble. I made a well-seasoned vinaigrette and added warmed chestnuts and a chopped shallot. I piled this mixture onto some salad leaves and sliced hard-boiled eggs. The soft chestnuts contrasted with the crisp lettuce and the sharp dressing.

An unusual and delicious mixture

Fresh beans

At this time of year coco beans are in season. You can buy sack loads in the supermarket. They look rather unprepossessing and so I have never cooked them. For la salade de cocos à l’huile de noir / white bean salad with walnut oil, I cooked the cocos in boiling water till tender, salting them half way through. I drained them and left to cool. I added chopped ripe tomato, shallot and garlic. I made a vinaigrette with walnut oil, balsamic vinegar, vermouth (my substitute for Lillet blanc) and seasoning. I poured this over and mixed thoroughly. This salad was surprisingly delicious. We agreed the beans were so much better (texture and taste) than dried or tinned. I might even buy a sackful!

Variation on a theme

Salad is now part of our meal and so I tried a variation on a theme – la salade Rouergate / salad with walnuts and cheese. I washed and spun a fresh lettuce, and dressed it with a vinaigrette of white wine vinegar and walnut and vegetable oils.  I tossed the leaves with cubes of Roquefort cheese and walnut pieces.

Perfection!

Salad again

In France, it is traditional to have salad with the cheese course, before dessert. The other day, when friends Angie and Eric came to supper, I made la salade au chapon / salad with garlic flavoured bread. I bought a thick slice of rye bread in the market, toasted it and, while it was hot, rubbed it all over with garlic to make the chapon. I mixed walnut and vegetable oils and poured a tablespoon over the bread. I mixed the remainder of the oil with a little white wine vinegar and seasoning. I washed and dried a frisée lettuce and tossed it in the dressing in the bowl above the chapon.

  • The chapon – divided among the guests
  • The salad – sprinkled with walnuts

Fresh lettuce

Buying lettuce from a French market is a treat. There are so many varieties to choose from and, cut that same morning, they are fresh and crisp. I chose a green cabbage type, perfect for la salade Aveyronnaise / salad with Roquefort dressing. I made a dressing by mashing Roquefort cheese in the salad bowl and blending with cream, lemon juice, pepper and chopped parsley. The washed and dried leaves were tossed in this delicious mixture, and devoured!

It’s all about the lettuce

More foraging

I have been foraging again, this time to make la salad de pissenlits au lard / dandelion and bacon salad. I washed and dried some young dandelion leaves, put them in a bowl, and added seasoning and chopped garlic. Then I heated goose fat and fried lardons till crisp and golden and, while still hot, added them to the salad. I deglazed the pan with a little vinegar and added that too.

  • Making the most of spring growth
  • Salad in a jiffy

    A special salad

    To make la salade truffée  / salad with truffle I poached some truffle in white wine for five minutes, then sliced it thinly and added it to the washed and dried salad leaves. I left this for an hour or so to allow the flavours to develop. Then I made a dressing by mixing white wine vinegar with walnut and truffle oils, adding seasoning and chopped parsley. 

    No ordinary salad