TRAVERSE CITY — Celebrate blue skies and golden summer days by sharing an elevated salad built with the fruit of the fields.
Exalt ordinary greens with these tips from local experts to mark a special occasion, please friends and family or add romance to a rendezvous.
Director of the Great Lakes Culinary Institute at Northwestern Michigan College Les Eckert blends her southern roots with northern Michigan’s farm bounty.
She said a salad worthy of celebration status is created to take center stage at the table.
“It’s a little bit more than lettuce and tomatoes,” Eckert said. “It’s something you took the time to make a stand-out.”
Eckert suggests adding grilled salmon or chicken for protein and grilled vegetables. She likes to replace the typical crouton with sourdough and abandons shredded cheese for thinly sliced cheese shavings to deliver eye appeal.
The Florida native praises the ability of citrus to bring brightness to salads. After relocating to the area, she discovered a new favorite ingredient — raw Michigan sweet corn. Freshly picked, she said it enlivens salad with its milky sweetness and crunch.
Mary Beth Milliken long ago learned to make friends with her kitchen skills. Milliken’s circle of taste-testers spring from her service on the Peninsula Township Parks Committee, Traverse Symphony Orchestra board and as a member of the Economic Club of Traverse City and Traverse Yacht Club.
“Creating a salad is a fun thing to do when you have a group and try new things,” she said. “For a potluck, I like to do a tabbouleh salad with greens.”
For a dressy occasion Milliken’s go-to greens are tender Boston lettuce varieties.
In Suttons Bay, Peggy Donaghy’s Ethnic Garden Catering transforms Leelanau County produce into dishes celebrating the Land of Delight. Her festive salad dressing is a blend of cherry juice from Omena orchards blended with white balsamic or rice vinegar. But what adds classic elegance and a touch of romance to her salads comes from her own garden.
“I grow pansies and hollyhocks and decorate with those,” she said. “I use them on salads, cakes, brownies and on cheese plates.”
Other edible flowers common to home gardens, which Donaghy likes to incorporate into her dishes, are pansies, nasturtiums, violas, violets and impatiens.
She recommends picking the flowers, refrigerating them and garnishing at the last minute.
Martha Ryan is a world culinary traveler. She brings adventure to her menu at Martha’s Leelanau Table in Suttons Bay. Ryan gleans fresh ingredients from local farmers markets and Meadowlark organic farm at Lake Leelanau.
Ryan shares her inspiration with diners by offering a new salad creation each night that she calls Martha’s Salad.
Blue cheese is one of the chef’s favorite salad elements. “I’m always trying to think of a blue cheese salad,” she said.
Ryan enjoys building novel entrée salads, but regularly features just two dressings. “I’m a classical person on dressing,” she said. “We have a shallot vinaigrette and a creamy peppercorn.”
Ryan is featured in the just released book, “Northern Harvest: Twenty Michigan Women in Food and Farming” by Emita Brady Hill. The title highlights female culinary pioneers who, like Ryan, have elevated Michigan’s food scene and expanded appreciation for what’s on our plate.
Summer Citrus Chicken Salad with Green Goddess Vinaigrette
Services: 12
Chef Les Eckert, Great Lakes Culinary Institute at NMC
Marinade for chicken
2-3 lb. chicken breast, boneless and skinless
1 grapefruit, zest only
1 blood orange, zest only
1 navel orange, zest only
1 navel orange, zest and juice
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 lime, zest and juice
2 oz extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 sage leaves, bruised and minced
Homemade Wedding 2 thyme sprigs, bruised and minced
1 rosemary sprig, bruised and minced
1 oregano sprig, bruised and minced
2 t. kosher salt
½ t. black pepper
With a fork pierce multiple holes throughout the chicken breasts on both sides. Place chicken in a container to marinade.
Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the chicken. Marinade a minimum of 2 hours, overnight preferred.
Green Goddess Vinaigrette
4 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 oz. white balsamic vinegar
1/2 avocado
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 C. fresh herbs (basil, chives, parsley), roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 oz. honey
3 T. Greek yogurt
1 t. Kosher salt
Add all listed ingredients to a food processor or hand blender container. Blitz until combined and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
For croutons
6 slices of sourdough bread, cubed
1 oz. extra virgin olive oil
½ t. garlic powder
¼ t. kosher salt
⅛ t. freshly ground black pepper
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss all ingredients together and spread out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until toasted, 10 minutes, toss halfway through time. Allow to cool.
For the salad
10 oz. of baby spinach or mixed greens
1 grapefruit, segments only
1 blood orange, segments only
1 navel orange, segments only
2 ears of Michigan corn, kernels removed
¼ cucumber, thinly sliced
8 oz. sweet mini peppers, roasted on grill
2 oz. shaved Parmesan cheese
as needed, croutons
as needed, dressing
Heat grill to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill. Grill until internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached. Remove from the grill and allow to rest. Slice chicken on a diagonal bias.
Serve on a large platter. In the middle of the platter smear 2-3 spoonfuls of dressing in a circular motion. Arrange a bed of greens, arrange to citrus segments, roasted peppers, corn kernels and cucumbers round on the greens or in sections.
Fan out chicken on top, sprinkle croutons on top of chicken, drizzle with more dressing and garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese.
- For a vegan dressing: replace honey with agave nectar and yogurt with vegan mayo.
- For vegan protein top with marinated and grill protein substitute of your choice.
- Swap chicken for salmon or grilled skirt or flank steak.
- If using salmon or other seafood or shellfish option, marinade for 30 minutes only.
- Gluten free option is to replace the croutons with toasted pistachios.
Balsamic Eggplant with Lentils & Goat Cheese Salad
Serves: 12
8 oz. balsamic vinegar
2 oz. extra virgin olive oil
1 oz. whole grain mustard
2 oz. honey
1 t. red pepper flakes
½ t. salt
2 lb. Japanese eggplant, cut into ¼ inch slices
12 oz. black or green lentils, cooked
4 oz. toasted walnuts, toasted
2 oz. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. thyme
2 oz. sweet onion, minced l
10 oz. mixed greens, multi-colored greens
8 oz. crumbled goat cheese or feta
2 oz. balsamic reduction
Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC).
To make the marinade, whisk together the balsamic, oil, mustard, honey, and red pepper flakes, and season with salt. Add the sliced eggplant and allow to marinate for 10 minutes.
Lay slices down on a parchment lined baking tray and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, flip, and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a tray.
To make the salad dressing, in a food processor or with the hand blender blitz together the remaining eggplant marinade, olive oil, thyme and onions. Blitz until smooth.
In another bowl, toss cooked lentils, 3 of the 4 oz of nuts, and half of the salad dressing. Season with salt & pepper.
Serve on a long plate or platter, and arrange a bed of greens. Lay two to three slices of eggplant down, then add a spoonful of lentil mixture, then more eggplant slices and continue to fan out the slices and lentils to cover the greens. Sprinkle goat or feta cheese on top, garnish with the remaining toasted walnuts and lightly drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately.
— Les Eckert
Notes:
- To keep the dish vegan: replace the cheese with thinly shredded vegan white cheese and the honey for agave nectar.
- Increase the protein of the salad by processing the marinade, olive oil, thyme and onions with 2 extra ounces of walnuts (not included in the above ingredient list).
- Black lentils are hard to find in a regular grocery store. Often they are found in a specialty food store or Indian market. They are worth the hunt as they add an incredible texture to this salad.
- Increase the flavor of the lentils by cooking them in vegetable stock.
- Cook lentils (black or green) until tender but not soft, they should have some chew to them but not undercooked.
- Red quinoa is a good replacement for the lentils.
- Omit red pepper flakes if sensitive to heat.
- Not a fan of goat cheese or feta? Replace these cheeses with small balls of fresh mozzarella.
Need to make this salad in advance? Make all the components of this salad and refrigerate them individually. Build and dress the salad just before service.
Tabbouleh Vegetarian Salad
Serves 6-8
1 C. bulgur wheat
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 C. chopped green onions
3 C. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 C. chopped fresh mint
1/2 C. olive oil
1/3 C. fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
Rinse wheat cover with boiling water and let stand for 30 minutes. Then drain thoroughly and squeeze dry in a piece of cheesecloth or clean dish towel. Set aside.
Combine tomatoes, green onions, parsley and mint. Beat together oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Fold oil mixture into tomato mixture. Mix in wheat until well blended.
— Mary Beth Milliken
Tarpon Springs Greek Salad
Serves 8
For the salad
16 oz. creamy style potato salad
1 iceberg lettuce head, torn into bite-size pieces
2 tomatoes, large and cut into thin wedges
1 cucumber, partial skin removed and cut into thin slices
½ red onion, sliced into very thin rings
8 oz. pepperoncini peppers, whole
4 oz. kalamata olives, no pits and drained
8 oz. feta, block style, cut into 2” x 1” x 1” rectangles
8 oz. pickled beets, sliced and drained
1 green pepper, sliced into thin rings
TT black pepper, freshly ground and use to taste
On a platter place scoops the potato salad into the middle creating multiple small mounds. Arrange the iceberg lettuce all around the potato salad. Arrange the tomato wedges, cucumber slices and onion rings evenly on top of the lettuce and around potato salad. Scatter pepperoncini peppers, olives, feta and green pepper rings on top of salad. Place green pepper rings on top of salad and garnish with freshly ground black pepper.
For the dressing
3 oz. red wine vinegar
2 oz. lemon juice (1 fresh lemon)
1 t. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ t. oregano, dried
¼ t. salt
¼ t. black pepper
4 oz. extra virgin olive oil
Add all the ingredients in a tight sealed container. Shake vigorously until the dressing looks creamy. Pour dressing over the entire salad and serve immediately.
— Les Eckert
Panzanella Salad
1 loaf of French bread, cut into chunks, tossed with 1 cup of olive oil and seasoned with salt. Bake 10 — 15 minutes on a baking sheet at 350 until golden. Let cool. (I have also used focaccia bread, toasted.) Sprinkle with just a little olive oil to toast.
3 lb. of heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 C. fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 C. of balsamic vinegar
1 C. olive oil
Place tomatoes and their juices in large bowl. Toss with remaining vegetables and cooled bread. Season salad with salt and pepper. Then add balsamic and olive oil. Let sit 10 — 15 minutes to allow bread to absorb juices and flavoring.
— Mary Beth Milliken
July 04, 2020 at 08:00PM
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Center Stage Salads: Exalt your salad style with summer bounty - Traverse City Record Eagle
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