3 Salads for 'Brat' Summer

effortlessly chic for peak summer fun & deliciousness

never met a potato chip I didn’t like, especially in a salad. photo by Line Kline

Taking a nod from the events of this week and this summer’s freshly minted tagline “brat” thanks to Charlie XCX and Kamala Harris, I’ve got three easy, delicious and flavor packed salads for you this weekend that embody “effortlessly chic” bratness…you can probably even find some shades of lime green via the lettuce and herbs in there if you look for them. ;)

All of these salads initially appeared in my recipe column for Denmark’s newspaper, Politiken, last summer, but I’ve tweaked them slightly for trans-Atlantic audiences and reverted them to their original English language format so you don’t have to sift through Google Translate, as useful as it is. Anyway, first up is one of my favorite ways to rock a salad during the summer…on the grill. I love a good BBQ and a quickly seared sturdy lettuce drizzled with a creamy, herby, cooling dressing, yessss. If I’ve got potato chips lying around, they are most definitely my go-to summer crunchy salad garnish of choice. They feel especially “beach season” appropriate to me, even more so if they’re salt & vinegar flavored. Adapt this recipe with whatever herbs and other summer veg you see fit (thinly shaved cucumbers would be nice along with some fresh oregano or lemon thyme). Don’t feel like frying the capers, leave em raw and finely chopped and strewn over top in true ‘brat’ effortless/slightly haphazard fashion.

Grilled Romaine with Fried Capers & Tahini-Herb Dressing

1 large head romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise (or 2 smaller heads of romaine / little gem / or any crisp head of lettuce)

2 ½ tablespoons olive oil, ½ for grilling lettuce, 2 for frying capers

1 tablespoon capers, gently patted dry

green goddess tahini dressing *see recipe below

2 small red radish (or cucumber), thinly sliced or shaved on a mandolin

2 teaspoons dill fronds, picked

2 teaspoons tarragon leaves (or oregano), picked

2 handfuls, about ½ cup, potato chips, lightly crumbled

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill over medium heat, or prepare a dry non-stick pan over medium-high heat (or use a grill pan). Lightly brush or drizzle the cut-sides of the lettuce with olive oil.  Sear on the grill or in the pan 1-2 minutes, simply to lightly char one side, but still keeping the lettuce fairly crispy. Remove from heat, season lightly with salt and set on a serving platter.

Meanwhile, prepare to fry the capers by covering a plate with 2 kitchen roll / paper towels. In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.  Fry capers until they lightly brown and open up their skins, becoming crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove capers from the pan and place on the paper towel to absorb excess oil.  Very lightly sprinkle with salt.

Drizzle the tahini-herb dressing over top the seared lettuce halves and garnish with fried capers, radish slices, fresh herbs, and potato chip crumbles.

Tahini-Herb Dressing

4 tablespoons sesame tahini

1 tablespoon white wine or apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice (juice from 1/2 lemon)

½ teaspoon sugar or honey

3 tablespoons scallion or spring onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 ½ - 3 tablespoons water

sea salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Using a hand-blender, regular blender, or a whisk and small mixing bowl, blend or whisk together tahini through tarragon.  Slowly drizzle in oil while whisking or blending until well-emulsified. Add water slowly to reach desired creamy-but-loose consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

that’s a niceee panzanella. photo by Line Kline

Next up…classic panzanella with some some fruit thrown in there. If you’ve already got a grill going, I might even go a little wild and toss peach, nectarine or plum slices on there to amp up the ‘brat’ factor in this salad. Gently toss in heirloom tomatoes of any kind and cut, some peppery arugula and purple or green basil and then day-old bread, top it off with a hand-torn ball of burrata oozing with creamy sexiness, and you’ve got yourself a good and fast party salad. This is an excellent way to use up old bread as a resourceful bonus.

Summer Tomato, Strawberry (or Peach/Nectarine/Plum) & Burrata Panzanella

Serves 4

¼ - ½ loaf sourdough bread, cut or ripped into small pieces (about 2-3 cups total)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 small to medium-sized heirloom tomatoes, sliced into wedges

175 grams strawberries (a good handful or 2), halved or quartered *or swap for peach, nectarine or plum slices (1-2 medium sized fruit)

2 cups rucola leaves

red wine vinaigrette *see recipe below

1 piece burrata (or swap it for 80 grams goat cheese or feta cheese)

10-15 basil or oregano leaves, eyeball it

sea salt to taste

ground black pepper taste

Preheat oven to 190C. Toss bread pieces with garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt. Bake on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes until well-toasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a serving dish, arrange sourdough croutons, tomato wedges, strawberries and rucola and season with salt and pepper. Dress lightly with vinaigrette. Place ball of burrata over top salad and season with flaky salt and pepper.  Garnish with basil or oregano leaves.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons shallot, finely minced

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sugar or honey

125ml extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt to taste

*take the vinaigrette up one notch, and blend 1-2 strawberries or other fruit in.

Damn, I love a good wedge. photo by Line Kline

I will never back down from my deep love of wedge salads, they’re refreshing and crisp and are a base for so many delicious possibilities. And a solid, tangy blue cheese dressing puts them over the top — if you’ve never been a fan of blue cheese, maybe this dressing will sway your vote. (how did this entry on salads get so politically cheeky?) If you’re feeling brat and aren’t in the mood to make pickled rhubarb ribbons (I think they’re mostly out of season anyway by now), swap ‘em for a simple pickled red onion or shallot swapping the red wine vinegar for cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. And given it’s about to hit peak tomato season, rolling with the pickled red onion and some halved cherry tomatoes would be a wise choice (going back to classic wedge salad roots there).

Wedge Salad with Pickled Rhubarb and Blue Cheese Dressing

If you’re a blue cheese fan and have never had a wedge salad, you’re in for a treat. A crispy, refreshing wedge is fantastic all-year round, but here pickled rhubarb makes it especially seasonal for spring and summer.  This salad can stand on its own as a satisfying meal, or it’s a great side salad for warm weather dishes and anything right off the grill.

Serves 4

1 large head iceberg lettuce, quartered but keeping the bottom end intact (alternatively, cut 2 small heads of iceberg in half)

blue cheese dressing *see recipe below

3 stalks rhubarb, cut into 3 equal pieces and pickled  *see pickling recipe below

2 teaspoons sunflower seeds, lightly toasted and salted

4-5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 tablespoons tangy, slightly creamy blue cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons chives or scallion finely minced

sea salt to taste

ground pink or black peppercorn, to taste

Using a mandolin or a knife, slice rhubarb pieces into very, very thin ribbons lengthwise and steep in warm pickling liquid at least 15 minutes or do 1 day ahead. You will have extra ribbons for additional uses.

Arrange iceberg quarters or halves on individual plates or one large serving plates and lightly season lettuce with salt. Generously drizzle blue cheese dressing over top and spoon a little in between the layers of lettuce if possible.  Garnish with pickled rhubarb ribbons, sunflower seeds, bacon, blue cheese crumbles and chives. 

Blue Cheese Dressing

1 egg yolk

1 garlic clove, mashed into a paste

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

½ cup / 125 ml rapeseed oil or other neutral oil (like non-gmo canola oil)

60 grams blue cheese

3 tablespoons crème fraiche or sour cream

3 tablespoons buttermilk

2 teaspoons lemon juice (juice from ½ lemon)

sea salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Using a hand-immersion blender, a regular blender or a whisk and medium-sized mixing bowl, pulse or whisk together egg, garlic clove, vinegar and a pinch of salt.  Very slowly drizzle in oil to create an emulsified aioli / mayonnaise.  Once aioli base is creamy and fairly thick, add in blue cheese, crème fraiche, buttermilk and lemon juice and blend or whisk until well-combined.  Season with and pepper to taste.

Pickled Rhubarb Ribbons

rhubarb ribbons

240 ml red wine vinegar

120 ml water

1/2 teaspoon salt (2 grams)

6 tablespoons (72 grams)

1/2 teaspoon whole pink peppercorns (or swap for black peppercorns)

1 bay leaf

In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, water, salt, sugar, peppercorn and bay leaf to a simmer until sugar dissolves.  Cool slightly and pour over rhubarb.  Store in the refrigerator up to 3 months.

Enjoy these salads all ‘brat summer’…I’ll likely do a second salad/summer veg round up in the next week or two. Stay tuned…