Frisée, Brown Turkey Figs, and Aged Gouda Cheese Salad

I cannot believe that it has been a few days since the last time I posted. I have been cooking but experience a backlog when it comes to posting...been busy all week since I started a new class this past Tuesday. Another core nursing informatics class which brings me closer to finishing this course. After this class, I only have one more informatics class then on to my nursing education core classes. Surprisingly this school stuff is not so bad and I am really liking it.

 Moving on...
 

Here's another salad recipe for y'all.  This is a light salad that is perfect for the summer.  I got my ingredients from WholeFoods which, as always, sells produce that are always fresh.  I do like going to their branch in Fairfax and Third.  Although it can get crowded during the day, the hassle is all worth it.

Frisee is not really something that I use as the main salad greens.  I usually have it in mixed green salad, such as Mesclun but WholeFoods had fresh ones so I bought it as the salad green base.  They say it is slightly bitter in taste when eaten raw but I can hardly taste that bitterness.  Compared to salad greens, such as dandelion, arugula, and watercress, the taste of frisee is way milder. This salad green is available throughout the year.  It has greeninsh to yellow-greenish lacy leaves and is a good source of mineral, fibers, and vitamins.

One thing to remember when using frisee is to make sure and separate the fronds then wash it thoroughly.  I find some dirt deep within the fronds close to the end...hehehe...it will not be good to eat salad with some dirt still on it.  I also trimmed the hard parts of the fronds/stems.



I also used figs for this salad.  Although fig season has just started, I went ahead and bought some since I have been on the lookout for it for a couple of weeks now.  The figs that I got were nice and sweet. Give it another couple of weeks and the season will be in full swing so it will become widely available in the market. The figs lends a hint of sweetness to the salad which does not only make it taste lighter but also balances the flavor out. I had some leftover figs after I made the salad and I already have plans to make a fig sandwich out of it...hehehe



Another great addition to this salad is the aged Gouda.  The one that I bought is a five-year old Gouda which is firm to touch.  It is not as firm as Parmigiano Reggiano though but still pretty firm compared to regular Gouda.  It has a slightly pungent smell an strong taste but very creamy consistency.  It also has a lot of crystallines which are salt-like in consistency but they are actually calcium lactate crystals which forms as the cheese ages. This cheese is yummy.




Ingredients:

1 head frisee, trimmed and washed carefully

a spring of tarragon, remove leaves from stem

1 fennel bulb, slice thinly

4 brown turkey figs, sliced thinly

salt and pepper to taste

Gouda cheese, shaved thinly using a vegetable peeler

1. combine green in a salad bowl.  toss lightly to mix.

2. Serve with lemon-olive oil vinaigrette


Olive Oil-Red Wine Vinaigrette 

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

juice of 1/2 a lemon, seeds discarded

sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

1. In a bowl, mix the first three ingredients and whisk until well blended.

2. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper according to taste

Golden and Red Beetroots, Tarragon, and Watercress Salad

Today is not a good day since I have to finish a presentation that is due for submission.  School's good because I am learning a lot but I do not like the part where we have to submit paper/project/presentation almost every week.  The good news though is that this class is almost over- one more day...Then off to another six-week course.  I do like the flexibility of online education because I can do my assignments and post participation at a time that is convenient to me.  No set time, no driving to the physical classroom.  The draw back? so darn expensive...but I guess its the same everywhere-online or campus education.

Since I am busy with academics today, I do not have much time to spend cooking and preparing dishes.  The obvious answer (of course) is a salad and sandwich combo.  For the salad, I chose watercress as the base then added tarragon, beetroots, feta cheese, and drizzled with an olive oil-balsamic vinegar dressing.




This is very easy to make.  Okay, I admit that I always say that but that is the only word that I can describe the preparation of this dish...combine, drizzle, and dig in.  Well, maybe a little prep time is required but hey if I could make it while trying to crack my brain trying to write a report and presentation, I am sure it will be easy peasy for anyone...right?  hehehe

While writing my report and presentation, I boiled the beetroots until it is fork tender.  Oh, make sure you wash them very well to remove any dirt then place them in a pan and cover with water.  Cook over medium heat ...don't forget to leave a little opening when placing the cover on top to prevent the water from splashing and boiling over.  Clean-up would be a huge problem since water turns slightly reddish-orange.  After it becomes tender, remove from heat and hot water and let it cool down.  When it has cooled down, use food preparation gloves to peel the outer layer (skin) from the beetroots.  Unless you want to end up with reddish to reddish-orange tinged hands, I suggest you make use of the gloves...hehehe.  Once the beetroots has been boiled and sliced, the rest only required assembling the salad- mix and toss.





Watercress is not really something that I normally choose as my salad green because it has a strong peppery and tangy taste to it.  Don't get me wrong.  I do like anything bitter, peppery, or tangy but watercress, i believe, tops them all.  The good thing is that if you combine it with the sweet beetroot taste, licorice-like tarragon, and feta cheese, you can hardly taste the peppery-tangy flavor of the watercress.  The different taste and textures compliments each other.



Ingredients:

2 red bettroots
2 golden beetroots
1 bunch of watercress- roots trimmed, washed thoroughly, and dried using a salad spinner
1 spring of tarragon- stems removed and discarded
feta cheese, crumbled
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1-2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1. Place beetroots in a pan. Add white wine vinegar and a little salt.

2. Cover with water and heat over medium heat.

3. Cook beetroots until fork tender.  Remove from heat then set aside to cool.

4. Once beetroots has cooled, use food prep gloves to peel then slice into disks at approximately half an inch thickness.

5. In a large bowl, combine watercress, tarragon, beetroots, salt and pepper.  Toss lightly.

6. Top with crumbled feta cheese then drizzle dressing over it.

Dressing

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting cap.

2. Shake to combine and emulsify.

***this recipe can be multiplied accordingly if you are making a huge batch of salad.