"I came up with this idea to do a green salad," Badman says recounting her thought process. "But it's not going to be a green salad because when I come back to Arizona there won't be any." Instead, Badman's salad is filled with all things green: fennel, cucumber, grapes, you name it.
Click through for the recipe.
What you'll need:
Green Salad Ingredients
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and quartered
1 cucumber Chef's note: I like the little Persians at McClendon's Select or the Armenians from Maya and Singh Farms.
1 celery rib
12 or so green grapes, halved
Purslane Chef's note: Both Maya and Singh Farms sell it.
½ cup picked Italian parsley
1 lemon
2 Tbsp really good olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup fresh ricotta
Caper Vinaigrette Ingredients
1 shallot, minced
¼ cup capers, rinsed and chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
cup extra virgin olive oil
What you'll do:
Thinly slice fennel, cucumber and celery by hand or on a mandolin. Place in bowl with grapes, parsley and purslane. Squeeze juice of lemon and pour olive oil over vegetables and greens. Season with salt and pepper to desired taste. Divide on four plates.
In separate bowl, place shallot, capers, lemon juice and zest. Whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle caper vinaigrette over salad. Top with small dollops of ricotta cheese.
This is our third installment of Chef Chat with Badman. Check out parts one and two for more about Badman's career-launching canned food dinners and her latest dining inspirations.
