As summer comes around and it gets hot, we start thinking of serving and eating dishes that are not only easy to make, but that don’t heat up the kitchen. Salads are an obvious choice, but they can become pretty boring if we keep using the usual ingredients.
When you are looking for a colourful dish that’s full of flavour, look no further. This recipe has a touch of the exotic from the hearts of palm and a super flavourful vinaigrette that dresses it perfectly.
When I make a salad, I tend to keep some of the ingredients the usual standbys, like leaf lettuce, bell peppers, some sort of onion - either red or green - fresh herbs and a delicious home made vinaigrette. But then, I like to make my salads way different by using some non-traditional ingredients, like delicious hearts of palm and grapefruit segments.
Hearts of palm usually come from Costa Rica, Brazil or Ecuador, and are truly enjoyed by foodies around the world. They are, as their name implies, the hearts of the stems of certain palm trees. Their flavor is reminiscent of artichokes and besides flavour, they add a nice visual touch to the dish, as when they are sliced, they break up into pretty rings.
I love using fresh herbs in my recipes, and in this case, I’m using chives as part of the dressing. After segmenting the grapefruit, I used the juice left in the core of the fruit (which is usually plenty) as part of the acidic element in the vinaigrette. Because grapefruit juice is not too strong, I added a bit of white wine vinegar to give me the acidity I was looking for. A bit of garlic, Dijon, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, a quick whiz in the blender y listo! Ready to dress a beautiful salad. Looking so forward to summer!
ENSALADA DE PALMITOS CON ADEREZO DE CEBOLLIN Y TORONJA
Hearts of Palm Salad with Chive Grapefruit Vinaigrette
1 can hearts of palm
1 small head red leaf lettuce
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 red grapefruits, segmented
¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup grapefruit juice
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove
1/3 of a bunch of chives (about ½ cup, chopped)
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ cup cilantro leaves
Drain hearts of palm and cut crosswise into ½” slices. Segment grapefruits over a bowl and reserve ¼ cup of the juice you obtain from squeezing the grapefruit core after segmenting.
Arrange lettuce, red bell pepper slices, hearts of palm slices and grapefruit segments on a platter.
In blender container, combine grapefruit juice, white wine vinegar, garlic clove, olive oil, chives, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Process until very smooth. Adjust seasonings.
Drizzle dressing over salad. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.