Category Archives: Salads
next-day beef salad {ffwd}
I have a favorite recipe for a salad made from grilled steak, with a Cuban flair. It’s long been my go-to summer recipe when there’s leftover steak in the fridge. It looks like this week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie, Next-Day Beef Salad, introduces some competition all year long!
Next-Day Beef is a perfect way to create a second meal from leftover beef that doesn’t seem at all like leftovers. The meat is diced into small pieces and combined with a variety of fresh and piquant ingredients. Dorie invites us to play with what’s in our refrigerators, making this a doubly practical meal.
Staples for me
I stayed fairly close the written recipe, adding scallions, cornichons, capers, slivered olives, and grape tomatoes. For the peppers, I used a combination of candied jalapeños and peppadew peppers for a mixed dose of sweet and spicy. (As you might expect, I skipped the apple. You’re welcome, Howard.) All of this gets tossed in a mustardy mayonnaise and served on a bed of mixed greens.
For once, I planned ahead, serving steak and baked potatoes one night, making sure there was enough leftover to test out the Next-Day Beef Salad for the next night. This made a light dinner served alongside a loaf of rosemary bread and a wedge of brie with mushrooms. Leftovers of the leftovers made a perfect lunch as well.
I loved all of the ingredients, which are staples in my refrigerator. In some ways, it reminds me of the Cuban salad that I like, but with a completely different flavor profile. The only thing I’d change next time is to cut way back on the dressing. The end result was a bit too creamy for both our tastes. Just one tablespoon or two would have been plenty to bind it all together. I also think a simple vinaigrette would be another variation to try.
I’m thrilled to have a new option on the list of repurposing leftover beef. I’m sure I will be making this again.
To see what the other Doristas thought of their beef salads, check out their links here. We don’t post the recipes, but you can find it on page 260 of Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
Orange and olive salad {ffwd}
I was unexpectedly under the weather this week, so was happy that this week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie turned out to be one of Dorie’s non-recipes. Not only was it super simple to put together, but without any planning on my part, I had all of the ingredients on hand. After last week’s tagine, this week’s orange and olive salad offers another glimpse into the tastes of Morocco.
As one might expect, I made a single serving because Howard had zero interest in this orange salad. All I needed was an orange, an onion, some olives, and olive oil. The orange is peeled and sliced. The onion first soaks in an ice bath to remove its bite. Then, all the ingredients are composed for a colorful, festive salad.
If had were a better meal planner (2015 New Year’s Resolution?), this would have been a nice accompaniment to last week’s tagine. Alas, I just ate it as a side with our regular meal (roasted winter vegetable pot pie).
I wasn’t sold on this salad. The citrus was refreshing, but I might be in Howard’s camp on this one. The rest of the flavors didn’t meld for me. It could be because I used a yellow onion, which was all I had on hand. I’m not a fan of raw onions, and though Dorie’s taught me that an ice bath helps, I might have enjoyed red onion better. It would have added a nice touch of extra color as well.
To see what the other Doristas thought of this salad, check their links here. This hardly needs a recipe, but you can find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
I’m loving the Dorista holiday cards and recipes that arrive in my mailbox daily! Thanks to Alice for organizing this now-annual card exchange as a lovely way share holiday wishes with our cyber-friends (and in many cases, now, real friends). Whether I sent you a card or not, I wish you and your family a magical holiday season and a delicious new year in 2015. I look forward to continue cooking with you next year!
A Plateful of Happiness 