hear me out

November 06 2009 by Kristin at The Kitchen Sink in Uncategorized » 11 comments

Yes, salad.

On the heels of admitting that I’ve spent the past week on the beach, whiling away the days under the shade of an umbrella as the surf rolls in, I bring you salad. The injustice is almost too much to bear. But hear me out. Because this isn’t just any salad. It’s hands-down my new favorite salad, with its bitter escarole, piquant pickled onions, and bits of ground hazelnuts, pecorino and parsley. There’s an umbrella drink with my name on it down at the beach, but it’s this salad that’s got my mouth watering.

A simple list of the ingredients, of course, doesn’t do the salad justice because, as with any great salad, its whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. Here the whole is sweetly sour, crunchy and also quite pretty. It’s a perfect foil to the rich cooking that the coming months will hold. Before packing my bags for this vacation, I made the salad four weekends in a row, which is a pretty strong endorsement for a salad. So, you see, this is far from a “Kristin-went-to-Mexico-and-all-I-got-was-a-lousy-salad” affair. I swear.

For the recipe, I’ll send you to the two sites that ensured this salad hit my Must Make List: Smitten Kitchen and Lottie + Doof (talk about strong endorsements). The recipe itself for Escarole Salad with Pickled Onions is here.

11 comments so far. »
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Whitney says on November 06 2009 at 10:15 am:

I love how bright the pink onions are!
Hannah says on November 06 2009 at 10:46 am:

that salad does look terrific. and your pictures are beautiful.
Andrea says on November 06 2009 at 3:35 pm:

Beautiful! I hope your trip was wonderful, even though I am completely jealous.
giao {kiss my spatula} says on November 06 2009 at 10:31 pm:

salad was on the agenda for dinner for us too. though, not quite by choice – we lost our power. that being said, it was a nice break from the heavier cold weather foods. your photos are so lovely!
Barbara says on November 07 2009 at 9:06 am:

Well it sure is a pretty salad- the colors are striking. I’m a big salad eater- never have made pickled onions though- you’ve talked me into trying your excellent recipe!
Lu says on November 09 2009 at 9:05 am:

Mmmmm. Pickled onions! I love them. I can’t wait to try this out.
Heather says on November 09 2009 at 11:43 am:

This looks fantastic! I think this salad just made the list of considerations for my Thanksgiving menu. The mix of flavors and textures is intriguing. Yum!
Big GIrls, Small Kitchen (Cara) says on November 10 2009 at 4:54 pm:

We’ve become devoted fans of pickled shallots in everything and anything, so I can’t wait to try them combined like this, with nuts and lettuce.
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on November 12 2009 at 8:41 pm:

Whitney: I know! So neon. It’s the red wine vinegar that does it, I think.

Hannah: Thank you!

Andrea: It was! Thanks!

giao: Well, you’re resourceful! I would interpret a power outage as a clear indication that take out was in order.

Barbara: Oh, I hope you do try it! I can’t say enough about it.

Lu: Me too! And they’re surprisingly wonderful in a salad.

Heather: Thanks! I think it would be PERFECT for Thanksgiving — something to cut the richness.

Cara: Ooh, yum. I like the idea of pickling shallots.
escarole & pickled onion salad « Sassy Radish says on November 22 2009 at 4:41 pm:

[...] a recipe, you don’t have to take my word for it. Deb of Smitten Kitchen and Kristin over at The Kitchen Sink have been swooning over this salad as [...]
MP says on November 27 2009 at 3:55 pm:

I made the pickled onions for Turkey day and was totally sold! We ate them with brie and crackers, This is a new staple in the fridge. Thanks!