Beans, Cheese, Dinner, Recipes, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetarian, Veggies

Taverna Salad

January 10, 2025

This vibrant salad is all about beautiful colors and textures that make it unique and so delicious. Crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, hearty chickpeas, briny olives, crunchy pita croutons and halloumi cheese all have their place in making this one tasty salad. The recipe comes from Lidey Heuck, recipe contributor to New York Times Cooking. It is a wonderful salad that ought to be served at your next dinner party.

As mentioned in the original recipe, the ingredients list may look a bit long but do not despair! Each and every ingredient contributes to making this one of the best restaurant quality salads that can be made at home.

The recipe calls for toasted pita bread but I used leftover yogurt bread which worked great. You can also substitute the pita bread with broken pita chips if you’re short on time. Any of these options will provide that crunch factor that is an integral part of this dish.

Halloumi cheese (from Cyprus) is a uniquely firm salty cheese that has a chewy texture when eaten cold. It is most enjoyable when fried or grilled, developing a lovely crust or grill marks perfect for salads, mezze platters, kebabs and sandwiches. It is a firm cheese that holds up well to heat without losing its shape. If you are unable to find halloumi, use chopped feta as a substitute.

Pan frying the halloumi cheese just before serving the salad is key to the best texture. Though the cheese will still taste terrific, it can become a bit rubbery once it has cooled to room temperature or refrigerated.

I fell in love with this salad as soon as I tasted it. Serve it with grilled or pan fried sourdough bread for a delightful lunch.

Taverna Salad

Recipe by Kiyo

Servings

4-6

servings

Ingredients

Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove (about 1 teaspoon) minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
Salad
1 yogurt flatbread or 2 (5-6-inch) pita breads or broken pita chips
2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 small Japanese cucumbers or 1/2 medium English cucumber, halved, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 (8 ounce) block halloumi cheese, patted dry and cut into 3/4-inch slices (or sub with chopped feta)

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil with the Dijon mustard, vinegar, garlic and oregano. Whisk vigorously to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
If using broken pita chips skip this step and continue to step #3. Chop the pita or yogurt bread into 1-inch pieces and place them in a small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and toss to coat. Heat an 8-inch skillet over medium. Add the pita or yogurt bread pieces and cook, tossing often, until toasted and golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Return to the small bowl to cool, reserving the skillet.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumber, olives, parsley, red onion, capers and scallions. Pour dressing over the salad and toss well.
Place halloumi slices on a small plate and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat the reserved skillet over medium-high heat (adjust heat as needed if too high) and cook the halloumi until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into bite-size cubes. Do this just before serving the salad so the halloumi retains its softer texture (halloumi has a firm rubbery texture when eaten cold).
Add crisped pita, yogurt bread or broken pita chips and halloumi to the salad. Toss and serve.

Notes

You may include a small diced yellow or orange bell pepper in place of some of the tomatoes.

Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Pasta, Ramen, Recipes, Salad, Side Dishes, Summertime Meal, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Aunty Ruby’s Somen Salad

December 21, 2024

Perfect for a New Year’s Eve Potluck or New Year’s Day Lunch

Around a dozen years ago I posted a recipe for this refreshing cold noodle salad. The recipe was created by my aunt Ruby who was a fantastic cook and it is one of my favorite dishes. This noodle dish is eye catching with its layered rainbow of bright colors. Crispy carrots, cucumbers, ham, and slivered scrambled eggs atop delicate somen noodles are tossed with a tangy umami dressing just before serving.

The dressing is a perfectly balanced combination of rice vinegar for tanginess, soy sauce for a salty umami flavor, fragrant sesame oil and neutral canola oil, sugar to balance the salty soy sauce, and ground sesame seeds for a rich nutty flavor. It smells divine as you whisk it up in the bowl.

Long ago I splurged and bought a Zojirushi sesame seed grinder after seeing it being used at a sushi restaurant. I have gotten a lot of good use from this little kitchen gadget. There are many other options for grinding sesame seeds. Small hand held grinders are available online and at some Asian markets. You can also crush the seeds in a mortar and pestle if you have one.

All the toppings should be thinly sliced. If you are using smaller Japanese cucumbers they can be julienned or sliced thinly.

A solid choice in a pinch is this Oscar Mayer ham (available at Times on Maui). It’s very easy to cut into thin strips since it is neatly stacked. Any type of thinly sliced ham will work.

Take care not to overcook the somen noodles. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water and ice cubes or place in a large bowl with ice water. The noodles should retain their springy texture and not be mushy.

Everyone will fall in love with this somen salad, and for good reason. It can be made a day in advance, is perfect for a potluck (New Year’s Eve!), is budget friendly and most of all it is plain delicious.

Tips for making the best somen salad:

*Use a large tall pot to boil the noodles as they have a tendency to foam up so you need that extra space!

*Watch over the stove when boiling the noodles and cook for exactly 3 minutes or according to package directions stirring occasionally. Immediately drain the noodles and run under cold running water with a cup of ice. Swish the noodles around the ice to cool completely. Or drain noodles and quickly place them in a large bowl of ice water. Have the ice cubes or ice bath ready before the noodles are done cooking. The noodles are very thin so any additional time they remain in the hot water means they will continue to cook.

*Slice the vegetables, egg and ham thinly so they are approximately the same size. I used packaged ham because it is so easy to slice since it is already stacked neatly. Any type of thinly sliced ham works.

*For a vegetarian version omit the ham. You can add thinly sliced pan-fried tofu strips to the salad. For a vegan version, omit the eggs and ham and add tofu as mentioned above. Or simply serve the salad with lots of crunchy veggies.

*Crispy vegetables are the key to making this noodle salad so satisfying. Quickly blanched and lightly salted bean sprouts, thinly sliced celery or daikon can be used.

*You may not need all of the dressing so it’s better to add spoonfuls as you toss the salad together.