Garden-Fresh Salads

“There truly is a rainbow of flavors and tastes within a salad,” says Amy Pennington, author of Salad Days (Sasquatch Books, 2017) in which she provides 75 recipes for using greens, grains, and proteins. Here are four salads from her book using greens you can grow in your own garden.

FRESH FAVAS WITH ARUGULA PESTO
CRISP ICEBERG, RADISH, AND CREAMY POPPY SEED DRESSING
WHITE BEANS & BLOOD ORANGES
ROASTED BEETS WITH PISTACHIO AND CREAMY HORSERADISH-DILL DRESSING

FRESH FAVAS WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Photo by: Charity Burggraaf.

Makes 4 meals or 8 side servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups packed arugula
• ½ cup whole pistachios
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
• ½ cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• Kosher salt
• 4 cups fresh fava beans (from about 2 ½ pounds fava pods)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a food processor or strong blender, add the arugula, pistachios, lemon zest, Parmesan, and oil. Process on high until all the ingredients are broken down and form a paste, about 30 seconds. If you’d like an oilier pesto, add another ½ cup of the oil. Otherwise, scrape the pesto into a large bowl and set aside.
2. To prepare the fava beans, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and season with salt. While the water is coming to a boil, prepare an ice water bath-add several ice cubes to a large bowl of cold water and set aside.
3. Drop the fava beans into the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
4. Drain the favas from the pot and plunge them into the ice water bath, allowing them to cool for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Peel the skin from the favas (it will come off easily after being blanched) or squeeze the skin until the bean pops out. (Some fava skins are thicker than others.)
6. Add the warm fava beans to the pesto and stir to combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

CRISP ICEBERG, RADISH, AND CREAMY POPPY SEED DRESSING

Photo by: Charity Burggraaf.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 2 large oranges)
• 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp black poppy seeds
• 2 tsp orange zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch radishes, leaves and stems removed, a handful of leaves reserved
• 1 medium head iceberg, chopped

Instructions:

1. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, add the yogurt, orange juice, oil, vinegar, poppy seeds, and zest and stir well until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside until ready to use.
2. Using a knife or mandoline, cut the radishes into paper-thin slivers. In a large bowl, combine the iceberg, reserved radish tops, and radish slivers. Pour the dressing over and toss until well coated. Serve immediately.

WHITE BEANS & BLOOD ORANGES

Photo by: Charity Burggraaf.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried white navy beans, soaked overnight and drained
• Kosher salt
• 4 large blood oranges, rinds cut off and cut into ½-inch circular slices
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp chopped preserved lemon
• 2 tsp chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tsp chopped fresh marjoram
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp red chili flakes
• ½ pound spinach leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large stockpot, cover the navy beans with 1 ½ inches of water, add enough salt so the water tastes mildly salty, and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the beans are just tender, about 1 hour.
3. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered, to steam the beans until soft and creamy, 15 to 30 minutes more. Check the texture of the beans every 10 minutes. (Be sure not to overcook and break them down.)
4. When the beans are creamy and tender, drain any excess water and cool them slightly by spreading them on a large baking sheet in a single layer.
5. While the beans are cooling, on a large plate or platter, arrange the orange slices so they are overlapping slightly and set aside.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, lemon, mint, marjoram, garlic, paprika, and chili flakes.
7. Once the beans are slightly cooled but still warm, add them to the bowl with the vinaigrette and fold gently to coat. Add the spinach and stir until just dressed.
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Gently pour the warm beans and spinach over the orange slices, spilling them in small piles so it looks pretty on the platter, and serve.

ROASTED BEETS WITH PISTACHIO AND CREAMY HORSERADISH-DILL DRESSING

Photo by: Charity Burggraaf.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients (for the salad):

• 4 to 5 medium red beets
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients (for the dressing):

• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp grated fresh horseradish
• 4 cups arugula
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh dill
• ¼ cup whole pistachios

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Scrub the beets free of all dirt.
3. In a shallow baking dish, add the beets, toss them with the oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil and roast until the beets can be pierced through the center with a knife but are still firm, 50 to 60 minutes.
5. While the beets are roasting, make the horseradish-dill dressing. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, oil, and horseradish until well blended.
6. On a large platter, put the arugula and dill and toss to combine, then spread them out evenly on the platter. Set aside.
7. Once the beets are cooked through, remove them from the oven and set them aside until they are cool enough to handle before rubbing off the skins with paper towels.
8. Cut each beet into sixths and spread them evenly across the platter.
9. Sprinkle the salad evenly with the pistachios and salt. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

This bonus content accompanies “So Fresh & So Green”—an article with salad ideas and tips for growing greens for salads—in the Autumn 2017 issue of Garden Design magazine.