Cooking through Salad Freak by Jess Damuck
Anything can be a salad! I mean what defines a salad, really? I’d make the argument that any combination of ingredients tossed together with some kind of dressing could be called a salad. By that logic, the possibilities are endless: Dressed leafy lettuces, of course, but also fresh fruit with a squeeze of lime juice, roasted veggies with a tahini drizzle, shredded chicken with mayo, cold pasta with pesto… By expanding the definition, “salads” become a lot more fun, and Salad Freak by Jess Damuck will help you think outside the box.
Happy June, btw! In May, I cooked through Salad Freak, a vibrantly colorful and generally delightful ode to salads, and an exploration of what a salad can be if you get creative. Let’s get to it!
Salad Freak is Jess Damuck’s first cookbook, filled with over 100 recipes for salads organized by season. Anyone looking for easy recipes, healthy recipes, fast-but-tasty weekday lunches, and ideas for what to do with a surplus of produce from the farmers market will find inspiration in this book. The photos are beautiful and the recipes are simple. In fact, many of the recipes in this book don’t require any actual cooking. (Chopping, mixing, tossing, yes. But for most, little or no heat is required.) Recipes range from Caesar Salad Pizza Salad to Mandarins and Cream. There are salads for breakfast, plenty for lunch, some filling enough to be dinner, and a handful that are sweet enough to serve as dessert.
Jess Damuck is a food and prop stylist and recipe developer who worked with Martha Stewart for over a decade. She was a producer on all four seasons of Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, and she includes a few nods to Snoop Dogg in this book (including a fabulous way to cook bacon that lazy cooks will love).
Here are the ten recipes I made this month, with a few notes, in order from what I’m most likely to least likely to make again:
Roasted Vegetables with Horseradish Goat Cheese and Challah Croutons: It’s the horseradish goat cheese and challah croutons for me. These two accompaniments will take whatever roasted veg you have to new heights. Can’t wait to enjoy this again in the fall with a roasted chicken and a bottle of red wine.
Crispy Chicken with Gingery Cabbage, Mandarins, and Almonds: Adding this to my weeknight rotation.
Hugh’s Sungold and Saffron Panzanella: This tastes like sunshine and summer, which I have been manifesting through my cooking this past foggy month in SF.
Spring Lettuces, Avocado, and Creamy Dressing: So simple—one of the reasons I’m likely to make this again. The fried capers are a nice touch.
Todas las Frutas: Fruit salad but make it tropical.
Cucumber Breakfast Salad: Jazz up your breakfast routine!
Raw and Roasted Caesar Brussels Sprouts: Another hearty autumnal dish. Holds up better than a leafy sal, so would make a good work lunch.
Tortellini Antipasto Pasta Salad: Love a pasta salad! This would be a welcome addition to a potluck or BBQ.
Crunchy Citrus and Chicories with Turmeric Tahini Dressing: Unexpected and exciting flavors and textures here. The bright citrus and smooth tahini dressing balance out the bitterness of the chicories.
BLT Potato Salad: I’m not a big potato salad person, otherwise this would be higher on the list because it was very tasty. I like the vinegary dressing and, of course, the bacon, but I wouldn’t toss it with leaves next time.
5 recipes I didn’t get to this month but want to try:
Caesar Salad Pizza
Burrata with Favas, Peas, and Preserved Lemon
Yellow Gazpacho
Charred Corn, Tomatoes, Halloumi, and Chili Crisp
Grilled Nectarines with Gorgonzola, Honey, and Hazelnuts
This month, we’ll be venturing into the world of MIXOLOGY with Apéritif, a James Beard Award finalist by Rebekah Peppler that celebrates cocktail hour the French way. Included are 100 recipes for low-ABV drinks and snacky bites, so we’ll have lots of good fodder for cocktail hour. Cheers to summer!
xo,
Claire
Thank you for reading smorgasbord. This post is public so feel free to share it.
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