SO LONG SUMMER . . .

. . . hello fall salads: Caesar, wild rice, panzanella~salad dressings~Blackberry Farm's honeynut squash~what I'm watching and drinking

Sayonara to many of the fruits, vegetables, and flowers of summer

. . . Hello Fall Salads

There’s a salad for all seasons. Caesar may be the first mentioned when someone asks for my top choice no matter the time of year. So, for starters, here’s a classic Caesar from Food & Wine. For a twist, grilled romaine (or charred under a broiler) caramelizes the edges of the lettuce, from Alexandra Cooks. If you’re up for adding protein, here’s some from The Spruce Eats with chicken.

The woman whom I call the “Queen of All Salads” is Emily Nunn. Her notable newsletter is The Department of Salads: Official Bulletin. From it comes an array of possibilities: pear, blue cheese, and walnut; pecan, pear, grape, persimmon, and citrus lime, and okra; romaine, red leaf lettuce, arugula, and watercress; a crazy concoction of parsnips, carrots, celery root, cheddar cheese, honeycrisp apple, and pickled carrot; a Thanksgiving salad made with butternut squash and watercress; or another with sweet potato, radicchio, pecorino cheese, and pumpkin seeds.

“The Perfect Caesar Salad”

In the December 6, 2021, issue of La Briffe, Ruth Reichl’s newsletter, she put forth her recipe for “the perfect Caesar salad.” According to her, the Caesar was invented in a Tijuana hotel in the 1920s and was an immediate hit with its glamorous Hollywood clientele. The salad was crisp and refreshing, substantial enough to make a meal, and fun to eat. It soon turned into a California classic.

Some recipes call for leaves left whole

ROMAINE LETTUCE: The original recipe called for only the crisp inner leaves left whole.  EGG: It was meant to be coddled for one minute, then gently broken over the top of the lettuce, which completely changed the nature of the salad, coating each leaf with egg and allowing the cheese to cling. CHEESE: Some recipes call for Romano. Sheep’s milk cheese, however, is much too assertive for this salad. Freshly grated Parmesan is perfect. GARLIC: Back when it was invented, most Americans suffered from a serious case of garlic fear. The garlic was rubbed onto the salad bowl, and the croutons were lightly infused with garlic, but it was never crushed into the dressing or allowed to bully the other ingredients. ANCHOVIES: The original recipe did not call for them. The Caesar was meant to be subtle. The only anchovies in the recipe were found in the Worcestershire sauce that is always included in the recipe. LEMON: Mexican lemons resemble limes, and there is some question which one should be used. Both are lovely. OLIVE OIL: An arcane and hard to find ingredient in the America of the time, olive oil was generally purchased in pharmacies. It is very likely that a neutral oil (safflower, grapeseed or the like), was commonly substituted. 

You can play around with the recipe, said Reichl, adding whatever ingredients happen to suit your fancy. She likes a small dollop of mustard added to the oil and lemon juice. There are three essential steps to Caesar salad nirvana. Wash, dry, and then chill romaine lettuce leaves. Put them in the freezer for about 10 minutes just before tossing into the salad. Make croutons at the last minute, and toss them into the salad while still warm. When icy leaves collide with warm croutons the effect is extraordinary, she says. And eat the salad with your fingers.

Ingredients

• 1 head romaine lettuce 

• 1 clove garlic

• 6 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

• dash Worcestershire sauce

• 2 eggs

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Wash and dry the inside leaves of one head of romaine lettuce. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

2. Rub the inside of a salad bowl with the clove of garlic. Discard it. 

3. Pour the olive oil into the bottom of the bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice. Add a healthy dash of Worcestershire sauce and whisk again. 

4. Put the lettuce in the bowl, crack the eggs over them and toss very gently and thoroughly, rolling the leaves around with your hands until each is coated with both the egg and the lemon mixture.  

5. Sprinkle Parmesan on top, add salt and freshly ground pepper to season for taste.

6. Add warm croutons, toss again, and serve at once.

Wild Rice Salad

Martha Stewart's wild rice salad is chewy, nutty, and hearty, a good recipe made even better with toasted almonds. For another salad including almonds, but also dried cherries and arugula, try Cookie & Kate's, also Thanksgiving worthy. Serious Eats substitutes cranberries and pecans for almonds and dried cherries. Or, try sweet crunchy apples and celery, pomegranate, creamy feta cheese, or candied maple bacon pecans in a recipe from Olive & Mango. Kale and avocado are included in two peas & their pod's recipe. Food & Wine offers flavorful additions to wild rice salad that may well steal the show, namely salty pancetta, crunchy pine nuts, buttery olives, and fresh parsley.

Panzanella Salad

Panzanella is a Tuscan and Umbrian chopped salad of soaked stale bread, onions, and tomatoes that is popular in the early fall. It often includes cucumbers, sometimes basil and is dressed with olive oil and vinegar. Once Upon a Chef’s panzanella salad is a good one to start with. Food & Wine’s panzanella is a touch kickier.

Green Salad

A variety of green salads using kale or spinach could well be in your fall repertoire, courtesy of Food & Wine.

. . . Hello Salad Dressings

Emily Nunn, in her Department of Salad: Official Bulletin, is known to hyperbolize swimming in or eating as soup various salad dressings including this vinaigrette nicoise and this hearty vinegar molasses dressing.

Blackberry Farm Honeynut Squash

“I love fall and winter squash because they have such wonderful flavor and are so versatile,” says John Coykendall, master gardener at the celebrated Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn. “The pies are great, but you can just bake [squash] with brown sugar and butter or sorghum molasses—just however you like to cook it. Some of the simpler ways are the most flavorful.”

John Coykendall in the garden (Photo: Sarah Rau)

Today, with 23 years at Blackberry and counting, he oversees its 4.5 acres of gardens, many planted with unique varieties of squash. A big part of his job is giving talks and tours to guests. “I say, if you’ve got room for one tomato plant and one basil plant, you’ve got a garden. Whatever you’ve got, make the most of it.”

Blackberry Farm honeynut squash

Honeynut squash, lovechild of well-known butternut and buttercups, is a relatively new variety. It’s a darker, miniature version of butternut squash with deep orange flesh. It’s sweeter and richer than butternut, and even though it's a winter squash, the skin is edible it doesn't need to be peeled. It is most often roasted, but can also be stuffed or made into soup. The Local Palate, which covers the food culture of the South, offers a tempting romesco recipe with marcona almonds. Two Purple Figs thinks its warm butternut squash is a top contender for Thanksgiving.

Honeynut squash can be grown at home to get around the fact that you might not be able to find in at your local farmers’ market or grocery store. Another reliable source of seeds is Esty.

Baked in my oven

Honeynut Squash

Adapted from Josh Feathers | Main House | Blackberry Farm

Ingredients

• 1 honeynut squash per person as an entrée, or 1/2 per person as an appetizer

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup dry sherry or cider vinegar

• Salt and pepper

• 1 1/2 cups Carolina Gold rice

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 1 Tbsp kosher salt

• Cooked leafy greens, 1/4 cup per person

Smoked Pecan Vinaigrette

• 1 1/2 cups olive oil

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup chopped smoked pecans

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Peel the squash, split it in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Lightly rub ovenproof skillet with 1/2 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the sherry. Add a little more oil to the skillet and put the squash in, cut side down.

2. Once the squash sections brown nicely, put them cut side down on parchment paper on a baking sheet, cover tightly with foil, and put in the oven.

3. Meanwhile, cook the rice with the butter and salt, covered tightly. Next, make the vinaigrette by whisking together the 1 1/2 cups oil and cider vinegar, then add the pecans. The squash should be done in 15 to 20 minutes; you want them just tender.

4. Make a bed of rice on each dish and top with cooked julienned collards, tender leaves only. Sprinkle each serving with a tablespoon of white wine per person (from the bottle you’re drinking, if you can spare it). Top with the squash and spoon the dressing over all.

What I’m Watching & Drinking

FANTASTIC SOUTHERN FILMS & DRINK PARINGS Here’s Garden & Gun's lineup of fall movie night entertainment: “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” “Cat on the Hot Tin Roof,” “Steel Magnolias,” and “No Country for Old Men.” Accompany with Coors, Jack Daniels, mezcal, mango mojito, mulled wine, mimosa spritzer, old-fashioned, Ramos gin fizz, peanut butter whiskey, sweet tea, Negroni, or a heavy pour of bourbon or whiskey.

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