Yes, it’s a salad. Most of you are subscribed to other food newsletters on Substack and I’m pretty sure you’ve gotten your fix of chocolates and sexy cocktails from them. I am subscribed to a few newsletters too and some really interesting dessert recipes landed in my inbox last week.
So, I have a salad recipe to share. It has three of my favorite things in the world: salmon, arugula and Filipino kesong puti (literally, white cheese), a soft cheese made from buffalo milk. Water buffalo or carabao, to be more precise. Don’t worry if you can’t find kesong puti, I have recommended substitutes.
Because the salad recipe is rather long (doesn’t mean it’s difficult), let me share a list of some of the recently published recipes in the blog. You might miss the list if I place it below the salad recipe so, I’ll place it here.
Smoked salmon and arugula salad with kesong puti and herbed croutons
The recipe was originally published in November 2017 on my old blog. I have not republished it on the new blog though. So, it’s now a newsletter subscribers-only recipe. But feel free to share it. I’ll thank you for it.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Salad dressing
2 tablespoons plain mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lime juice
zest of one lime
1 teaspoon dried dill
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 generous pinches salt
1 pinch pepper
Croutons
½ day-old baguette
¼ cup olive oil not extra virgin
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (I used a combination of black and white)
1 teaspoon dried dill
Salad mix
¼ cup chopped cashew nuts
3 to 4 cups baby arugula
1 cup smoked salmon
100 grams kesong puti (Filipino white cheese) or substitute ricotta or cottage cheese
Process
Make the salad dressing
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, lime juice, lime zest and dill.
Pour in the olive oil slowly in a thin stream, whisking as you pour.
Add salt and pepper. Whisk. Set the salad dressing aside to allow the flavors to develop.
Make the herbed croutons
Cut the bread into one-inch cubes.
Place the bread cubes in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over them. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper. Toss thoroughly.
Place a large frying pan on the stove. Set the heat to medium-low.
Spread the oiled bread cubes in the pan. Cook without disturbing for a minute or so to allow the undersides to brown.
Stir the bread cubes. Cook for another two to three minutes, stirring often, until all sides are lightly browned.
Add the sesame seeds to the bread bread cubes. Continue cooking for another minute. Toss the contents of the pan often to keep the sesame seeds moving to prevent them from burning.
Sprinkle the dill over the croutons and cool while you prepare the salad.
Complete the salad
Toast the chopped cashew nuts in an oil-free pan until lightly browned and glistening with the nuts’ own oil. Set aside to cool.
Tear off the root ends of the arugula. Rinse well. Dry in a salad spinner.
Tear the smoked salmon and kesong puti into bite-size pieces.
Pour a quarter of the salad dressing into a large mixing bowl. Add the salmon, arugula, croutons, cheese and nuts. Drizzle in another quarter of the salad dressing. Toss to coat every ingredient with dressing.
Divide the salad among four bowls. Drizzle with more dressing before serving.