Longing for salad

The vegetable section is a little bleak at the moment. Lettuces from the greenhouse, tomatoes that probably taste as pale as they look. The March sun is tempting on some days, but it belies the fact that there are still a few days and weeks to go until spring actually arrives.

And even then, it will still be a while before the lettuce is fresh from the field and the tomatoes have ripened in the sun. Admittedly, a luxury problem, but one that can easily be remedied.

Nothing against the classic vinaigrette

There’s nothing wrong with the classic French-inspired vinaigrette for salads. It is quick to mix and the ingredients are always to hand in the kitchen:

White wine vinegar

Maldon salt

Pepper

Dijon mustard

Honey

Olive oil

Mix the white wine vinegar, Maldon salt, pepper, Dijon mustard and honey well and add the olive oil to this emulsion. This goes well with almost any salad.

However, if there is no really tasty leaf salad due to the time of year, a variation of the vinaigrette can bring variety to what is possible as a salad at this time of year.

The lightest variation

The simplest variation: Stir a little sour cream (sour cream) and crème fraiche into the classic vinaigrette. Both are similar, but usually differ in fat content and consistency, so that a mixture usually produces the perfect consistency.

The taste can be further varied by adding fresh herbs: Finely chopped chives and or dill provide additional flavor and ensure that the last of the vinaigrette is enjoyed with a piece of bread and not a drop is left over.

You can rely on apples and kohlrabi

Fresh, young kohlrabi is a delight and adds variety to salads. Cut into fine rings or sticks, it benefits from a vinaigrette that uses apple cider vinegar and apple juice instead of white wine vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar (organic makes a big difference to the taste)

Apple juice

Maldon salt

White pepper

Honey

Apple

Natural lemon

Pine nuts

Mix the apple juice with Maldon salt, freshly ground white pepper, honey and apple juice and add the olive oil.

Mix the kohlrabi slices or sticks with the apple vinaigrette, arrange the wafer-thin apple slices on the plate, drizzled with lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown, and sprinkle with pine nuts that have been briefly roasted in a pan.

A nice Gorgonzola cheese and fresh baguette go perfectly with this. If the pine nuts are not available or seem to be priced at the gold price, you can also briefly heat up chopped hazelnuts in a pan and use them.

A plate like a garden

Even the garden isn’t really shining yet. To make sure there are radiant faces around the table, we tried out a recipe from our friends at Effilee: Royal Vegetable Salad.

We found it interesting that the vegetable pieces are served on a white bean cream. Not technically a salad dressing, but the description included all the things we love: White beans, parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice and anchovy fillets. It couldn’t be more umami and we were thrilled. Click here for the Effilee recipe.

This also makes it easy to do without the radiccio, which was priced at EUR 16 per piece at the market last week, and is a great way to pass the waiting time until spring.

Not just for the cherry blossom season

Even in Japan, our love child, people are waiting for spring and for the cherry trees to blossom. The weather forecast contains important information where the cherry blossoms have already begun to bloom.

A Japanese-inspired salad dressing is a must. We love this lukewarm salad made from soy noodles because it can be prepared quickly at home, tastes good and is filling.

Soba noodles (buckwheat noodles)

Spring onions

Coriander

Roasted sesame seeds

Sesame oil

Neutral oils

Honey

Soy sauce or tamara

We found it on the blog of a young Japanese woman who lives in San Francisco and has named her extensive blog (more self-consciously American than modestly Japanese): Just One Cookbook.

Click here for the soba noodle salad recipe.

So we look out into the rain, enjoy the change in salad dressing and look forward to spring and dream of Japan.

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Cover picture: Oil and balsamic vinegar © Mike Kemp, Alamy Stock Photo | Styles © GloriousMe.net