The inspiration for this latest salad obsession arrived
courtesy of a catering delivery to our office that included this dish in all of
its green goodness. Crisp tender vegetables (sugar snap peas, broccoli and
edmame), vibrant color and lots of flavor - my only complaint was the heavy
dose of vinaigrette. The oily slick on the restaurant version makes you feel
like you are undoing all the good done by eating your greens. I absolutely
think this salad needs some sort of dressing and a bit of fat, but for me, a
drizzle of toasted sesame oil and a sprinkling of salt is sufficient to bring
out an earthy, delicious flavor.
Whatever you do, do not skip the blanching step. It makes
all the difference to get the vegetables just the slightest bit tender and it
certainly doesn’t hurt in preserving the vibrant green color. Blanching
traditionally includes a quick dunk in a bowl of ice water to arrest the
cooking, but here I opt for stirring in the frozen edamame after the vegetables
are drained. They help to quickly cool down the other vegetables, while the
residual heat from cooking thaws the edamame. If you prefer an ice bath, by all
means use the traditional method, but if you, like me, find yourself without an
ice maker and vast quantities of ice on hand, stirring in the edamame works
well here.
Eat Your Greens
Makes 2 Quarts
1 pound sugar snap peas
12 oz package broccoli florets
6 oz frozen, shelled edamame
2 – 3 T toasted sesame oil
Salt for cooking and to taste (Kosher – I use Diamond
Crystal)
Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a
boil. While the water is heating, prepare the vegetables.
Remove the stem-end of the sugar snap peas and if
desired, the string that runs the length of the pea. Cut the peas on the
diagonal into 1/4“ to 1/2“ segments. Roughly chop the broccoli florets.
Once the water comes to a boil, add a generous amount of
salt (at least 1 tablespoon). Add the sugar snap peas and broccoli to the water
and cook for two minutes. Drain the vegetables in a colander and stir for one
to two minutes to speed cooling. Add the frozen edamame and stir until the edamame
is thawed – an additional one to two minutes.
Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and stir in two
tablespoons of the sesame oil and salt generously. Taste the mixture and if the
sesame flavor is mild, add more to taste.
