Down-to-earth salads - recipes

Sunset, Nov, 1988

A sweet earthiness predominates in these winter vegetable salads. Steaming brings out the vegetables' flavors; the turn of your knife gives them geometric shapes.

For the first, serve rutabaga matchsticks, seasoned with a sweet and sour Oriental sauce, over sauteed kale. Cooked, pureed turnips and tahini make a mellow dip for raw carrot and turnip ovals. In the third recipe, sweet cubes of butternut squash balance a hot-tart dressing and slightly bitter greens.

Oriental-style Rutabagas and Kale

2 rutabagas (about 11/4 lb. total)

1/2 pound Chinese link sausages (lop

cheong) or pepperoni, thinly sliced crosswise

3/4 pound kale (tough stems removed),

cut into 2-inch pieces, rinsed and drained

Seasoning sauce (recipe follows)

Peel rutubagas, slice 1/4 inch thick, then stack a few slices at a time and cut into 1/4inch-wide strips.

Pour about 1/2 inch water into a 3- to 4quart pan. Place a steaming rack at least 3/4 inch above bottom of pan, cover, and bring water to a boil over high beat. Add rutabagas; cover and steam until almost tender to bite, 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, place sausages in a 10- to 12inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until meat begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels.

Add kale and 2 tablespoons water to frying pan. Cover and cook until greens wilt, 2 to 3 minutes; stir once or twice. Lift greens onto a platter. Drain rutabagas; add to seasoning sauce with sausages and mix. Spoon sauce mixture over kale. Serve warm or cool. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Per serving: 96 cal; 3.3 g protein; 9.3 g carbo.; 5.2 g fat; 5.8 mg chol.; 302 mg sodium. Seasoning sauce. In a large bowl, mix 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) and seasoned rice vinegar or white wine vinegar; I tablespoon each soy sauce, Oriental sesame oil, minced fresh ginger, and mirin (sweet rice wine) or dry sherry; and 1 teaspoon sugar.

Turnip-Tahini Dip with Crisp Vegetables

4 medium-sizeturnips(aboutl3/41b.

total)

1/4 cup canned tahini (sesame butter)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and pepper

2 large carrots

Thin carrot shreds (optional) Peel turnips. Cut 3 into 1 -inch chunks. Pour about 1/2 inch water into a 3- to 4quart pan. Place a steaming rack at least 3/4 inch above pan bottom; cover pan and bring water to a boil over high heat. Add turnip chunks; cover and steam until turnips are very tender to bite, about 15 minutes.

Drain turnips, then place in a blender or food processor with tahini and lemon juice. Whirl until smoothly pureed, stopping motor several times to scrape mixture into blade. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scrape into a bowl. If desired, cover and chill up until next day.

Cut remaining turnip in quarters, then cut into thin vertical slices. Cut carrots into thin, 2- to 3-inch-long diagonal slices. Arrange turnip and carrots on a platter. Serve with dip, garnished with carrot shreds. Makes 7 or 8 servings.

Per serving: 78 cal.; 2.3 g protein; 9.4 g carbo.; 4. 2 g fat,- 0 mg chol. ; 72 mg sodium.

Hot and Sour Squash with Dandelion Greens

1/2 cup slivered red onion

2 pounds butternut, kabocha

(Japanese), or Hubbard squash

1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, cored,

and cut lengthwise into thin slivers

1 teaspoon grated lime peel

1/2 cup each lime juice and salad oil

1 teaspoon crushed dried hot red

chilies

1/2 pound dandelion greens (tough ends

trimmed), rinsed and crisped

Salt and pepper

Place onion in a small bowl with ice water to cover; set aside. Peel squash and remove seeds. Cut flesh into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes. Pour about 1/2 inch water into a 3to 4-quart pan, Place a steaming rack at leaSt 3/4 inch above pan bottom; cover, then bring water to a boil over high heat. Add squash; cover and steam until squash is tender to bite, about 10 minutes. Add bell pepper; steam, covered, just until limp, about 1 minute. Drain vegetables, immerse in cold water just until cool, and drain. Drain onion.

In a large bowl, gently mix squash and bell pepper with onion, lime peel and juice, oil, and chilies. Arrange a few dandelion leaves on a platter. Shred remaining greens; put on platter and top with squash mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If made ahead, cover and hold up to 2 hours. Serves 6 to 8.

Per serving: 142 cal.; 1.8 g protein; 15 g carbo.; 9.4 g fat; 0 mg chol. ; 25 mg sodium.