Best 4 Escarole Salad With Smoky Halloumi Croutons Recipes
Welcome to a culinary journey into the realm of flavors with our Escarole Salad with Smoky Halloumi Croutons. This delightful dish combines the essence of the Mediterranean with a touch of smokiness, resulting in a symphony of textures and tastes.
In this comprehensive guide, we will embark on a journey to create three exquisite recipes: the Escarole Salad, Smoky Halloumi Croutons, and a tangy Lemon-Tahini Dressing. Each element of this dish plays a crucial role in delivering a delightful and satisfying experience.
Our Escarole Salad forms the foundation of this dish, featuring the slightly bitter and peppery notes of escarole leaves. The addition of fresh herbs like parsley, dill, and mint infuses a burst of aromatic freshness, while crunchy walnuts and sweet dried cranberries add contrasting textures and flavors.
The highlight of this dish is the Smoky Halloumi Croutons. Pan-fried halloumi cheese, known for its unique squeaky texture and salty flavor, is infused with a smoky aroma through a clever technique. These croutons add a delightful smoky touch to the salad, elevating its taste profile.
Finally, the Lemon-Tahini Dressing brings everything together with its vibrant and tangy notes. A harmonious blend of lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and spices, this dressing adds a creamy and slightly tangy touch to the salad, balancing the flavors and creating an irresistible dressing.
As we delve into the recipes, you will discover step-by-step instructions, helpful tips, and variations to customize the dish to your liking. Whether you are a seasoned home cook or just starting your culinary adventure, this guide will empower you to create a stunning and delicious Escarole Salad with Smoky Halloumi Croutons. So, gather your ingredients, prepare your kitchen, and let's embark on this delightful journey together.
ESCAROLE SALAD
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories appetizer
Time 15m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 0
Steps:
- Make lemon-basil oil:
- Mix 1/3 cup olive oil, a strip of lemon zest, 8 torn basil leaves and a pinch of salt; infuse 2 hours. Soak 1/2 thinly sliced red onion in water for 10 minutes to mellow the bite. When ready to serve, toss 1 head chopped escarole, the onion slices, 2 sliced celery stalks, 3/4 cup chopped green olives and a few tablespoons olive juice, 2 segmented lemons and 1/4 cup each toasted pine nuts and golden raisins in a serving bowl. Discard the zest from the infused oil, drizzle over the salad and season with salt and pepper.
ESCAROLE SALAD
Provided by Jeff Mauro, host of Sandwich King
Categories side-dish
Time 10m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Whisk together the honey, whole grain mustard, lemon juice, and then stream in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the escarole.
CUCUMBER-TOMATO SALAD WITH SEARED HALLOUMI AND OLIVE OIL CROUTONS
This recipe, inspired by the Greek horiatiki salad, illustrates the power of good, fresh olive oil to make a dish taste bright and rich - and never oily. It's used here to toast the croutons, to infuse garlic into the dressing and to distribute the sweetness of ripe tomatoes throughout the salad. Finally, use it to pan-fry slices of halloumi and make this a vegetarian main course.
Provided by Julia Moskin
Categories dinner, lunch, quick, salads and dressings, vegetables, appetizer, main course, side dish
Time 40m
Yield 6 to 8 servings as an appetizer, 4 to 6 servings as an entree
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Make the croutons: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each slice of bread into 1-inch-wide strips. Tear each strip into 1-inch pieces, removing the crust as you go if it is very thick. Transfer to a large baking sheet (or use 2 sheets, if necessary to prevent crowding). Drizzle with olive oil and toss until evenly coated.
- Bake until golden brown and crunchy on the outside, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheet and turning the croutons halfway through so they brown evenly, and checking them every few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a light sprinkling of salt, if needed. Let cool on the baking sheet.
- Make the salad: In a colander in the sink, toss the cucumbers with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place a bag of ice cubes or an ice pack on top to chill and firm the cucumbers. Let drain while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Slice the halloumi about 1/4-inch thick, then cut into bite-size strips. Smash and peel the garlic cloves and combine with 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a small bowl to steep.
- Pour off excess liquid from the bowl holding the tomatoes. Add drained cucumbers, red onion or scallions, fresh herbs and 2 tablespoons vinegar to tomatoes and toss well. Remove and discard the garlic cloves from the extra-virgin olive oil, add the oil to tomatoes and mix well. (If desired, the salad can be made up until this point and refrigerated for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain off excess liquid in the bottom of the bowl before proceeding.)
- When ready to serve, add about half the croutons to the salad and toss so they can absorb the liquid. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar.
- Cook the halloumi: Line a plate with paper towels and lightly coat a nonstick skillet with extra-virgin olive oil. Heat oil over medium-high until rippling. Working in batches, cook the halloumi strips on both sides until golden-brown and crusty, about 1 minute per side. Remove to the plate to drain.
- Taste and add more croutons to salad as desired. (If there are too many, the salad will be starchy; too few, and it will be wet.) At the last minute, toss in the halloumi, add another good glug of extra-virgin olive oil, mix gently and serve immediately. (If desired, transfer to a clean bowl or platter for serving.)
CHICKEN AND ESCAROLE SALAD WITH ANCHOVY CROUTONS
Think of this salad as an umami-charged version of a classic Caesar. The central difference is that the egg yolk, which is typically emulsified into a creamy dressing, is plopped directly onto the lettuces, leaving you to break it and let it mingle with the salty, garlicky, lemony dressing, which is bolstered with a bit of soy sauce. (If the whole, raw egg yolks freak you out, swap them for jammy soft-boiled eggs or crispy fried eggs.) The true reason to make this salad, though, is that it's adorned with chicken-fat-laced anchovy croutons, made in the oven while the chicken finishes cooking. They are worth the price of admission.
Provided by Alison Roman
Categories dinner, lunch, weekday, poultry, salads and dressings, main course
Time 40m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook without moving until the pieces are golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to cook until well browned on the other side, another 5 to 8 minutes.
- Move the chicken to one side of the skillet and tilt the skillet a little so that the fat and drippings pool on one side. Add the anchovies and let them sizzle a bit to melt down. Add the croutons, along with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss them to coat in the anchovy-chicken fat.
- Place the skillet in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and croutons are golden brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk the grated garlic, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Place escarole and parsley in a large bowl or on a platter and dress with lemon-garlic mixture. Season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice if you like. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and shave some pecorino over the whole thing.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest a minute or two. Cut the meat off the bone and thinly slice. Place on top of the salad, along with the croutons. Top each serving with an egg yolk, if using, and more anchovies, if you like.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 544, UnsaturatedFat 26 grams, Carbohydrate 21 grams, Fat 35 grams, Fiber 6 grams, Protein 37 grams, SaturatedFat 7 grams, Sodium 981 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams, TransFat 0 grams
Tips:
- To save time, use store-bought croutons. If making your own, use stale bread to ensure a crispy texture.
- If you can't find smoked halloumi, you can use regular halloumi and add a dash of smoked paprika to the dressing.
- To make the dressing more flavorful, use a good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- If you don't have a mandoline, you can use a sharp knife to thinly slice the escarole.
- To make the salad more substantial, add some cooked quinoa or lentils.
Conclusion:
Escarole salad with smoky halloumi croutons is a delicious and healthy salad that is perfect for a light lunch or dinner. The escarole is bitter, the halloumi is salty and smoky, and the dressing is tangy and sweet. The combination of flavors and textures is simply irresistible. This salad is also very easy to make, and it can be tailored to your own taste preferences. For example, if you don't like bitter greens, you can use a milder lettuce such as romaine or butterhead. And if you don't like halloumi, you can use another type of cheese, such as feta or goat cheese.
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