Bluedot Living will regularly run recipes and tips from Pascale Beale, the popular Santa Barbara-based chef, teacher, and cookbook author.
Beale has long been a proponent of cooking with in-season ingredients. “Anyone who has eaten a mealy, bland tomato in winter compared to a sun-ripened juicy tomato in the summer can taste the difference eating seasonally makes,” Beale told Bluedot contributing editor Catherine Walthers in this conversation. “Every season has its own stars, I believe it’s worth waiting for them.”
She is also passionate about using every last bit of food in your pantry, and in her regular cooking classes (available online), she stresses to make the most of what you’ve already got. “There is so, so much food waste,” she told Walthers. “Learn to make the most of leftovers, the carcass from a roast chicken kept to make stock for example. I like to do something called a TDF (Tour de Frigidaire), something made out of all the little bits and pieces left in the fridge.”
This recipe first appeared on Beale’s website, where she wrote:
“I make a lot of salads because I love them. I eat them every day. Every now and then, I’ll make a salad and think, ‘Ooh, this one is very special.’ This is one of those salads. The creamy vinaigrette with the blueberries, mint and watercress is zesty and fresh. During the photo shoot for this book, my good friend Sherry wrote a note in the margin of the prep page that said ‘Incredible!’ Thank you, Sherry.”
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RECIPE: Endive and Blueberry Salad
- Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 Belgian endives — ends trimmed and leaves carefully separated
- 2 bunches watercress — stems trimmed
- 8 oz (1½ cups) blueberries
- Small handful mint leaves — left whole
- 4 tablespoons chives — finely chopped
- Zest of 2 lemons
For the vinaigrette:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 oz feta
- Pinch coarse sea salt
- 4–5 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chives
Instructions
For the salad:
- Arrange 8-9 endives leaves in a petal-like pattern on each plate.
- Center equal portions of watercress onto the endive leaves.
- Scatter the blueberries and mint leaves on the plated salads and sprinkle with the chives and lemon zest.
- When ready to serve, drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette.
For the vinaigrette:
- Mix all of the ingredients with an immersion blender to form a smooth vinaigrette. For a slightly chunky version, mash the feta with a fork and whisk in the remaining ingredients.
