Tossing arugala onto cooked food is not unusual; in that case it is wilted, not roasted.
My point is, roasting is a lazy way to serve vegetables, and this is a bread “salad”. There is no reason to roast the greens, other than it makes the food seem hipper and more trendy, while not requiring the kitchen to do munch more than throw some greens in the oven.
It takes more precision to provide properly sourced, cleaned, and torn greens in a salad. It also requires fresh greens.
Roasting is an easy way to hide inferior product, or serve vegetables that that are old or out of season. Which is fine, but I can do that at home with my own wilted carrots and mustard greens.
Not sure why your are objecting. I made the salad several times with fresh greens. Loved it. When my daughter went there and they served roasted greens I tried it. Roasted Greens (Kale, Mustard Greens, Chard, Broccoli Rabe, Collards) | delectable I loved it as well. Have been incorporating roasted greens into many recipes since.
I grow my own greens. Pretty sure they are not inferior (last year’s picture - red mustard greens and tot-soi this year are so much better - and they roast well).
I use JIm Lahey’s bread for the bread. Make it a day ahead and let it stale. So good. I confess to spatchcocking the chicken a la J Kenji Lopez-Alt, but this is my favorite meal to cook evah. Oh yes I also use schmaltz instead of olive oil on the bread. Schmaltz is the best tasting fat there is. And I am a goy…
That’s lovely. It’s home cooking, I occasionally do it myself.
I don’t agree with Zuni cafe charging $48 for a roast chicken and salad dish at a restaurant where they decide to serve sheet-pan shortcuts as a substitute for the original, lovely salad.
Not going to argue with that. I never ate at the Zuni. Used to walk by it going to my fiancee’s house (now my wife of 29 years). It smelled great. I was working in a homeless shelter and had no money. Judy Rodger’s cookbook is one of the few I have read cover to cover. I think it is such a tragedy that she died so young. I was thrilled that I could now afford to send my daughter and her boyfriend there for a romantic dinner. If they charge $48 for roast chicken and bread salad and I pay $40 for a burger and two beers in the Valley…its not such a big difference. Although I did send a bottle of wine…she is my only child…and the roasted greens are an improvement as much as I hate to admit anything could improve on what Judy did.
As you can see the greens are the least of the “salad.”
"Tip the bread salad into the salad bowl. It will be steamy-hot, a mixture of soft, moist wads, crispy-on-the-outside-but-moist-in-the-middle-wads, and a few downright crispy ones. Drizzle and toss with a spoonful of the pan juices. Add the greens, a drizzle of vinaigrette, and fold well. "
I won’t pass judgment on your vegetables but I don’t roast subpar ones. Those I’m more likely to stir fry or use as pizza toppings. I roast vegetables a fair amount and I think it incredibly enhances the flavor. YMMV.
Could you elaborate some on that please? Some of the family is coming in for the weekend and I’m thinking that would be really good. Especially since I’m in the mood for the bread salad
Yeah. I was more concerned about over cooking. But they’re so small I’m not sure there’s any place to put the thermometer that would be accurate. But, again, thanks, ipse.
Ooh, like that. Thanks again. I’m so looking forward to the grands getting older and more adventuresome but this sounds like a winner for all three generations!
You probably don’t like roasted vegetables, preferring them sautéed or braised, and that’s alright. There are plenty of lazy vedg. roasting recipes on the internet to back you up. But I must contest this blasphemy!
Every cook thinks they can roast vegetables easily. Take a bunch of root vegetables tossed in oil and bake them on a sheet pan, at the same temp, the same amount of time, for uneven not-goodness. Don’t get it twisted. Roasting mixed vegetables properly is not easy, which is why most are bad. All vegetables cannot be roasted at the same time, at the same temp. It requires at least two roasting/sheet pans, cutting each vedg the proper size, and knowing when to combine all, for caramelized, starchy goodness. Who the heck feels like that? Me… sometimes.
For the salad folks: Let them sit until room temp, toss w/a sweeter white balsamic, mild-oil, dijon mustard-y vinaigrette, add arugula, then gently toss again… toasted walnuts are great. Maybe a crumble of goat cheese.
I never thought of using old out-of-season vegetables. But, don’t knock it. Some of the worlds best recipes come from folks who didnt have access to fresh foods.
I you. But I must speak out on this insult to roasted vegetables!
P.S. For disclosure sake: I do all that for special occasions. Normally I just select veggies that require the same cook time & temp . But I do love me some roasted vegetables.
I do kinda what you do except all on one baking sheet. Just adding them at different times. Still feeling my way along with timing. But especially in winter, when our choices are fewer roasted vegetables make a regular appearance.
I cooked some chicken thighs like duck breast in a carbon steel pan skin side down. Let them render for about 15 minutes in medium low until golden brown.
Added some garlic cloves to the pan, flipped thighs skin side up and popped into a 450F convection oven on the middle rack. Roasted for 15 minutes.
The skin blistered and became light and airy in texture.
but I don’t roast subpar ones. Those I’m more likely to stir fry or use as pizza toppings. I roast vegetables a fair amount and I think it incredibly enhances the flavor. YMMV.
you. But I must speak out on this insult to roasted vegetables!
. But I do love me some roasted vegetables.