Summer is the season of salads. Salads for meals, salads for sides, salads for snacks. Pasta salads, grain salads, veggie salads, fruit salads, green salads, and yes, even Jell-O salads (a Minnesota Church Potluck classic you will always see at least two different versions of at any given gathering).
I have a couple pots of basil growing on my porch and have been loving it at my fingertips. Being able to pick it and rush it into the kitchen to use it at its absolute freshest is the meaning behind 'summer cooking'. I also had the end of a flat of blueberries that I got at the co-op direct from the grower. I love blueberries and basil together (Blueberry Basil muffins are darn close to my favorites with little bit of lemon zest in there...ooooh...tastes like summer!!) so any way I can use those flavors together is an ideal use of taste buds. Then I got to thinking...
A couple weeks ago, a friend/regular at my place of employment held their third annual music festival at her house. She lives out in the country surrounded by cornfields, has a large wide-open yard, a beautiful house, and lots of friends who are either musicians or know musicians. They play on a homemade stage with a hand-tie-dyed backdrop. People bring lawn chairs and blankets, food to share, coolers of beverages, and the mood to relax. Did I mention that there was lots of food? Salads, spicy pickled beans, grilled chicken, baked beans, lots of bars and cookies...perfect summertime food. One of the salads was interesting...quinoa with lots of vegetables and blueberries. Tasty, but there were things I would have changed about it. So, given a flat of blueberries and quinoa always on hand, I had my challenge. This is what I came up with. I love the fruitiness of white balsamic, but regular balsamic vinegar can also be used.
1c quinoa, rinsed and cooked, cooled
1c fresh blueberries
1/4c fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4c white balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt
5 cranks of black pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp sugar
1/4c olive oil
1/4c olive oil
Whisk together vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl to combine. Taste for acid/salt/sugar balance and adjust if needed. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Whisk in fresh basil. In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa and blueberries. Drizzle vinaigrette over quinoa/blueberry mixture. Gently fold to combine. Allow to sit covered in the refrigerator an hour before serving. This allows the vinaigrette to absorb into the quinoa, mellowing the sharpness of the vinegar.
This can be served as a side-dish (as I ate it) or as a light meal, served over a bed of spinach. Add lemon-basil grilled chicken if desired. Served with a nice glass of dryer white wine, what else would you need?! I wish blueberries and basil were in season all year round...
No comments:
Post a Comment