rosura salad

limeMexican crema

A salad to dress and impress

I have come to realize a couple things regarding a group get together around here.

For one thing pot lucks are so popular. Maybe it’s because they can make entertaining easier and promote a warm feeling of collaboration. I don’t remember many pot luck meals growing up in Mexico. It was generally assumed that the host was in charge of the whole meal and guests arrived with a box of chocolates, a bunch of flowers, or maybe a bottle of wine or tequila too. So that pot luck pitching in element, has been such a nice surprise.

Secondly, no potluck seems to be complete without a salad, which seems to represent the wholeness of a meal and that higher degree of healthfulness. They aren’t always that fat-free. But in any case, they help reduce the guilt we all may feel after indulging in a couple of servings of whatever decadent dish may happen to be there too. Now I just can’t remember having a salad growing up, come what may, in every gathering either. There were vegetable sides, but not always salads. When there were, they either had a welcome exotic twist,  or a to die for “secret” house vinaigrette. And yes! The host would spell out the “secret” with any given opportunity.

As much as pot lucks are based on great principles, they can be damaged if participants think that whatever they bring works out well, just because they are bringing “something.” But here’s the thing, you are not helping much if the main dish is an Indian curry and the salad you walk in with has a creamy, garlicky and heavily parmesanned dressing.

Two ideas come to mind to try make that next pot luck a success. One, someone can be in charge of informing everyone of what others are planning to bring with a bit of detail. If that seems like a hassle, then pick a theme. Just to make sure there are no guns and roses on the table. Another idea, goes to the salad bearer. Instead of a pre mixed salad bag splashed with a random bottled vinaigrette, why not make a flavorful, exotic and wholesome salad? This will pump up the quality of the meal, make the health-minded happier and give the salad maker a ton more satisfaction.

Here, let me give you a salad that you can brag about and then happily devour. One of the most popular salads I have shared in class, it has also prompted a next day email to ask for the recipe whenever we have served it to friends at home. If you bring it to your next pot luck, it will make that table where you set it on, wish it had a mouth to eat it all up.

The original recipe comes from Marí­a Dolores Torres Izabal, one of the leading ladies of the Mexican culinary world and a woman I admire so. As the years have passed, I have adapted it.

jicama

Just the combination of ingredients is exciting enough. It has the depth of the spinach, the tanginess and strong color of the raw beets, the crispness of the typically ignored cabbage, the sharpness of the red onion, the sweetness and chewiness of the dried pineapple or acitrón, and the wonderful crunch, and clean and fresh feel of the jí­camas.

I found the freshest jí­camas today, as you can see in the picture above, though the weather didn’t help much for a good picture (I need a lot more help than a sunny day for that)

This mix of ingredients is first lightly covered in a light oil and vinegar dressing, just to get ready for a luxurious embrace from the creamy Mexican avocado sauce. Now add the flavor of toasted sesame seeds and the satisfying bite you get out of the croutons. Just can’t go wrong.

Oh, and it is practical too, since everything can be prepped at least a day ahead, refrigerated and assembled before serving.

Rosaura Salad

Adapted from Marí­a Dolores Torres Izabal

Recipe Yield

12 servings

Cooking time

45 minutes

Rate this recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove pressed or finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
  • 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Avocado dressing:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 cup Mexican crema
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

To serve:

  • 5 cups (or about 1 pound) thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 3 cups peeled and shredded raw beets from about 2 beets
  • 5 cups (or about 8 ounces) spinach rinsed and thinly sliced
  • 5 cups jícama peeled and cut into small sticks (from about 1 jícama)
  • 1/4 of a white onion thinly sliced
  • 3 ounces candied pineapple or other candied fruit
  • 1 cup croutons
  • 1/2 cup lightly toasted sesame seeds

To Prepare

For the vinaigrette:

  • Add the vinegar, garlic, chopped onion, salt, and sugar to a small bowl, then whisk in the oils to emulsify.

For the avocado dressing:

  • Place milk and garlic in a blender and puree. Add the lime juice, crema, avocados and salt to taste and blend until smooth. Pour avocado dressing in a bowl and stir in the chives. 

To serve:

  • Combine the cabbage, beets, spinach, jícama, onion and dried pineapple or dried fruit in a salad bowl. 
  • Lightly dress the salad with some of the vinaigrette. Place the salad on the table and leave the avocado dressing, croutons and toasted sesame seeds on the side for people to add as they please.  

Comments

11comments inA salad to dress and impress

  1. Arden

    Nov 17

    Can the dressing be made ahead of time?

    1. Pati Jinich

      Nov 21

      I do not recommend to make it more than a couple of hours in advance because it has avocado and you know how it tends to darken a bit Arden 😉 In any case, keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.

  2. Michelle

    Dec 10

    Dear Pati. Is there a substitute for Mexican crema – unable to source this product where I live. Oh and love love love your show.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Dec 10

      Thank you, Michelle! Depending on the dish, if it is used for a topping, you can substitute it for sour cream or creme fraiche. Or if it is used for cooking, I prefer to substitute it for regular heavy cream.

  3. Maggie

    Mar 12

    Definitely I will make this salad. It has some of my favorites vegetables, beets, avocados and jicama. For the avocado dressing it ask for mexican cream I can’t find good quality mexican cream in the supermarkets. I usually make ” creme fraiche ” (Julia Child recipie) that calls for heavy cream and yogurt. The taste is similar to the mexican style. However to make the dressing lighter I was thinking in using just Yogurt. I will let you know the family reviews 🙂 thank you for all your great recepies.

    1. Pati

      Mar 12

      Please do let me know!

  4. Meg

    Feb 06

    I don’t like raw cabbage; my husband doesn’t like beets (raw or cooked), so I substituted 3 cups romaine and 5 cups iceberg (for the crunch). Worked like a charm!

    I serve this with simply grilled chicken breasts or all by itself!

  5. Marilyn

    Jun 26

    Dear Pati, The Rosaura Salad lists an ingredient as 1/4 tarragon white wine vinegar. My question is this… Is there a product known as tarragon white wine vinegar? I ask because I have never seen it. Could it possibly be 2 ingredients placed onto the same line? Also, is the measurement in cups or teaspoons?

    1. Kim

      Jan 04

      There is tarragon white wine vinegar.

      1. ann p.

        Apr 30

        If you can’t find tarragon flavored white wine vinegar, take a white vinegar and add about a Tablespoon of fresh tarragon leaves to a cup of vinegar (if you only have dried tarragon, use about 2 teaspoons unless the tarragon is old and faded, in which case use more.)

  6. Charles

    May 27

    Just testing the comments again… but that salad looks delicious!

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