Home >> Lifestyle: Healthy Cooking:

An All-American Salad to Start the Feast by Dana Jacobi for The American Institute for Cancer Research

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, the request I receive most often is for first-course menu ideas. Usually I recommend starting with either soup or a salad.

The most popular holiday soups feature favorite seasonal vegetables, particularly sweet potatoes, winter squash or pumpkin. You can also opt for a simple pureed chestnut soup, made by simmering chopped shallots and pre-cooked chestnuts with some chicken broth and thyme, then blending with milk until the soup is velvet-smooth. For garnish, add a tangle of thinly sliced leeks, browned in a touch of butter until they are almost crisp.

For a lighter soup, try a combination of aromatic vegetables (carrots, onions, celery, etc.), plus chopped apple and cranberries, simmered in turkey broth until soft. Once pureed, this ruby red soup, which is similar to a consommé, is slightly tart.

When making a starter salad, baby spinach leaves are a perfect fit for the season’s wintery mood. To make them more festive, scatter on dried cranberries and toasted pecans, then toss with a mustard-maple vinaigrette. For a more sophisticated combination, arrange fresh pomegranate seeds and thin slices of Fuyu persimmon – an exotic, tangy tomato-shaped fruit – on top of the spinach, and then drizzle on a balsamic dressing made with walnut oil.

This year, I am choosing the salad route myself, making Celery Victor, a grand American classic. Its creation is usually credited to Victor Hertzler, the chef at San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel at the turn of the 20th Century. Simmering celery hearts in a rich broth, then chilling them in a brisk citrus-and-olive oil marinade elevates their flavor. They are then tossed with chopped pimiento or roasted red pepper, dressed with some of the marinade and served on a bed of Romaine lettuce.

This version of Celery Victor, sure to be a conversation starter, is a light, boldly flavored prelude to your turkey and all its trimmings.

Celery Victor - Makes 4 servings.

• 4 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 carrot, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 1 whole garlic clove, peeled and smashed
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 4 parsley sprigs
• 1 large celery heart
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 (jarred) pimientos or roasted red peppers
• 8 large Romaine lettuce leaves
• 2 tsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp. capers, drained, rinsed and finely chopped

Place broth, carrot, garlic, onion and parsley in deep, medium skillet. Cover, and over medium-high heat, bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Quarter celery heart lengthwise. Cut off and discard leaves, except those on smallest, innermost ribs. Add celery to hot broth. Cover, and simmer until celery is almost tender, 5-8 minutes. The outer ribs should be flexible, not floppy. Cool celery in cooking liquid until lukewarm.

In one-gallon, resealable plastic bag, combine lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of cooking liquid, salt and pepper. Add oil, then celery. Seal bag and marinate celery in refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours. Strain remaining broth and reserve for another use.

Cut marinated celery crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Coarsely chop pimientos and combine with celery.

To serve, make a bed of lettuce on a plate. Mound celery and pimento mixture atop lettuce leaves and spoon few spoonfuls of marinade on top. Sprinkle on parsley and capers, and serve immediately.

Per serving: 80 calories, 5 g total fat (<1 g saturated fat), 8 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 3 g dietary fiber, 380 mg sodium.

AUTHOR:

“Something Different” is written by Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer charity that fosters research on the relationship of nutrition, physical activity and weight management to cancer risk, interprets the scientific literature and educates the public about the results. It has contributed more than $86 million for innovative research conducted at universities, hospitals and research centers across the country. AICR has published two landmark reports that interpret the accumulated research in the field, and is committed to a process of continuous review. AICR also provides a wide range of educational programs to help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. Its award-winning New American Plate program is presented in brochures, seminars and on its website, www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.

ARTICLE POSTED NOVEMBER 16, 2008

• print this page