The Marjoram Saga Continues
Remember this little plantling?
Due to some inconclusive results on the Marjoram Management Survey, I have decided to tackle the glut of marjoram head-on with every weapon in my arsenal. To kick things off today, the Unicyclist and I enjoyed a marjoram-themed lunch: grilled garlic focaccia with marjoram; Colorado River bean soup with mushrooms, herbs, and sundried tomatoes; and a salad of autumn greens, Asian pears, and toasted walnuts tossed with a French Dijon vinaigrette.
Oh, baby.
Let’s start with the salad.
It uses mizuna as a base, since we got a hearty bunch last time we picked up from Crooked Sky Farms, our CSA. It’s a mild Asian green with a nice, clean taste and crisp texture, which can be enjoyed raw or cooked. The other somewhat unusual ingredient, the Asian pear, was also part of our weekly CSA share. The Asian pear is a firm-fleshed fruit with the crispness of an apple but a subtle, slightly sweet flavor closer to that of a pear. If you don’t have mizuna or Asian pears in your neck of the wood, consider using spinach or arugula with regular pears or thin slices of apple. The other oddity is, of course, that the French Dijon vinaigrette has marjoram in it, which contributes a fresh, almost floral, taste. The flavors pair together well, and it was a light and tasty fall salad, very complementary to a steaming bowl of creamy soup and some hearty, whole-grain bread. (More on that later.)
Mizuna Salad with Asian Pear and a French Dijon Vinaigrette
First, make the French Dijon vinaigrette.
Ingredients (enough for leftovers):
1 T finely chopped shallot
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 c white Balsamic vinegar (Be warned–there’s a huge flavor difference between white Balsamic and regular Balsamic! I am a big fan of the white; the regular stuff is usually too intense for me when it comes to salad.)
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 t fresh marjoram, chopped or bruised
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
Mix the shallot and the mustard together, then whisk well with the vinegar. Add the olive oil while continuing to whisk. Finally, add the marjoram (chopping, tearing, or bruising the leaves helps release the flavor), and add salt and pepper to taste.
Next, prepare the salad.
Ingredients (makes enough for two salad lovers):
about 3 cups pf mizuna, washed and chopped
about 1/4 c finely sliced radicchio
one Asian pear, sliced thinly
2 T toasted walnuts (swizzle in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat until they brown and become fragrant)
2 T raisins
Toss the greens and radicchio together, then add the thin slices of Asian pear, the walnuts, and the raisins. Pour the desired amount of vinaigrette over your salad and enjoy! Store any dressing leftovers in a tightly-sealed container in the fridge and consume in a day or two for best results.
Tomorrow, the marjoram management continues with more delicious recipes. Stay tuned!
3 Comments so far
Leave a reply
can I come over for lunch?
[...] centerpiece of yesterday’s marjoram-themed lunch was a thick, creamy bean soup featuring herbs from our patio garden. This is a high-protein soup [...]
So when are you going to be my personal chef? I swear if I become rich someday I will hire you and pay you very very well. We will eat and eat and eat and become deliciously spoiled with good food.