Cooking Light salads - a farewell to summer

As the earth rotates around the sun and the tilt angle changes, summer begins to draw to an end. In the northern hemisphere the official end of summer every year is the 21st of September and autumn begins the very next day. I’m a summer kind of gal. I adore wearing colorful sundresses and sandals. We enjoy eating light dinners on our screened porch every evening, listening to the night sounds. Our herb garden is filled with varieties of basil, tomatoes, and bright zinnias and that brings me much happiness. Perhaps that might explain some of the reasons why we spent ten years living in a perpetual summer environment on a tiny tropical island in the Atlantic Ocean. So it stands to reason that I hang on tight to everything summer represents until the very last minute. When I saw these two salad recipes in the August issue of Cooking Light, I knew they would be the perfect way to bid a farewell to my old friend summertime.

The first salad is Proscuitto, Peach and Sweet Lettuce Salad. Fortunately for us our supermarket had a lovely selection of southern peaches when we went shopping this weekend. This is a fresh, no-cook entrée that only took a few minutes to put together. I substituted spinach for the sweet butter lettuce mix called for in the original recipe and used feta cheese instead of the ricotta salata. For my taste Cooking Light’s vinaigrette recipes frequently don’t use enough oil to balance the acid and you end up tasting only the acid component. I’ve always used three parts oil to one part vinegar (or lemon or lime juice) for a vinaigrette, so that’s what I did here. I suspect they reduce the amount of oil to save on the calories and fat count, but I’m more interested in the flavor and how it tastes.

Peaches and mint are fabulous together, so don’t leave out the fresh mint. I also peeled the peaches, primarily because I don’t care for the fuzzy feel the skin leaves on my tongue. Our supermarket had baby key limes, so I couldn’t resist buying a bag and using them in these vinaigrettes. Key limes contain tiny seeds, so be sure to remove them before squeezing. Although they are a bit more tart than Persian limes, feel free to use a Persian lime, or even a lemon for that matter, if key limes aren’t available.

Proscuitto, Peach and Spinach Salad
Adapted from Cooking Light – serves 4

Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed key lime juice
A good squirt of honey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

1 (5 oz) package of baby spinach
2 large ripe peaches cut into wedges
Coarse sea salt (French fleur de sel if you have it)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 ounces very thinly sliced proscuitto (best quality you can find)
4 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a screw top jar. Shake well and set aside. Put spinach and peach wedges in a large bowl, sprinkle with the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and toss gently. Arrange an equal serving of salad on four plates. Tear the proscuitto into one inch pieces and garnish the salad with the proscuitto and crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle the peaches with a bit more coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The second salad is Flank Steak Salad with Plums and Blue Cheese. I substituted a cut of meat called a London broil for the flank steak and we grilled it outdoors on our gas grill as opposed to cooking it inside in a skillet. This salad is a wonderful blend of flavors and the combination of steak and cheese can’t be beat. Again, I changed the vinaigrette to a three to one ratio of oil to acid.

Both recipes make an excellent light main-course worthy of company.

Steak Salad with Plums and Blue Cheese
Adapted from Cooking Light – serves 4

Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed key lime juice, seeds removed
A squirt of honey

1 pound London broil or flank steak, trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed key lime juice
1 (5 oz) package of baby arugula
Coarse sea salt (we like French fleur de sel)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 plums, thinly sliced
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a screw top jar. Shake well and set aside. Sprinkle the steak with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Combine the olive oil and lime juice in a small bowl. Rub on both sides of the steak and let it sit for a few minutes while your grill heats up.

Heat a gas or charcoal grill. Cook steak on the grill until it’s reached your desired degree of doneness. Remove the steak, cover, and set it aside to rest for about ten minutes. Put the arugula in a large bowl, toss with the vinaigrette and season with the coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide the salad equally among four plates. Thinly slice the steak and add it to the plates along with the sliced plums and blue cheese. Sprinkle the steak and plums with a bit more coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.