Occasionally, in the depths of
winter, I teach a salad class. I know
that salad is more of a spring or summer topic, but I find that in the
winter—despite the fact that we generally want hearty braises, soups, stews and
casseroles—there is a genuine craving for things that are fresh and raw. A salad is the obvious way to satisfy this
craving and there are a surprising number of winter ingredients that can easily
fill this niche: kale, chicories
(Belgian endive, frisée, radicchio, and escarole), grated/julienned root vegetables (like
carrots, celeriac and beets), cabbages of all kinds…as well as apples, pears
and the wide variety of citrus fruits that flood the market every winter. The aim of the class is to encourage people
to think about ways to create fresh, seasonal, winter salads.
But of course
“salads” can also be hearty and filling.
I think of roasted vegetable platters, grain salads, barely wilted greens that are doused in vinegar to give them a salad like feel, shell bean
salads and pasta salads. Like salads in
general, the latter category is also something that comes to mind mostly in
relation to summer. But a bowl of room
temperature pasta, tossed with a savory dressing and roasted or blanched winter
vegetables, can be every bit as much of a salad as the summer versions.
For years I taught a
pasta salad that included a walnut-parsley pesto and roasted carrots and
cauliflower. It was a fine dish…but it
was best when freshly made. The roasted
cauliflower didn’t really hold very well in the fridge. I really wanted the pasta salad that I did
for the class to be one that could hold overnight (or even longer) in the
fridge. So this year, as I was getting
ready to teach the class, I decided to look around at what other cooks and
chefs were creating with pasta and pesto during the winter months.
Although I was
looking for pesto, I was intrigued by and stopped to take a more in depth look
at Deb Perelman’s Pasta salad with roasted carrots and sunflower seed dressing. I discovered that the sunflower seed dressing
was actually a carrot-top pesto! Since
my salad already included carrots, I thought this was perfect. For my improved winter pasta salad, I
jettisoned the roasted cauliflower in my old recipe in favor of shredded roast
chicken and decided to use the carrot top pesto that I make with pistachios
instead of Perelman’s sunflower seed version.
I loved the way this
salad turned out. It is balanced and
savory…and satisfying without making you feel stuffed (or like you need a long
winter’s nap). Best of all, like all
good pasta salads, it is even better the next day.
Winter Pasta Salad with Roasted Chicken, Carrots & Carrot Top Pesto
Carrot Top Pesto:
2 c. (2 oz.) lightly packed carrot
tops (Before measuring the carrot
tops, trim the feathery fronds away from the thick, ropey stems. Discard
the stems and use the tops only.)
a handful (1 oz.) of arugula
1/2 c. shelled pistachios, lightly
toasted
1/2 to 3/4 t. kosher salt
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and smashed to a purée with a pinch of salt
2/3 c. olive oil...plus more if needed to get preferred consistency
1/3 c. (1 oz.) finely grated Parmesan
Place the carrot tops, arugula, pistachios,
garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the food processor and process until
everything is finely and uniformly chopped. With the machine
running, drizzle in the olive oil. Scrape down the
sides. Add the Parmesan and pulse to combine. Taste and
correct the seasoning with salt and lemon juice if necessary. If the
pesto seems too tight, drizzle in a bit more oil. Store in the
refrigerator in a jar with a tight fitting lid and filmed with oil. Makes 1 1/4 cups pesto.
Salad:
1 large (about 12 oz.) split chicken breast
olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 lb. carrots, topped, tailed and peeled
3/4 lb. gemelli or penne pasta
3/4 c. (200g.) carrot top pesto (about 2/3 of the
recipe)
1 T. lemon juice (or to taste)
2 handfuls (about 2 oz.) arugula
Grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 475°.
Rub the chicken with a light coating of olive oil and
season generously with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken in a baking dish and place in the oven, roasting until the skin is crisp and
golden and an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reads
150° to 155°—about 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let sit until cool enough to
handle. Deglaze the baking pan with a
couple of tablespoons of water. Set
aside. When the chicken has cooled,
remove the skin and bones and discard.
Shred the meat into long strips about 1/2-inch wide. You should have about 2 cups shredded
chicken.
 |
| If you can find them, tri-color carrots are beautiful in this dish. |
If carrots are fatter than 3/4-inch in diameter, halve
or quarter lengthwise. Cut the carrots
in scant 1/2-inch slices on a diagonal (so that they are roughly the length of
the pasta). Place the carrots in a large
bowl. Season to taste with salt &
pepper. Add enough olive oil to lightly
coat the carrots (about 2 T.). Toss to
coat, and spread on a rimmed baking sheet.
Roast in a 475° oven until tender and caramelized/charred in spots,
stirring once—about 20 minutes. Set the
vegetables aside until ready to assemble the salad.
Cook the pasta in 6 quarts
of rapidly boiling water seasoned with 2 T. salt. Stir occasionally and cook until the pasta is
just al dente. Drain, reserving some of
the pasta cooking water. Spread the
pasta on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with a tablespoon or so of olive
oil. Set aside until ready to assemble
the salad.
To assemble the salad, place
the carrots, chicken and pasta in a large bowl.
Toss to combine. Place the pesto
in a small bowl and thin with 3 or 4 T. of the chicken pan deglazings and pasta
water. Pour over the pasta salad and
toss the pasta salad until all the ingredients are evenly dressed with the
pesto sauce.
If the pasta salad seems
"tight" add more pasta water or olive oil. Taste and correct the seasoning with the
lemon juice, salt, pepper or more pesto.
Add the arugula and toss again.
Serve at room temperature, garnished with Parmesan.
Serves 4 to 6.
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