Pickled jalapenos and vinegary brine boost avocado salad Loop Jamaica
Black Immigrant Daily News
One of the best ways to build flavour is layering or using one ingredient in two ways or at different stages of cooking.
Using the zest of a lemon in cake batter, for instance, while using the juice in a citrusy glaze.
It’s a technique we rely on often in our book COOKish, which limits recipes to just six ingredients without sacrificing flavour.
And it works particularly well with pickled jalape?os in this recipe for a simple salad with arugula and avocado.
The jalape?os themselves add juicy bursts of radiant heat, but we also treat the pickling liquid as a separate ingredient.
Using 1/4 cup of the liquid as the acid in the vinaigrette boosts the dressing’s flavour without needing additional vinegar.
Along with the avocado, pumpkin seeds offer enough richness to make the salad a light main course or pair it with sliced grilled skirt steak or hearty grains such as barley, farro or quinoa.
Arugula and avocado salad, drizzled with Jalape?o vinaigrette
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
3 to 4 tbsps pickled jalape?o slices, chopped, plus 1/4 cup pickling liquid
2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups lightly packed baby arugula
3 radishes, halved and thinly sliced OR 1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro OR 4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
2 ripe but firm avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Method
In a large bowl, whisk together the jalape?os and their liquid, the oil and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the arugula, radishes, cilantro and half of the pumpkin seeds, then toss. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the avocado. Transfer to a serving bowl, then sprinkle with the remaining pumpkin seeds.
By Christopher Kimball
NewsAmericasNow.com