Napa Cucumber Salad With Lemon Rosemary Dressing

Submitted by 3KillerBs

"The crunch of the bitterfree cucumbers, the sweetness of the jicama, the mild brassica note of the Napa, and the tang of the fruit combine to make a tasty, well-balanced salad as eye-catching as it is delicious. Lemon and rosemary make a fresh, lively dressing that goes particularly well with meals featuring fish or chicken. Some of the ingredients look a little exotic, but it goes together as easily as an ordinary coleslaw. An excellent choice for picnics and pot lucks. “Cooking” time is chilling time."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• 1 English cucumbers (see note) or 1 armenian cucumber, diced (see note)
• 1⁄2 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1⁄4 jicama, cut in julienne strips
• 1 tart apple, diced
• 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries
• 1⁄4 cup chopped walnuts
• salt & fresh ground pepper

• Dressing

• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
• 1⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary (very well crumbled)
• 1 pinch celery seed (see note)
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche

directions

1. Toss the vegetables and fruit together in a large salad bowl until well mixed.
2. Beat the dressing together well with a fork or a whisk and pour over the salad.
3. Allow to stand in the fridge for 1 hour.
4. Toss again to blend flavors well.
5. Garnish with walnut halves, dried cranberries, and a sprig of fresh rosemary if desired.
6. Note: English cukes and Armenian cukes are longer than standard slicers as well as completely free of bitterness. If you have neither you can substitute ordinary slicing cucumbers that have been peeled and, if necessary, seeded. You’ll need about 2-3 cups.
7. Note: The ‘Zaar database has several recipes for crème fraiche substitutes. Otherwise try substituting plain yogurt, buttermilk, or mayonnaise after the contest.

Reviews

[Studentchef]

I find that the salad was really good and crunchy. I really enjoyed the salad part, but found that the dressing part, although nice and a bit creamy, which is the kind of dressing I like, could have used a bit more flavour.

 

[Elmotoo]

This was fabulous! I did double the dressing as it didn't seem like enough to coat. We loved the combo of flavors & textures. Well done. Made for RSC #14. Good luck & thank you for posting!

 

[Bergy]

Very nice use of contest ingredients resulting in a crunchy tasty sald The cranberries & walnuts are a nice touch of color & flavor I used a Lemon (also known as an apple) cucumber they are very mild in the flavor. I may like to add some sweet onion to the salad. Good luck in the contest!

 

[PaulaG]

The recipe was made to serve with salmon burgers. The recipe was reduced considerably and I found that due to the way the ingredients list was written, reducing it presented some problems. It would have been helpful to have listed the ingredients with approximate cup or ounces. Also, I found the salad was a little to tart for my taste and ended up adding a small amount of sugar to the leftovers. If I were to make this again I would reduce the a mount of lemon juice and maybe still add in a pinch of sugar. A good use of the contest ingredients. Good luck in RSC #14.

 

[Susie D]

I thought this was the best use of jicama in the contest. It matched well with the other flavors and provided a welcome crunch. I liked the use of the dried cranberries & walnuts. They added a sweet note & color to the frilly cabbage. The dressing tastes "light" and clean. I did think it needs additional seasoning to complement the well placed veggies. It seemed to be missing that punch to take the salad higher. I ended up adding cracked black pepper at the table. I had made a half recipe, but still had leftovers. This salad tasted even better the second day & had held it's crispness surprisingly well. Good luck in the contest!