Recipe: Farmers Market Salad with Fava Tendrils

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Today on Good Food, Laura Avery interviews Mike Garber, Executive Chef at Mohawk Bend, about his Farmers Market Salad with Fava Tendrils. It’s a market inspired salad with mixed baby lettuces, pickled crosnes, sautéed fava tendrils, glazed carrots, roasted cauliflower, and spring onion vinaigrette. Mike is experimenting with fava tendrils from McGrath Farms. Keep reading for the full recipe and find out where to go to find each ingredient…

Farmers Market Salad with Fava Tendrils

3-4 each mixed baby lettuces from windrose farms

1-2 weiser farms carrots

small handful of weiser farms crosnes

1-2 baby purple cauliflower from mcgrath farms

small handful fava tendrils from mcgrath

1 bunch large spring onions

1 clove garlic

sugar

champagne vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

For the vinaigrette:

Chop the spring onions, keeping the whites and greens separate.

Sautee the whites in a good amount of olive oil over medium heat. Cook until soft.

Add the greens to the pan and cook for 1 minute more.

Put all in a blender with a little more olive oil and a splash of champagne vinegar, salt and pepper.

Vinaigrette should be thick and somewhat sweet.

For the crosnes:

Wash the crosnes well.

Heat about 1 cup champagne vinegar in a saucepan with half cup of sugar and a little salt. Bring just to the boil. Pour over crosnes while still hot.

For the carrots:

Thinly slice carrots on a mandolin or with a peeler.

Heat a little salted water in a sauce pan, just enough to cover the bottom.

When boiling, add sliced carrots and about ¼ cup sugar and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the water is reduced.

For the cauliflower:

Cut the baby cauliflower in half or if using large, cut into smaller pieces. Toss in olive oil, salt, and a pinch of chile flakes.

Roast on a sheet pan in the oven @350 until lightly browned, about 8-10 mins

For the tendrils:

Mince 1 clove of garlic and sautee in a good amount of olive oil on low-meduium heat. When the garlic starts to brown, add tendrils. Turn of heat and stir a bit to wilt. Remove from heat.

To assemble:

Be creative! I like using a long, rectangular plate.

Season lettuces with a little of the dressing.

Put a line of dressing on the plate. Align all the ingredients on the plate however looks best…a little greens here, a slice of carrot there. A piece or two of roasted cauliflower etc. I like to plate it so you can see all of the ingredients, but also so you get a mix of flavors and textures in each bite.