On the first night of Passover, cookbook author Jake Cohen places a spoonful of this delightful salad — which is great anytime, really — on his seder plate to stand in for the leaf of romaine lettuce, or hazeret, the second bitter herb symbolizing Jewish bondage in Egypt. He makes enough for everyone, so guests have something besides matzo to nibble on while answering the four questions.
The recipe, featured in Cohen’s debut cookbook, “Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30), offers a tip regarding meal prep: If you make the dressing in advance and store it in the fridge, it will thicken up. Simply thin it out with a little hot water until you can drizzle it, then adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Little Gem Salad with Pickled Celery and Tahini Dressing
Serves 8 to 10
Pickled celery:
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
6 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced on an angle, ¼-inch thick
Dressing:
½ cup tahini
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
2 pounds (6 large heads) Little Gem lettuce, trimmed and quartered
4 red radishes, thinly sliced
¾ cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
¼ cup celery leaves (light green and yellow leaves only)
Directions
For the pickled celery: In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, coriander and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over high heat and cook until the sugar and salt have dissolved, about 2 minutes. Place the celery in a heatproof bowl and pour the brine over it. Let cool completely.
For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the pickled celery brine, the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
For the salad: Drain the pickled celery, reserving the extra brine, if desired for future batches of salad dressing. Arrange the lettuce quarters on a platter with the sliced radishes. Drizzle liberally with the dressing, then top with the pickled celery and hazelnuts. Garnish with the celery leaves, then serve.
— Jake Cohen, “Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30)
