Recipe: Oil & Salt Salad
Oil, the miracle ingredient symbolizing the Jewish people’s survival in the Chanukah story, gets a star turn during Kislev. We also eat salty foods this month in deference to Judith. According to legend, Judith served the Assyrian general Holofernes salty foods to get him to drink lots of wine. The more wine he drank, the closer he was to passing out, and the closer Judith was to saving the Jewish people. (See the full story under Biblical Mammas).
Instead of yet another recipe for oily latkes, this month’s recipe offers a different way to use olive oil. And, in a nod to Judith’s victory strategy, this dish does not skimp on the salt.
Ingredients
1 head of lettuce, washed and torn
10 pitted olives, roughly chopped
1 tbsp roasted and salted sunflower seeds
1 persimmon, chopped to quarters
1/2 orange, peeled and chopped to quarters
3 slices stale bread
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp capers
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: juice of the remaining orange half
Preparation
1. Wash the lettuce and tear to pieces.
2. Soak bread slices in olive oil (about 3-4 tbsp total) for 10 minutes. Cut bread to rough cubes. Place cubes on tray in toaster oven or oven at 375 degrees. Bake until crispy, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.
3. In a serving bowl, pour 1 tbsp olive oil to better coat the lettuce. Add lettuce and mix with oil. Add olives, capers, permission, orange, sunflower seeds, and bread pieces. Mix well.
4. Add freshly ground pepper and salt to taste (Careful! The capers and olives already bring a strong salt game to this recipe). Optional: add the juice of the remaining half orange.
5. Mix well and serve.