Before spring and summer fruits arrive, we harness the color and flavor these rosy oranges to bring pizzazz to a green salad. Pink grapefruit works, too.

The concept may seem unusual if one’s mind separates vegetable salads from fruit salads. But replace cherry tomatoes with oranges or pink grapefruit, and your salad will taste much brighter. Berries also add a lift to green salad, but the lively acidity of oranges and grapefruit do a better job.
We took a wonderfully refreshing summer salad from THE NIBBLE’s consulting chef Eric Dantis, and turned it into a something that brightens up a chilly March day.

The flesh of blood oranges ranges from pink to deep rose, above. Photo courtesy Melissas.com.

The original recipe follows. “If you want to keep it simple,” says Chef Eric, “just dice up some tomatoes and an equal amount of watermelon and toss with some basil and good sea salt for a super refreshing, clean salad.”

This side salad contains blood oranges, onion
and strawberries. It’s a refreshing side to any
savory dish. Photo by Jerry Deutsch | THE
NIBBLE.

TOMATO & WATERMELON SALAD, WITH
SUBSTITUTIONS
As tomatoes and watermelon are not yet at their prime, we substituted blood oranges and strawberries in this recipe. That may seem like a lot of substituting, but the lesson is: Don’t be afraid to substitute any ingredients. You may well discover a favorite new combination.

Ingredients Per Serving

1. MIX halved cherry tomatoes with watermelon cubes in a medium-sized bowl.

2. STIR in basil and onion.

3. SEASON with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil to taste.

4. STIR in balsamic vinegar.

5. TOP with optional ham and/or cheese, for a sweet and savory bite (this can turn a side salad into a luncheon salad).

5. SERVE immediately.
NOTES

 
FIND MORE REFRESHING SALAD RECIPES IN OUR GOURMET VEGETABLES SECTION.

For St. Patrick’s Day, New York City’s historic Grand Central Oyster Bar, celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year, offers this “Centennial Classic” recipe: Guinness Battered Fish and Chips.

Chef Sandy Ingber’s rendition is served daily throughout the year Mondays through Saturdays, for lunch and dinner. Since St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday this year (March 17th), the restaurant is closed. But Fish & Chips lovers can make Chef’s recipe at home.

National Fish & Chips Day is the first Friday in June.
 
 
RECIPE: GUINNESS BATTERED FISH & CHIPS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE beer, baking soda salt, pepper, and egg in a large mixing bowl.

2. WHISK in flour slowly, until the batter is thick (not runny) and adheres to a wooden spoon.

3. HEAT oil in a deep fryer or in a deep-sided sauté pan to 350°F. DREDGE fish in flour, shaking off excess, and dip in batter, covering all sides of the fish.

4. HOLD an end of the battered fish and gently dip it into hot oil, dipping it halfway in; wait 15 seconds and drop into oil. This will prevent the fish from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

5. FLIP fish over when brown on one side and cook all together for about 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. The fish should be all one color all the way through or 140°F internal temperature.

6. DRAIN on paper towels. Serve with tartar sauce, French fries, cole slaw and lemon or lime wedges.
 
 
VARIATIONS: TEMPURA BATTER, CRISPY PANKO COATING

We prefer Japanese methods for breading and deep fat frying:

Tempura batter: Combine 1 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1-1/2 cups of seltzer water and salt.

Panko breadcrumbs (if you want a gluten-free version, use crushed Corn Flakes instead of panko):

Here’s how to create a panko coating on your fish and chips.

1b. SKIP steps 1 and 2: You are not making a batter. Instead:

[1] Fish and chips: Perfect St. Patrick’s Day fare (photo © Hannamaria H. | iStock Photo).

[2]

[3] Panko bread crumbs (photo © Kikkoman).

3b. REFRIGERATE the coated fillets on a baking sheet or plate for 15 minutes before frying. The olive oil will harden somewhat and hold the crumbs tighter. Even better, if you have healthy coconut oil, use it: It hardens best!

4b. RESUME process with Step 4 above.

Try these salsa-like toppings for burgers, eggs or grilled fish; toss them into wraps; garnish rice or potatoes. The recipes, courtesy of AvocadoCentral.com, make seven half-cup servings.
 
 
RECIPE #1: AVOCADO & PICKLE SALSA TOPPER RECIPE

Ingredients

[1] Hold the ketchup: Garnish your burger with this avocado topper (photo © Hass Avocado Board).

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally until well browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Allow to cool.

2. In a large bowl, COMBINE the sautéed onion and garlic with the tomato, cheese, pickle relish, basil, mustard, salt and pepper. Gently toss in the avocados.

[2] Try a sweet mango salsa topper on chicken or fish (photo © Avocados From Mexico).

For a bit of sweetness, try this variation, which is especially delicious over grilled chicken or fish.
 
 
RECIPE #2: AVOCADO MANGO SALSA TOPPER

Ingredients

1. COMBINE in a medium bowl the, mango, tomato, cilantro, onion, jalapeño, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

2. ADD avocado and toss gently.

For more avocado recipes, visit AvocadoCentral.com.

A green-colored spirit made from the flowers and leaves of the wormwood herb (Artemisia absinthium), absinthe was a favorite of Parisian writers and artists of the 19th century, who called it the “green fairy” and credited it with powers of creativity.

However, consumption of absinthe was accused of leading to hallucinations and madness. The troublemaker was believed to be a chemical component of wormwood, thujone. Today, we know that while thujone can be dangerous in large quantities, there is far too little of it in absinthe to have any negative effect. There is no modern proof that absinthe is any more dangerous than any other spirit.

General alcoholism, possibly in combination with other medical maladies, were the most likely causes of the hallucinations and madness of absinthe drinkers. In 2008, it became legal to import absinthe into the U.S., and domestic distillation began as well.
Pernod Absinthe, the original absinthe brand, has whipped up some cocktails to get everyone in the “green fairy” mood.

Serve a Green Beast for National Absinthe Day or St. Pat’s. Pernod was the most popular brand of absinthe throughout the 19th century, until the sale of absinthe was banned in 1915. Photo courtesy Pernod.

Ingredients Per Drink

1. MUDDLE 2 slices of cucumber in a cocktail shaker.

El hada verde is Spanish for la fée verte, or green fairy. The green fairy becomes el hada verde when tequila is mixed with absinthe.

ABSINTHE COCKTAIL RECIPE: HADA VERDE

Ingredients Per Drink

Preparation

1. MUDDLE a rosemary sprig in a mixing glass. ADD tequila, absinthe, lime juice and simple syrup and shake with ice.

2. RIM a rocks glass with salt, if desired.

3. STRAIN cocktail into a glass. Garnish and serve.

This recipe for Matcha Green Tea Marshmallows has a provenance: We got it from The Republic of Tea, which seems to have picked it up from YumSugar.com, which adapted it from an Alton Brown recipe. In terms of Alton’s inspiration: No doubt it was a confectioner or pastry chef.

Whether you’re a marshmallow fan, a matcha tea fan or simply want to whip up something green for St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll have fun with this recipe.

You can use the rest of the tin to make a green tea latte, matcha cookies, matcha ice cream, macarons, madeleines, pound cake, and of course, hot or iced matcha tea.

MATCHA GREEN TEA MARSHMALLOWS

Ingredients

Matcha marshmallows are color-appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day and an elegant snack any day of the year. Photo courtesy YumSugar.com.

1. SIFT confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and one teaspoon matcha powder together in a small bowl. Lightly spray a metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add a little of the green confectioners’ sugar mixture to the pan and lightly tap to coat the bottom and sides. Return any remaining mixture to the bowl for later. Also lightly coat the offset spatula with nonstick spray and set aside for later.

2. WHISK together the gelatin and 1/2 cup water into a small bowl and let sit for five minutes until the gelatin is dissolved. In a small heavy-bottom saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cover and cook over medium high heat for three to four minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan, and continue to cook until mixture reaches 240ºF, approximately seven to eight minutes. Immediately remove from the heat.

3. TURN the mixer on low-speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Increase the speed to medium high and allow the mixture to whip for six minutes. Meanwhile, create a slurry with one tablespoon of matcha powder and one tablespoon of water. Mix until no dry parts remain. If the mixture is too dry, add another teaspoon of water.

4. TURN speed up to high and whip another six to eight minutes, or until mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm. Add matcha slurry during the last minute of whipping. Quickly pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using the lightly oiled spatula to spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Generously dust the top of the marshmallow with the sugar and cornstarch mixture. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for four to eight hours.
5. TURN the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and use a pizza wheel to vertically and horizontally cut marshmallows into one-inch-square pieces. Dust the newly cut marshmallows with the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture. Store in an airtight container for up to three weeks. If marshmallows become too moist over time, redust them with any leftover sugar and cornstarch mixture to “refresh” them. Makes about 50 square marshmallows.
 
NOTES

DISCOVER ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA IN OUR TEA GLOSSARY.