Chef Michel Nischan uses heirloom apples and local cheese in the chopped salad served at Dressing Room.
We recently told you about award-winning chef Michel Nischan’s Wholesome Wave program in our “Click Globally, Eat Locally” story in the March/April Green Issue of VIVmag. Nischan, who opened Dressing Room in Westport, CT, in 2006 with the late actor Paul Newman, is so dedicated to the idea of healthy, fresh and locally grown fare for all that he started the nonprofit to ensure food stamps could be redeemed for double their value at participating farmers markets. The author of Taste: Pure and Simple (Chronicle, 2003) and Homegrown: Pure and Simple (Chronicle, 2005) explores responsibly raised and harvested ingredients in his new book, Sustainably Delicious (Rodale, 2010), with more than 100 recipes for such dishes as french toast with brown sugar bananas, heirloom beet salad and homegrown fried chicken. Enter our giveaway by May 31, 2010, for your chance to win a copy!
The book, written with Mary Goodbody, showcases organically raised, locally produced, responsibly harvested seasonal ingredients. It opens with a forward from Nell Newman, Paul’s daughter and self-professed foodie. The first chapter, “The Sustainable Pantry,” contains simple recipes for building blocks of healthful meals — roasted carrots and parsnips, dried heirloom beans, savory vegetable stock and old-fashioned honey-wheat bread, for example. Breakfasts include heirloom potato home fries and poached eggs with beef hash, which Nischan recommends making from leftover short-rib pot roast, a recipe included in the main dish chapter along with chicken pot pie, turkey à la king (made with heritage turkey) and sweet pea and lemon-ricotta ravioli. You’ll also find recipes for an array of soups, salads and sides, from native corn and sunchoke chowder to scalloped root vegetables.
We were somewhat surprised to find an entire chapter devoted to seafood in a book on environmentally friendly fare. Nischan addresses the marine crisis of overfishing and includes recipes that only use sustainable fish and seafood, such as Taylor Bay scallop lollipops, lobster and sweet corn succotash and line-caught Chatham cod cake sandwiches. (For more information on sustainable seafood, check out the Environmental Defense Fund’s Seafood Selector or Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program.)
Nischan also writes of how he came to open the Dressing Room with Paul Newman. Not only were they both advocates of sustainable, healthy food, but they have philanthropy in common. Nischan writes about his admiration of Newman for donating all profits from his Newman’s Own food brands — more than $280 million to date — to thousands of charities.
Below is a recipe for chopped salad, something Newman insisted on adding to the menu. “He loved an array of flavors and textures in each bite, and he could go on at length about what a pain it was to eat any salad that was not chopped!” says Nischan. Different seasonal ingredients are included at Dressing Room, depending on the time of year. In the spring, raw peapods, asparagus and roasted nuts are used, while peaches are incorporated in the summer. In the fall, the salad contains apples and local cheese.
“Use a Spoon” Chopped Salad
1½ cups Riesling vinegar or other white-wine vinegar
3 celery ribs, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 heirloom apple, such as Cox’s Orange Pippin or Roxbury Russet, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch dice
½ large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 cup sliced treviso or radiccio
1 cup sliced arugula
1 cup thinly sliced Napa, Savoy or other soft cabbage
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups crumbled local goat cheese
½ cup toasted almond slivers
Bring the vinegar to simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery and carrots. Remove the pan from the heat. Set aside to cool. When the vinegar is cool, add the bell peppers. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Strain the chilled vegetables through a sieve. Reserve the vinegar and the vegetables separately. Mix together the apple, cucumber, treviso, arugula and cabbage in a large bowl. Add ¼ cup of the reserved vinegar and the oil and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the goat cheese and almonds to the bowl and toss to mix. Divide among 6 small bowls or plates.
Serves 6
NUTRITION SCORE (per serving)
231 calories
66% fat
Fat 17 g
Carbs 12 g
Protein 8 g
Fiber 3.3 g
Calcium 98 mg
Iron 1.3 mg
Sodium 140 mg
We can’t wait to make some of these delicious recipes that we can feel good about eating! How have you made an effort to eat more local, sustainable fare?
Photo credit: Andre Baranowski
