Cosmo Salad

I honestly do not ever remember having a salad at Trader Vic's. Back in the day, a visit to this favorite restaurant was all about Suffering Bastards and the Pupu Platter. These days I find that I crave salads, so the first recipe I tried in my Trader Vic's cookbook was for the Cosmo Salad. The ingredients are few, the dressing simple, but combine the two and you have a crunchy and refreshing salad that is positively addictive. I did all of the prep work, including making the dressing, the night before, stored everything separately, then mixed it up just prior to serving. 

Not only is it a great, light, delicious salad, but served in bite-sized portions makes a healthy addition to the usual cocktail party offerings. Give this some thought when planning for the Super Bowl. A bit of light, vegetarian fare, would be a welcome addition to the dips, spreads, and saucy meatballs.

Cosmo Salad

 from Trader Vic’s Tiki Party

Makes 5 cups salad, or 24 servings

4 artichoke bottoms, cut into ¼” dice

8 ounces button mushrooms, cut into ¼” dice

6 stalks celery, cut into ¼” dice

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Cosmo Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 small shallot, minced

½ teaspoon medium sherry

24 lettuce leaf cups, for serving

12 cherry tomatoes, quartered, for garnish

Chopped chives for garnish

To prepare the salad, in a large bowl, combine artichokes, mushrooms, and celery.  Season with salt and pepper.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, shallot, and sherry until smooth.  Pour over the salad and toss gently.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.

To serve, spoon the salad into the lettuce cups.  Garnish each filled cup with two tomato quarters and sprinkle with chopped chives.  Serve immediately.

This post is linked to:

Metamorphosis Monday  

Amaze Me Monday