Culture

Rainbow Ribbon Salad

Rainbow Ribbon Salad
4 from 1 ratings
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This flavorful salad from chefs Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth at Root & Bone will shake up your healthy eating routine. It’s loaded with vegetables and topped with a creamy scratch-made salad dressing. The best part? It even has crunchy homemade cornbread croutons!Looking for more recipes and tips for cooking with corn this summer? Click here for ideas from Sunshine Sweet Corn.
Servings
4
servings
Rainbow Ribbon Salad
Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 red onion, sliced thin into rings
  • 1 vidalia onion, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rings
  • 1 ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon smooth dijon mustard
  • ½ cup honey
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • 3 cup canola oil
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
  • 5 ounce canola oil, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 6 ounce granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 4 ounce buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 ounce cornmeal
  • 6 ounce all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ zucchini
  • ½ squash
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • salt, to taste
  • 2 ears corn, husked and free of silk
  • pepper, to taste
  • 1 head butter lettuce, cleaned
  • 8 baby heirloom cherry tomatoes
  • ½ cup creamy vidalia onion dressing
  • ¼ cup pickled red onion, drained
  • 12 cornbread croutons, cut in half
Directions
  1. Heat all ingredients except the onion in a small sauce pot over high heat, until simmering. Once the sugar has melted, pour the vinegar solution over the onions and store them in a container in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
  2. Sear the onions in a cast-iron skillet over high heat, until lightly blackened and well-caramelized. Remove from the pan and cool to room temperature.
  3. Place the onions and all of the remaining ingredients (except the canola oil) in a blender and puree on high, until smooth. Slowly stream the oil into the blender while it is on. Keep a slow steady stream of oil until all of the oil has emulsified into the dressing.
  4. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
  5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 8 x 8-inch square pan with canola oil.
  6. Heat the 5 ounces of canola oil in a large pot and then remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sugar. Quickly add the egg and whisk until well blended.
  7. Combine the buttermilk and baking soda and stir the mixture into the pot. Stir in the cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Then, pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  8. Bake 20 -30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Remove the cornbread from the pan and cut it into 4-inch by ½-inch-long pieces. Lay these on a sheet pan and toast at low heat for about an hour, until crispy like a crouton.
  10. Using a mandolin slicer, cut the zucchini and squash into long, ⅛-inch-thick strips and then place the ribbons on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the ribbons with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Place the ribbons in a 400 degree F oven for 3 minutes. Once the vegetables are hot, they are done; remove immediately and cool.
  11. Rub the corn with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on high heat, a few minutes on each side, until well-charred. Remove the corn from grill, cool to room temperature, and cut the corn off of the cob.
  12. Remove each leaf of lettuce from the core and place the leaves into a large bowl. Add the grilled corn, the zucchini and squash ribbons, the tomatoes, and about ¼ cup of the dressing to the bowl. Toss gently and place on the serving plate or bowl of your choice. Top with a few pickled onions, cornbread croutons, and, if desired, more dressing.
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