Grapefruit Salad with Apples

Last time I went home for a visit, my parents surprised me with a copy of 1080 Recipes by Simone and Inés Ortega. And what an awesome little cookbook it is! (Ha ha! Okay, large, 5-lb-ish, is more like it.) Spain's version of the Joy of Cooking, it immediately went to the best seller list when published, and has been in print for over 30 years. Phaidon (an art-heavy publisher) took on the task of translating and printing the tome, and I'm so very glad they did.

Each recipe is categorized and referred to by its given number rather than by page number, and there are tons of lovely pastel drawings throughout (the variety meats section has the most interesting by far!). Also tucked in each section is a group of smaller-sized, glossy imagess of some of the dishes found in each section. Maybe because I work in publishing and notice these little touches, but still I really gotta say: this is one of the most charming cookbooks I've ever laid eyes on.

I really dig this book not only for it's peculiarities, but also because most of the recipes are very simple and short - handful of ingredients, half a page for most recipes, and yet so interesting and different. It's a book I can dig into when needing a last-minute inspiration, and certainly come up with something cool. I will say that you need to go with your gut on most recipes - cook those onions at a higher heat if you think it works, or simmer your stew longer to get more tender meat. There's a wee bit lost in translation, but all in all it's a great cookbook.

I'm breaking this cookbook out into my blog with a nice little salad. This salad is very interesting - tart apples, and bitter/sweet grapefruit in a tangy, sharp dressing. Simple yet complex, and I find myself craving it often. Makes a great meal with a blackened chicken/fish and rice (or grapefruit roast chicken, which I hope to blog about in the near future...).

#385, Grapefruit Salad with Apples

(Ensalada de Pomelo co Manzana)

Ingredients:

1 pink grapefruit

1 apple (I used McIntosh)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 heads endive (I used a spring mix)

3 1/2 oz. Roquefort cheese

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. plain yogurt

Fresh mint leaves

Salt and pepper

Peel the grapefruit, removing all traces of pith. Cut out the segments from the membranes and cut them into pieces. Peel, core, and slice the apple and toss with half a lemon's worth of juice. Put the grapefruit, apple, and endive into a salad bowl and mix well.

Prepare the dressing by mashing the cheese with oil in a small bowl. Stir in lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Slowly stir in yogurt, a little at a time. Add the dressing to the salad and chill well before serving, garnished with mint leaves.