There are very few things I don’t like to eat. I am what you would call a hoover vacuum when it comes to food, the opposite of picky. My tastes lie all along the spectrum, from caviar to Big Macs, Spam to saucisson. I’m the freak diving into the fish head when you order the whole fish for the table. If it tastes good, I’m a-eat it.
Having said that, there are a few things I just can’t get behind when offered as a complete meal. Like soup. I cannot just eat a bowl of water with stuff in it without some sort of enticing dipper involved, ie. a grilled cheese sandwich or some sort of soft, delectable bun to dip in said soup, maybe there’s a cheese plate on the side, you get the idea. Same goes for salad, in most cases. My darling friend Sean Maher and I still laugh about the time he invited us over for dinner and when I found out all that was on the menu was a chopped salad, I nearly made a “did I leave my curling iron on?” excuse so I could high-tail it out of there as soon as possible. (The salad turned out to be delightful, although we did stop for a burger on the way home.)
Salads, for me, need to have girth to them, some oomph, some pizzas sorry I mean pizazz. I want to feel FULL after that salad, the satisfied and smacking my lips kind of full. Salads have to have some fat to them, something juicy and something crunchy, something salty and maybe even a little something sweet. Then maybe, JUST MAYBE, I will be satiated.
I’m going to share one of those salad recipes with you.
The inspo for this one came from a local restaurant chain here called the Cactus Club, an institution of sorts, the place where every Lulu Lemon-wearing Vancouver girl of drinking age had her first frozen bellini, a restaurant known for its consistency and stunningly beautiful servers that have inspired me to get bangs on numerous occasions, sometimes even without regrets. One of these beauties recommended the rocket salad once, and I became obsessed. A heap of vinegary tomatoes, capers, cucumbers, and arugula with a perfectly fried panko crusted chicken breast and loads of parmesan cheese. But this salad had layers, which also happens to be key in building the perfect salad. And lord if it didn’t take me multiple tries to figure out those layers. But by george, I think I’ve nailed it, babes! I used champagne vinegar because I’m extra like that, but white wine vinegar would work just fine here. Try it and tell me you’re not satisfied!
Frozen Bellini on the side, natch.
xoJ
Almost-Cactus Club Rocket Salad
Ingredients
Panko Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 cup panko
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- lemons for squeezing
Vinaigrette
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp orange marmalade
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon
- 1 tbsp fresh basil
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salad
- 1 cup sourdough bread, cubed (or use whatever bread you have on hand
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp italian seasoning (I made my own with dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme)
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp cream cheese (or greek yogurt)
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cucumber, chopped
- 3 cups arugula
- a wedge of fresh parmesan
Instructions
- Mix the dressing. Combine the dijon, marmalade, garlic, tarragon, basil, champagne vinegar, and olive oil in a blender and blend it until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the bread cubes in a bowl with the garlic powder and italian seasoning and some salt and pepper. Drizzle with a good amount of olive oil and bake in a 400F oven until toasted, about 7-10 minutes. Toss halfway through so they're all golden brown on all sides.
- Start the chicken. Cut each breast in half horizontally so you have four cutlets. Season with salt and pepper. Place the panko in a shallow dish with the garlic powder and grated parmesan and some salt and pepper. Place the mayo in a second dish. Dredge the chicken cutlets in the mayo and then coat in the panko, pressing down until evenly covered. Cook in a medium-hot pan with olive oil for about 5 min a side. Or air fry on high for ten minutes if you've got an air fryer, they come out bloody glorious, best investment ever. Season with a little more salt while they're still hot and drizzle with a squeeze of lemon.
- While your chicken cooks, heat another pan over medium heat, not too hot! Sautee the shallots and garlic in a little olive oil for a few minutes. Add the capers and some salt and lots of pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Stir in the cream cheese until it's all gooey and melted and then take the pan off the heat and set aside.
- Place the arugula in a large salad bowl with the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, tarragon, basil, and croutons. Drizzle the dressing over the top and mixy mixy. Season it all with salt and pepper to taste (tres importante to season salad.. trust me). Using a potato peeler, peel generous curls of parmesan into the salad until it's a tiny bit out of control and mix it all up again.Spread some of the shallot mixture on a plate, top with a mound of salad, and fan one of those gorgeous chicken cutlets or two on top. Serve with some lemon wedges on the side for extra zip as needed. OMGGGGG
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