Summer is made endurable by anticipation of the winter to come. How I look forward to those long nights and lovely gray, rainy days! And to eating the pot that was already legal in Washington — pot roast, pot pies, pot au feu.
But Nancy Leson? In deepest, darkest February, she's thinking salad, and some pretty enticing ones, too.
"I've been thinking a lot about salad lately, Stein, and one of the reasons is I was looking at the February issue of 'Food & Wine,' and they had two of my favorite salad items there: quinoa (KEEN-wa) and escarole," she said. It was an escarole salad with quinoa tossed in with Granny Smith apples. "It actually tasted as good as the photo looked."
The Andean chenopod figures into another of Nancy's favorites, a quinoa tabouli from PCC. I liked quinoa very much the first and only time I tried it. Now I have new incentive to try it again.
And perhaps you'd like to try this, my favorite coleslaw dressing. Harbor Lights, now owned by Anthony's, has been an institution on Tacoma's Ruston Way for over 50 years. The Lights is known for hearty fare and potables poured with princely panache. But my HL favorite has always been their coleslaw. After numerous attempts to recreate the dressing, I think I've succeeded.
Stein's Reverse-Engineered Harbor Lights-Style 'Slaw Dressing
No measurements, but I'm sure you'll work it out just fine on your own. Just taste as you go. It's mayo, lime juice and honey, a dash of salt and pepper.
I fully realize that if the chefs at Harbor Lights are reading this, they may well be laughing at me, but I swear my version has that great HL taste. Give it a try and let me know.
And This Just In From The Food For Thought Dept. Of 'Oh, No!'
Harbor Lights sous chef Paul Perry writes on our Facebook page: "Not even close to how we do it..."
Arghhh! And I was so sure. Perry was kind enough to add, "but if it gets the same result, that's great." Thanks, chef. We love the Harbor Lights!
"My salad days, when I was green in judgment, cold in blood."
–Shakespeare, "Antony and Cleopatra"
