Baby Artichoke and Radish Salad with Black Truffle Vinaigrette
I went to two of my favorites restaurants, Gemma and Cookshop, on back-to-back nights this week. Most people are surprised to hear that my favorite restaurants are not specifically vegan, vegetarian or raw. I favor restaurants that feature a lot of fresh vegetables, seasonal ingredients, and are willing to alter menu items for me. Gemma and Cookshop both fit that bill.
On Wednesday night I had a late post-theater dinner at Gemma with a close girlfriend. Besides the cozy atmosphere,I love Gemma for their large variety of delicious salads,vegetables sides, and simply prepared fish. While I do not eat any animal products at home, I do eat fish on occasion at restaurants. This helps me limit the amount of fish I eat per week and broadens my choices at most restaurants. At Gemma I had the most amazing artichoke salad with a truffle vinaigrette. It was simply prepared, savory and amazing. I almost ordered a second one.
The next night Doug and I had an early dinner at the bar at Cookshop. As a "snack" before our meal we had an order of radishes with sea salt (very french!). Normally they would serve the radishes with whipped butter but they were happy to leave it off for us. The crunchy, spicy radishes were the perfect pre-dinner nibble!
These two delicious dishes inspired me to make this salad. I think the combination of the artichokes, black truffle and radishes is amazing. If you do not feel like trimming and quartering the baby artichokes you could used the canned variety. Also, if you don't want to splurge on Black Truffle Oil (about $16 for a large bottle) you could just use regular olive oil, the salad would still be quite tasty.
Baby Artichoke and Radish Salad with Black Truffle Vinaigrette
- 12 baby artichokes trimmed and quartered
- 5-6 radishes sliced thin
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/4 cup plus 2 T black truffle oil
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
- 2 T lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- In a large skillet heat the 2 T of black truffle oil on hight heat
- Add the quartered baby artichokes and pan roast until slightly brown and cooked through. About 5-6 minutes. You may need to add some water to the pan as you go to keep the artichokes from scorching.
- In a small bowl whisk the remaining truffle oil, vinegar, lemon juice and sea salt until throughly combined. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Combine the pan roasted artichokes with the sliced radishes in a bowl and toss with just enough vinaigrette to coat them.
- Place a large handful of arugula on a plate and top with the dressed artichokes and radishes.
- If desired drizzle a little extra vinaigrette over the arugula before serving.
You can prepare all of the components of this salad ahead of time (artichokes, radishes, dressing) and assemble when ready to serve. I may be bringing this one upstate with me for Thanksgiving as I know it will be a crowd pleaser and will travel well!
