One of my favorite things to do on a foggy Sunday is to walk through Golden Gate Park to the Richmond district and hit up Green Apple Books. Green Apple is a gem of a bookstore. While it has a ton of new books, I love browsing their used selection and frequently find an armful of books between their two next-door-to-each-other locations. On a recent trip, I purchased Seasonal Food. I was sold on the simplicity, the images and the carrot cake recipe (which I am yet to make). With a $7 green pricetag, I couldn’t resist. I had already sampled the summer vegetable couscous recipe, so decided that this weekend called for a combination of two recipes: roast shallot, tomato and thyme salad and baked chicken with cinnamon and honey-roast tomatoes. While at first, it seemed like there would be an overabundance of tomatoes, the end result was as delicious as the pictures in this glorious book. The honey-roasted tomatoes (drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon–something I’d never thought of) were the perfect accompaniment to a smoked paprika and garlic marinated breast of chicken.
The beauty of this meal, though, was a salad that could have graced the plate at any simple California-fresh-focused restaurant. If you’ve never tried roasted/caramelized shallots, you must try this salad–and maybe follow up with this recipe from Smitten Kitchen if you can’t get enough. Without further ado:
Roast Shallot, Tomato and Thyme Salad (c/o Seasonal Food cookbook)
**Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. soft brown sugar
11-12 shallots, peeled
salt & pepper
2 cups of cherry tomatoes sliced in half
2 handfuls of arugula
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan
The dressing
thyme leaves (fresh or dried)–I used dried, but highly recommend getting some fresh herbs, if you can
1/2 clove of garlic
1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 tsp. olive oil
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Put shallots in baking dish and drizzle with sauce. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes–periodically shaking.
Prepare the dressing: combine thyme with crushed garlic, vinegar and olive oil. Whisk together and season with salt and pepper–set aside.
Combine tomatoes and roast shallots, drizzle with dressing. Divide up the shallot/tomato mixture and place on top of arugula and decorate with Parmesan.
