Dish of Mozambique Buffet Salad
(click to enlarge)

Mozambique Buffet Salad


East Africa, Mozambique
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3-1/4 #
**
45 min
Most		 This is not an everyday salad, but one served at celebrations and other events - it's excellent for buffet and substantial enough for a lunch salad. See also Comments.

1
7
10
8
3
6
1/3
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1/4
1/4
1/2
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10
10
#
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
c
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c
c
t
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Lettuce, Iceberg (1)  
Tomatoes, ripe
Cucumbers (2)  
Onions, Red
Carrot
Bell Pepper (3)
Fresh Cheese (4)
-- Dressing
Wine Vinegar, wht  
Olive Oil ExtV
Salt
-- Garnish
Olives, black (5)
Cashews raw (6)
MAKE   -   (25 min + cooling time)
  1. Dry pan toast raw CASHEWS until they have plenty of brown spots but no black spots. Roast extras because you're going to eat some.
  2. Pit OLIVES if needed.
  3. Cut ICEBERG into chunks, about 1-1/3 inches on a side
  4. Slice TOMATOES lengthwise into wedges. If larger, cut wedges in half crosswise.
  5. Slice CUCUMBERS crosswise, a little more than 1/8 inch thick.
  6. Quarter ONION lengthwise and slice thin crosswise. Separate all the layers.
  7. Peel CARROTS and slice thin at a steep diagonal. If slices are very wide, cut them in half lengthwise.
  8. Cap and core BELL PEPPER, then cut into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 1-1/2 inches long.
  9. Crumble CHEESE medium.
  10. Tumble all Salad items in a large mixing bowl, starting with the firmest items and ending up with the Tomatoes and Cheese.
  11. Mix all Dressing items in a small jar.
  12. When about ready to serve, shake Dressing vigorously, pour over salad, and tumble gently.
  13. Serve cool or cold.
NOTES:

  1. Iceberg Lettuce:

      "Crisp head" Lettuce doesn't get much respect these days. It's much lower in vitamins and lower in minerals than loose leaf lettuce, but in this salad it provides a delightful crunchiness, and resists wilt on the buffet table.

  2. Cucumbers:

      If at all possible, use small cucumbers that don't need to be peeled or seeded, such as Persian, Japanese or European. If you have only the standard waxed green blimps, peel them and seed them, then measure out the given weight.

  3. Bell Pepper:

      For contrast, use a yellow or Red Bell Pepper.

  4. Fresh Cheese:

      The pattern recipe called for "Cottage Cheese" which means different things in different places. I use a Russian style Farmer's Cheese. Others could also be used. For a different effect, you could apply the Cheese as part of the Garnish, along with Olives and Cashews.

  5. Olives, Black:

      These should be some form of Mediterranean Black Olives, not California Black Salad Olives, which have a much different flavor. The ones used in the photo example were Salt Cured Moroccan.

  6. Cashews:

      Dry pan roasted raw Cashews have an entirely different flavor and texture from commercially roasted Cashews.

  7. Comments:

      If there will be long sitting time after dressing, you may want to salt the Cucumbers after cutting, let them sit for at least 30 minutes, then rinse and drain well before mixing with other ingredients.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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