Most recipes serve multiple people. In Me, Myself, and Dinner, each dish serves one and only one. That’s you! Because whether you live solo (almost 30% of Americans do) or are enjoying a night to yourself, sitting down to a meal should be something to look forward to.
Everyone romanticizes the summer farmers market. And yes, there’s nothing more beautiful on God’s green earth than taking a bite out of a ripe beefsteak tomato like a juicy apple. But fall has its own kind of magic. Giant gooseneck gourds, Honeycrisps dripping with nectar, bunches of full, frilly kale. When presented with that kind of abundance, how can you impose self-restraint?
Good news is you don’t have to. Farmers markets are built for exactly this kind of behavior. The produce is sold loose, meaning you can buy one of anything that catches your eye. And when I’m cooking solo, that’s the ultimate cheat code. I don’t need to commit to a giant bag of carrots. Instead, I can buy a single iridescent peachy-pink carrot, because how fun?
That’s how this salad came together
That’s how this salad came together. I was inspired by my favorite restaurant Rosella’s dragonfly house salad, where gorgeous endive, avocado, shiso, and rotating seasonal fruit are coated in an otherworldly miso dressing. I replicated a similar one at home, adding a squeeze of Kewpie mayo for body, and a touch of maple syrup (it is fall, after all). This umami-packed dressing is one I use for everything, from a dip for raw veg to an occasional marinade for chicken, salmon, or tofu.
But its greatest use is a big salad just for myself. I roughly chop the baby gems, shave carrots into long ribbons, and use a mandoline for the radish, cucumber, and pear. The tool shoots out uniform sheets of produce, and I find it wonderfully satisfying. For extra crunch, I follow a tip that my chef best friend Sammy taught me: Soak all of the vegetables in an ice bath. This requires me to clear out all the ice cubes from my freezer, but it’s worth it. The cold shock locks in extra crispness, especially with the radishes, curling the edges like little taco shells.
It is necessary to take out the biggest metal bowl you have to mix up your salad, even if it’s just for one. You want the vessel to be much larger than the amount of salad you’re making, leaving plenty of room to toss everything around without ingredients flying out. I use my hands to combine it all, rather than tongs, since they can be aggressive with delicate greens. Plus, I get to lick my fingers.
At this point, my TV
At this point, my TV is on and an episode of Gilmore Girls is queued up. I can hear the “lalala” ringing in my living room. I plate my salad in a shallow bowl with a fried egg on top, the yolk ready to be broken so it melds with the dressing. Bread is optional, but for me, mandatory. Is there anything more luxurious than a thoughtful salad scooped onto a crackly baguette?
A Big Salad Just for Me
Full of crunchy veg and a miso-maple dressing.
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More single-serve recipes
- Cheesy Apple Omelet
- Cold Silken Tofu With Chili Crisp Dressing
- Steak With Dashi Greens for One
Source: www.bonappetit.com
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