Broccolini with Pumpkin Seed Crumble and Kumquats, and Israeli Salad with Wild Cilantro Blossoms

Sara Kramer’s Broccolini and Kumquat Salad and Israeli Salad

  • Sara Kramer’s Broccolini and Kumquat Salad and Israeli Salad
  • Sara Kramer’s Broccolini and Kumquat Salad and Israeli Salad
  • Sara Kramer’s Broccolini and Kumquat Salad and Israeli Salad
  • Sara Kramer’s Broccolini and Kumquat Salad and Israeli Salad

NOTES

Sara made me this salad in her Los Angeles home, but do not attempt to make a tomato salad on the east coast this time of year, please! This was a take on an Israeli salad, and the cilantro  blossoms were very subtle. Do not substitute with cilantro if you cannot find these. You can use micro-cilantro is available.

The broccolini is a perfect Winter salad. Do you best to slice those kumquats paper thin.

INSTRUCTIONS

TOMATO SALAD WITH YOGURT, QUINOA & WILD CILANTRO

Rinse quinoa and bring to a boil with 1/2 cup of water, covered. Turn down to simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh strainer and lay to dry on paper towels.

Heat canola oil and add the quinoa by adding a couple of spoonfuls at a time to lightly fry. Be careful that the oil does not boil over. Let the quinoa fry for about 15 seconds, then drain through a fine mesh strainer over a heat-proof bowl. Cool the quinoa on a paper towel and dust with salt.

Combine the vegetables and season with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently mix together. Toss in cilantro and a dollop of yogurt to serve.

YOUNG BROCCOLI SALAD WITH KUMQUAT AND PUMPKIN SEED

Bring water to a boil in medium sized sauce pan. Generously salt the water. Blanch the snap peas then the broccoli and run the vegetables under cold water to cool. Set aside on paper towels to dry.

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until lightly brown. Set aside to cool, then add to the food processor with a pinch of salt. Grate the clove of garlic on a microplane and add to the food processor. Pulse until the seeds resemble small pebbles.

Add broccoli, snap peas, kumquats and pumpkin seed together and toss with olive oil and a generous squeeze of lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with mint leaves.

RECIPE

DIFFICULTY

HARD

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SERVES

2

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PREP TIME

40 MINS

Tomato Salad

  • 1/4 
    cup 
    quinoa
  • 3 
    small 
    heirloom tomatoes, cut in 1" pieces
  • 2 
     
    persian cucumbers, cut in 1" pieces
  • 1 
     
    kohlrabi, peeled and cut in 1/2" pieces
  • 1/2 
     
    avocado, cut in 1/2" pieces
  • 4 
     
    scallions, sliced thinly
  •  
     
    cilantro
  • 1 
    cup 
    canola or grapeseed oil
  •  
     
    olive oil, good quality
  • 1 
     
    meyer lemon, halved
  •  
     
    salt
  •  
     
    freshly ground black pepper
  •  
     
    sheep's milk yogurt

Broccolini Salad

  • 1 
    head 
    young brocolli, cut into long pieces
  • 2 
    cups 
    sugar snap peas
  • 1 
    cup 
    pumpkin seeds
  • 1 
    small clove 
    garlic
  • 10-15 
     
    kumquats, sliced thinly and seeds removed
  • 1 
    bunch 
    mint
  • 1 
     
    lemon, halved
  •  
     
    olive oil, good quality
  •  
     
    salt
  •  
     
    freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

TOMATO SALAD WITH YOGURT, QUINOA & WILD CILANTRO

Rinse quinoa and bring to a boil with 1/2 cup of water, covered. Turn down to simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh strainer and lay to dry on paper towels.

Heat canola oil and add the quinoa by adding a couple of spoonfuls at a time to lightly fry. Be careful that the oil does not boil over. Let the quinoa fry for about 15 seconds, then drain through a fine mesh strainer over a heat-proof bowl. Cool the quinoa on a paper towel and dust with salt.

Combine the vegetables and season with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently mix together. Toss in cilantro and a dollop of yogurt to serve.

YOUNG BROCCOLI SALAD WITH KUMQUAT AND PUMPKIN SEED

Bring water to a boil in medium sized sauce pan. Generously salt the water. Blanch the snap peas then the broccoli and run the vegetables under cold water to cool. Set aside on paper towels to dry.

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until lightly brown. Set aside to cool, then add to the food processor with a pinch of salt. Grate the clove of garlic on a microplane and add to the food processor. Pulse until the seeds resemble small pebbles.

Add broccoli, snap peas, kumquats and pumpkin seed together and toss with olive oil and a generous squeeze of lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with mint leaves.

Last week, I flew out to Los Angeles, and the first thing I did was hop in my car and head out to the apartment of chef Sara Kramer. The last time I was in LA, Sara and I had a blind date. I couldn’t wait to get a chance to sit down and talk with her again, and selfishly, to have her cook for me. Sara recently relocated to LA, after making her mark as the chef at Glasserie, one of my favorite spots in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She is new to town, but hasn’t wasted a moment on planning her next venture. She and her partner chef Sarah Hymanson, are slotted to open Madcapra in April. Madcapra will serve falafel and middle eastern inspired food in the Grand Central Market, a high end food court downtown, in desperate need of some vegetarian friendly fare.

Sara knows salad. Like anyone of Israeli heritage, salad is a cornerstone of her cuisine. The tomato salad we have here is a take on the ubiquitous Israeli Salad that is served with nearly every meal in that region. As Sara composed not one, but TWO perfect plates on my behalf, we got to talking. About her childhood, her family, her experience cooking in Spain and at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. And when we had licked our plates clean and I was just about out the door, Sara casually referred to her 3 year stint as the lead of the Broadway musical Mama Mia! Of course, I insisted she pull up the commercial (video included in this post) where I had the pleasure of seeing a young Sara Kramer on stage. (She is the one smooching in the green top, the bride and the dancer front and center in the white t-shirt and khaki pants). Sorry Sarah, but this is just too good not to share with your fans.

Man, Just when you think you know someone, they go and get that much better.

Sara Kramer in Her Own Words

JS: What was the inspiration for your salads that you made for me?

SK: The tomato salad was inspired by the classic Israeli Salad, a salad I’ve eaten my whole life, my most comfort food. I wanted to make it more interesting without overcomplicating or diverging too far from the original.

The broccoli salad was truly from the farmers market that morning. I didn’t know exactly how it would come together, but I often like to wing it. I wanted to showcase the kumquats since they were just perfect! But, since they are so powerful, I needed to add a little substance. So, the lovely broccoli added richness and the texture of the seeds balanced the two out well.

Julia: Can you tell me a little bit about your family and how your background influences your cooking style? Seems like it is all beautifully tangled together.

Sara: My mother is Peruvian-Israeli. She is an avid home cook. Needless to say, I ate well as a child and I enjoyed the strong Middle Eastern presence in my diet from an early age. I started preparing the family classics with my mother and grandmother early on. My grandmother actually had a falafel shop in Tel Aviv at one point (before my time.)

JS: How did you get into musical theatre? What was it like performing the same show over and over again, night after night?

SK: Well, my sister was (and still is) a great singer. So growing up, I wanted to sing, too. I started with classical lessons and became enveloped by the world of performance. During my junior year of high school, a friend encouraged me to audition for Mamma Mia! At the time I had no professional experience — I barely knew how to prepare for an audition! But I went, blindly. I survived the year-long ordeal and seven auditions, and at 17 I was cast in the National Tour days before graduating high school.

I toured for a year and a half, followed by a year on Broadway. It was thrilling at first, though a very unorthodox first step into adulthood. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t jarring, but I feel very fortunate for the experience.

JS: Do you still sing and dance? Do you find outlets for that part of your creative brain?

SK: I don’t do much in the way of singing or dancing now. An occasional karaoke cameo. When I’m in the company of a new friend who doesn’t know about my past career, the look of shock makes for a pretty good time. I always think I’ll figure out how to sing again when I have some time…

JS: How did you make the transition to the culinary world?

SK: I had a year and a half long stint at NYU in the Gallatin school, where you study whatever the hell you like. I gravitated towards food studies, I had always been interested in sustainability and food politics. But the program was frighteningly wide-open, so I tried culinary school. I went to The National Gourmet Institute, which lead to an externship at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, which turned into a job.

JS: At this stage in your life, if you weren’t a chef, what would you be?

SK: I thought about going back to school. I would love to study agriculture and environmental science, but I’m not sure what I would do with that education. I would love to have an orchard, but that’s a little beside the point.

JS: Tell me about Mad Capra. Where did the name come from and how did the project come about?

SK: Madcapra is a hybridization of the words “madcap” and “capra.” The former, a familiar word for “eccentric”; the latter, the latin for “goat.” Do not take this too literally. Sarah and I toiled (for months) over what we’d name the shop, and kept running into names that were either too cute or referential in ways we didn’t want. One day we were brainstorming ideas related to our favorite inspirational goat, and the came up and has since stuck. We like the sound of it.

JS: Tell me about your partnership with Sarah Hymanson. How did you meet?

SK: I met Sarah when I was working at The Meat Hook and she at The Brooklyn Kitchen (these spaces are conjoined). We overlapped briefly. She worked at Blue Hill and came to work with me at Glasserie – so we have a similar basic culinary language and work ethic. After Glasserie, we wanted to continue to work together. I think we make each other stronger. It is great to have someone reliable by your side.

JS: Why falafel?

SK: The project came about in jest, but we started to take it seriously because great falafel places are few and far between! Plus it’s fun, and a great first venture for us here in LA to get our feet wet.

JS: Have you always wanted to own your own restaurant?

SK: I don’t know that I’ve always wanted to own my own restaurant. I thought about a bakery when I was a teenager. I love the idea of being a business owner. I love the idea of being able to employ people and of building a successful business with a healthy work environment. Though owning a restaurant is a bit of a masochistic undertaking.