Weeknight Dinner: Cobb Salad

Spring has sprung in New York City, with golden sunshine spilling across Revolutionary War cobblestones.  A walk through the farmer's market harkens to the days of vendors parking wagons along thoroughfares.  The eternal fragrance of lemons perfumes air still slightly chill from the season's breezes, with perhaps a hint of sweetness from crates of new strawberries.  Spring lettuces are vibrant with flavor and color, begging to be added to the day's provisions.  Fresh herbs beckon, tied in bunches awaiting stew pots or growing in tiny terra cotta pots awaiting windowsills: soft thyme, spritely parsley, pungent tarragon, lush savory.  Though it's early for tomatoes, the first are promising; smelling of earth and sunshine, they join the greens.

For those so inclined, there is a gentle feud between the great cities of New York and Los Angeles, but appetite is a great leveler.  New York's egg creams and steak houses are answered point by point by L.A.'s wines and taqueiras, and vice versa.  And both are surrounded by great farm country.  One of the most famous farmer's markets is in Los Angeles, where this bounty inspires and has inspired countless cooks and eaters.

How appropriate that one of the signature dishes of Los Angeles is the Cobb Salad.  The Cobb is full of fresh California produce and was generated at a legendary hub of the golden age of Hollywood: The Brown Derby.  Like many great dishes -- Caesar salad and the Reuben sandwich come to mind -- the Cobb Salad is an invented dish, and like a great Hollywood success story, it is surrounded by legend.  Legend says that late one night, Derby owner Bob Cobb was prowling in his restaurant's kitchen for something to eat.  He found lettuce, watercress, eggs, avocado, and blue cheese in the refrigerator and combined those with some bacon from the grill line and an impromptu red-wine vinaigrette.

As are all good storylines, this one is enriched by the presence of a wise sidekick, some colorful scenography and someone horning in on the action, all of which in this case were provided by Sid Grauman of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.  The legend continues that Grauman happened to be with Cobb the night Cobb invented the salad.  Grauman began asking for a Cobb salad when he stopped by the Derby for something to eat.  Other diners caught on, and the Cobb was placed on the menu.  From there it has become a signature of California cuisine and a cornerstone dish of American cooking.

Here is my recipe for Cobb salad.  This is a twist on the classic Cobb, retaining the spirit of the dish through ingredients and preparation but revisioned as a composed salad.  Rich flavors dominate: pungent blue cheese, smoky bacon, sweet red onion, kicky if non-traditional red pimento.  The traditional cold smoked turkey is replaced by seasoned cutlets in a quick spicy saute.  Serve with a clean white wine or a springy, fruity rose.

COBB SALAD

This recipe may seem to have a lot of steps but it is mostly preparing the ingredients prior to assembling the salad; once you get going, this is a quick dish to prepare.  In a classic Cobb, the toppings are laid across the lettuces in stripes and then the salad is tossed tableside. Present your Cobb in this classic style or, as I do, layer the ingredients as directed below, setting the avocado to the side as not everyone likes this flavor. This recipe serves six as a main course.

For the salad
Two heads soft green lettuce, such as green- or red-leaf
One bunch watercress
1 handful soft green herbs, such as tarragon, savory, parsley or chives
2 eggs
1 pound fresh turkey breast cutlets
8 strips bacon
1 8-ounce jar whole pimentos
1 small red onion
1 avocado
1 ripe tomato
8 ounces creamy blue cheese, such as Maytag or Gorgonzola
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing
2 medium cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt (Greek sea salt works well)
Freshly-ground black pepper
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Lay the bacon on a griddle or in a frying pan and cook over medium heat.  Check periodically to turn slices.  Once bacon is cooked to crispness, remove bacon and drain on a double layer of paper toweling.

2. While the bacon is frying, set the eggs into a saucepan; fill the pan with water. Add a dash of salt to the water.  Bring to a boil over high heat; boil uncovered for 12 minutes.

3. Use a sharp knife to slice the turkey breast cutlets crosswise into ribbons.  Cut the ribbons crosswise into bite-sized pieces.  Season the turkey with paprika, cumin and several grindings of fresh black pepper.  Refrigerate until bacon is fried.

4. Once bacon is fried, pour off all but two tablespoons of bacon drippings.  Place the seasoned turkey into the bacon drippings and saute, stirring frequently, until turkey is cooked, approximately eight minutes.

5. Once eggs are cooked, drain and place in a bowl in the refrigerator to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel the eggs and rinse under cool water to remove any remaining shell.  Blot eggs dry with a paper towel. Cut each egg in half from top to bottom; cut each half in half. Refrigerate the quartered eggs until ready to assemble the salad.

6. While eggs, bacon and turkey are cooking, prepare salad.  Pull the outer leaves from the lettuces; tear larger leaves into smaller pieces. Place in a colander or the reservoir of a salad spinner. Pull the soft inner leaves from between the ribs of lettuces, taking care to avoid the ribs and stopping when you reach the harder inner core. Place in the colander/salad spinner with the outer leaves. Tear or cut the end leaves and stalks of the watercress and place in the colander/salad spinner with the lettuces.  Rinse greens with cool water.  Toss or spin greens free of excess water; lightly tossing with your hands to combine all of the greens. Set aside until ready to assemble the salad.

7. Rinse the herbs under cool water and set upside down in a colander or flat on paper towels to drain until ready to assemble the salad.

8. Peel the onion and remove the root and stem ends. Halve the onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents. Cut across the remaining crescents to form dice.  Set aside until ready to assemble the salad.

9. Drain the pimentos in a sieve or colander.  Transfer to a cutting board and cut pimentos into strips.  Cut across the strips to form dice.  Return to the sieve / colander to drain until ready to assemble the salad.

10. Core the tomato by running the sharp point of a knife around the stem; remove and discard.  If you are saving seeds, remove some of the fleshy pulp and set it aside for de-seeding and drying.  Cut each tomato in half from top to bottom; cut each half in half. Set aside until ready to assemble the salad.

11.  Use a small, sharp knife to cut the avocado all the way around from top to bottom; due to the stone, you will not actually be able to cut the avocado in half.  Once you make the cut, twist the avocado as if you were opening a jar. Separate the halves; the stone will remain in one of them.  Crack the knife into the  stone; once the knife grabs the stone, twist to release the stone.  Run a teaspoon between the avocado flesh and skin to slide the flesh out.  Use the knife or a length of dental floss to cut the flesh into strips; cut the strips into cubes.  Set cubes into a serving bowl.

12. Make the dressing.  Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Press each half through a garlic press into the dressing bowl.

13. Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper to the garlic.  Slowly drizzle olive oil into bowl, whisking constantly, until a smooth emulsion forms.

14. Once bacon and turkey are prepared, assemble the salad.  Lay rinsed and dried lettuces and watercress into a wide salad bowl.  Hold fresh herbs over the bowl and tear / strip the leaves onto the greens.

15. For a traditional salad, layer toppings in sections across the greens.  For a composed salad, layer salad greens and herbs with (in order from bottom to top) pimento, red onion, crumbled bacon, turkey, quartered tomato, quartered eggs and crumbled blue cheese.

16. Serve with avocado and dressing on the side.