Carrot Ribbon-Apple-Frisee Rusk Salad with Tahini Dressing
Here’s a Greek recipe for Greek salad that isn’t what you think! No tomatoes, for one. This Greek salad calls for all the wonderful flavors of Fall, with apples and carrots in the front and center. I love to embellish it with some texture in the form of Aegina pistachios and to add to that nuttiness with a Greek salad dressing that calls for tahini, especially the organic, whole-grain tahini that’s 100% Northern Greek. The rusks a, made with an ancient strain of wheat called Zea, add substance and make this winter Greek salad almost good enough to savor as a main course.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups diced Fuji or Macintosh apples quartered, divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup unsalted shelled Aegina pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 large heads of frisée about 1 1/2 pounds, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced
- 1 pound/ 450 g medium carrots shaved lengthwise with a vegetable peeler
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves chopped
- 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 6 – 8 Zea rusks as desired
For the Dressing
- 3 tablespoons Organic Whole Grain Tahini
- 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin Greek olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh strained lemon juice, or more, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Greek honey
- Greek sea salt flakes to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or more, to taste
Instructions
Make the dressing (can be made a day ahead):
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In the bowl of a food processor at high speed, mix the tahini, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, and honey until smooth and thick. Mix in the salt, pepper and cumin. Dilute to the desired consistency of a creamy salad dressing by adding water and processing as needed. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and lemon juice. Refrigerate if not using immediately. You will likely have to thin out the dressing again right before serving the salad.
Prepare salad just before serving.
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In small bowl, toss the apple with the lemon juice to keep from discoloring and set aside in the fridge.
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Toast the pistachios and lemon zest in a dry skillet over medium heat for about five minutes, shaking the pan back and forth to keep the nuts from burning.
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Quickly rehydrate the rusks by running for a few seconds under the tap. Toss the frisee, onion, carrot, and rusks together. Sprinkle the pistachios and apple over the salad. Drizzle the dressing on top and serve.
