Red Onion with Walnut Salsa from "Plenty More"

In searching for my second recipe inspiration from "Plenty More" I sought a dish that was both relatively light (Happy New Year waistline), fresh, and didn't require too much effort for a weeknight dinner. We had also just bought some beef from the meat market (Chicago's fabulous Publican Meats) so the dish would ideally pair well with a simple steak. 

Enter page 164's enticing recipe: Red Onion with Walnut Salsa.

Beef and onions pair well together and the greens added the brightness that I was looking for. The walnuts, however, had to go (or so I was told). Derek has an aversion to walnuts and refuses to eat anything knowingly containing the poor nut. He says that he doesn't like the way that walnuts feel in his mouth. He is in good company being a walnut hater - Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods - the man who will literally eat anything (I'm talking rotted shark, blood, worms....) - also will not eat those silly walnuts. To each his own.

So instead, the dish was modified to Red Onion with Walnut Pecan Salsa. Fine with me.

When I think of the word "salsa" something juicy, zesty and maybe a little spicy comes to mind. Here, that's not the case. The pecan "salsa" here is not quite that. Here we are looking at a purely nut-based salsa with little flecks of spice and acidity. I was skeptical nonetheless but WOW was I surprised when I tried a bite. I had never had nuts tastes so vibrant! It was fantastic! 

What made this dish so great was the fact that I could point out the purpose of nearly every ingredient. The components were thoughtfully selected and paired together to create a dish that was simple to prepare but so complex in flavor.

In a nutshell, the cast of characters for this salad are:

• Red Onions: The Star of the Show - the "Meat"
• Arugula: The Fresh and Peppery "Foil" (primary contrast to the Red Onion) 
• Parsley: The Understated Vibrant Mark
• Goat Cheese: The Tang and the Cream
• Walnuts/Pecans: The Crunch (texture) and Supporting Lead
• Red Chile: The Spice (a touch)
• Garlic: The Secret Dimension (adds a subtle depth of flavor)
• Red Wine Vinegar: The Punch (of acid)
• Olive Oil: The Balance (brings it all together)

Add some salt and pepper and you've got a simple dish that is extraordinarily well composed and deceivingly complex (in flavor).

The recipe mentions that pomegranate seeds could add a nice vibrancy and sweet crunch to the salad as well. I wouldn't disagree as it would be quite delicious when you get a burst of pomegranate juice complementing the tangy goat cheese and rich onion. However, the dish certainly doesn't need it so if pomegranates are not in season or too expensive, then you won't be missing out!

One Tip: Weigh your ingredients before use. The smallest onions that they had at the store were nearly double the weight of the "medium" red onions stated in the recipe. Not that you have to follow everything measurement for measurement but, in this case, what I thought were "medium" red onions were certainly not "medium."

Two red onions were nearly the same weight as listed in the recipe

Red Onions with Walnut (or Pecan) Salsa from Plenty More

Serves Four as a starter (or two as a main + protein)

Salad:

4 medium red onions (1 1/3 lb/600 g)

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup/20 g arugula (I used a bit more to make it more salad-like)

1/2 cup/15g small flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 oz/60 g soft goat cheese, broken into 3/4-in/2-cm chunks

salt and black pepper

Salsa:

2/3 cup/65 g walnuts (or pecans), coarsely chopped

1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

salt

Preheat oven to 425 F/220 C.

Peel the onions and remove the tops and tails. Cut each crosswise into 3 slices, about 3/4-in/2-cm thick, and place on a baking sheet.

Because my onions were larger, I cut them into more than three portions

Brush the slices with the olive oil, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and some black pepper, and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the onions are cooked and golden brown on top. If they haven't taken on much color, place under a hot broiler for a few minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Before roasting

While the onions are cooking, put all of the salsa ingredients in a small bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon salt, stir and set aside.

Works just fine with pecans!

To serve, put the arugula and parsley bowl. Add the warm onions, the cheese, and half the salsa and toss carefully so the onions don't fall apart (I tossed some salsa into the arugula and parsley before adding the onions and cheese for simplicity). Divide among shallow plates, spoon the remaining salsa over top and serve.

ta da! simple and beautiful.

We served this alongside a simply prepared steak and felt this was a complete and satisfying meal. This would be a fabulous salad to serve at a dinner party because it is not only "easy" and delicious but it is absolutely beautiful! What a lovely cast of characters!