Mediterranean Cobb SaladOn the farm, my mom and I participated in a bizarre thrice-daily ritual, typically gathering a specified list of ingredients, measuring and combining in proportional amounts, and applying heat or refrigeration. We called it…COOKING.
Mind you, growing up, there was not an abundance of choice. We lived on a FARM. There was a paucity of nearby restaurant options and truth be told, my mother was quite picky about where she would eat outside the home. She knew we could eat better at home than in most restaurants at that time. She’d probably still be correct in that assumption were she sitting here today.
During the years of my career, we ate more home cooked meals using real ingredients than many families of the time. While I must admit to feeding my family the occasional frozen item, none of them were met with much enthusiasm. It was more fun to buy them than to eat them; they offered such promise while still in the box, but seldom delivered on the taste buds. Nevertheless, when my grown and fully employed son comes for dinner, we have a new ritual. He raves about the meal, I state that it was easy to prepare; he reminds me that, given the available time after work, “easy” is pouring milk on cereal… (There is hope for him, as he recently acquired an Instant Pot!)
Cooking, and/or the lack thereof, has been a topic of great concern in recent times. The trend of allowing others to prepare one’s meals is trumpeted either with alarm or delight. One can choose to eat out, order in, purchase previously processed food, order meal kits etc., etc. The list can go on ad finitum because the options are limitless. “Cooking” is much simpler than it used to be. Being the foodie that I am, I find the study of this phenomenon fascinating.
I first viewed the idea of delivered meal kits as an odd concept, but they facilitate people feeling that they are cooking themselves and their families a good meal, and their detailed instructions may actually help people learn to cook. They also encourage folks to try new ingredients and flavors. (One of these delivery services has even published a cookbook! That’s coming full circle!) The downsides are cost, along with perhaps allowing users to think that all meals need to look like a restaurant plate.
Other ways being used to encourage people to cook include preparing “bowls.” Grain bowls. Buddha bowls. The “recipes” offer up lists of simply prepared ingredients, placed in little piles atop a bowl of grain or greens and topped with a dressing or sauce. No measuring, flexible substitution of ingredients, simple to prepare ahead.
Then there are the “sheet pan suppers.” A list of ingredients including vegetables and proteins are combined on a large sheet pan and oven roasted together. I can go for this as long as raw meats are separated from the other ingredients, each to their own side of the pan, please. Because many recipes just jumble them together, don’t you know. Makes the home economist in me shudder.
To be truthful, I was one of those kids who didn’t like the different dishes being served to touch one another on the plate. I can still hear my mother tell me that it all ends up together in the end…
But today, in the end, I’m grateful that cooking is simply routine for me.
There is, however, one simple dish I prepare in the heat of the Tucson summer that fits the easy cooking bill. Like the “bowl,” it combines various single ingredients on a bed of lettuce with dressing. In other words, it’s a SALAD. And the ingredients are neatly separated into lovely colorful stripes. My Mediterranean Cobb Salad is both easy to prepare and beautiful on the plate. Is it cooking? Maybe…
Mediterranean Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- Salad greens of choice
- Diced roasted pepper green or red
- Diced roast chicken
- Diced Kalamata olives
- Whole cooked chickpeas marinated in the dressing if desired
- Diced green onions and parsley
- Cooked farro or other grain of choice
- Diced fresh mozzarella feta is a good substitute
- Frozen peas, thawed
- Diced tomato
- ¼ cup quality olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon each of thyme and oregano
- pinch of freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing by whisking the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, salt, mustard and seasonings together. Clean and tear the salad greens into small bite size pieces and use to line the serving platter. Amounts of remaining ingredients are flexible, depending on the number of people being served. To serve four, use ¾ to 1 cup of each item. Spoon each ingredient onto the platter in a neat line, being sure to alternate colors. When ready to serve, drizzle with dressing.
Notes
- Nutrition:
- Calories: 492
- Total Fat: 20.9 g
- Sat Fat: 3.7 g
- Cholesterol: 34 mg
- Sodium: 265 mg
- Total Carb: 43.2 g
- Fiber: 13.8 g
- Total sugars: 10.6 g
- Protein: 22.1 g
Enjoyed ❤️
I knew so little about cooking when I left home, but have grown to enjoy it.
The salad looks great, I look forward to trying it!