Winter Salad

Since I've arrived in Copenhagen I've been eating quite a bit of bread and enjoying treats I'm not used to so I wanted to make a dish inspired by a hot Mediterranean salad I used to order at a place called Vault Café in Berkeley, California.

 

 

Here are the ingredients I used:

• garlic
• ginger
• spinach
• mushrooms
• kalamata olives
• grilled artichoke hearts
• vegan "meat"
• chives, basil, and any other greens for garnish
• random spice mix

I'm still learning Danish, so I don't know exactly what I'm buying all of the time, but I'm doing my best to figure it out.

Some of the food names are similar, but others are 100% different and the only reason I know what I'm buying is for obvious aesthetic reasons. What an adventure!

I started the salad by sautéing garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt with a bit of the "juice" from the olive and artichoke jars and a few tablespoons of coconut oil. I usually sauté in coconut oil because it has a higher heat tolerance than olive oil and I love the fatty rich flavor it adds too.

I let the garlic and ginger simmer while I chop up the shroomies.

I prefer to slice the mushrooms rather than dice or leave them whole. I also don't rinse them because I think the flavor and texture is better, plus to be honest I don't mind eating a bit of dirt with my veggies. I secretly love it.

Once the shrooms are in the pot with the garlic and ginger, I shake in a bit of the Danish "surprise spice blend" and let it simmer for a few minutes while I cut up the tofu and get the fake meat ready for the pot.

When the shrooms are almost done, add the fake meat and tofu so they warm up. You can also toss in the artichoke hearts and olives if you want. Sometimes I like to warm them, and sometimes I prefer them room temp.

This is the fake meat I tried. I don't regularly buy fake meat processed products, but sometimes its fun to add in something like this. I probably bought it because so many people are eating meat around me and I subconsciously want to eat similar things to my friends gorging gyros all the time.


Once everything is warmed to a tasty temperature, pour it over a bed of spinach and toss a few times. Sometimes I drizzle a bit of the olive juice and artichoke oil onto the greens too because I like the flavor. You can also just use olive oil.

It's also fun to garnish it with fresh herbs whenever possible. I used thyme, chives and basil.

I ate this meal with one of my favorite German beers, but it would of course pair well with wine.