Apple, Radish, Watercress Salad with Pistachio and Chile de Arbol
For the one on this post, which I have been obsessively repeating, I use watercress, called “berros” in Mexico (I happen to love that word). They are used tremendously in Mexican kitchens for salads. They are delightful: a bit bitter, made up on thin leaves but packed with flavor and such a nice delicate bite. On top goes a combination of thinly sliced tart green apples and pungent radishes. One ingredient snapped from a tree and another pulled from the ground!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 2 bunches watercress (rinsed, dried and the tougher ends of stems removed)
- 1 green apple (rinsed, and cut into thin wedges)
- 1 bunch radishes ((or about 4 ounces or 1 cup already sliced), rinsed, stems and roots removed, halved and thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup pistachios (lightly toasted and chopped)
- 2 chiles de arbol (toasted, chopped (seeding optional))
- 1/4 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt (or to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar ((natural unseasoned))
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- 1
Place the apple and the radishes in a bowl. Place the watercress in another bowl.
- 2
Heat a a small 6 inch skillet set over medium low heat, add the pistachios and toast anywhere form 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until they are nicely toasted, but don't let them burn. Remove form heat. In the same skillet, toast the chiles de arbol anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes, flipping sides, 1 or 2 times along the way, remove from the heat.
- 3
Remove the stems from the chiles de arbol. In a chopping board, chop the chiles de arbol. You may remove the seeds once they are chopped or keep them. Add the pistachios and chop them along with the chile de arbol creating a pistachio chile de arbol mixture.
- 4
In a small bowl, combine the mustard, honey, salt, pepper, rice vinegar and lime juice with a whisk or fork. Slowly, pour in the oils and whisk or mix very well until thoroughly combined. Pour half onto the apple-radish mix and half onto the watercress.
- 5
To serve, on small appetizer plates, add watercress, top with the apple-radish mixture and sprinkle some of the pistachio-chile de arbol mix on top.