Broccoli And Cauliflower Salad With Pickled Onions And Bacon
This refreshing salad combines pickled red onions with crisp-tender cauliflower and broccoli florets, all tossed in a flavorful olive oil dressing. Topped with crunchy bacon, this dish is a perfect balance of tangy, savory, and satisfying flavors.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 3 Tbs. sugar
- 16 peppercorns
- 10 whole cloves
- 1 Tbs. plus 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 5 bacon slices
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, cloves and 1/4 tsp. of the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl, add the onion and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour to pickle.
- Meanwhile, in a large fry pan over medium heat, cook the bacon, turning once, until crisp and browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Let cool to room temperature, then coarsely chop.
- Fill a large bowl two-thirds full with ice water and stir in the 1 Tbs. salt until the salt dissolves. Arrange the cauliflower florets in a single layer in a steamer basket set over boiling water in a saucepan (the water should not touch the bottom of the basket). Cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Immediately transfer the cauliflower to the ice water. Let stand until cool, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl, reserving the ice water bath. Steam the broccoli florets in the same manner until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes, then transfer to the ice water until cool. Drain well and add to the bowl with the cauliflower.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower and broccoli, season with the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and several grindings of pepper and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with some of the pickled onion slices, lifting them out with a fork and removing any whole spices (reserve the remaining pickled onions for another use). Sprinkle with the bacon and serve. Serves 6 to 8.
- Adapted from Williams-Sonoma <i>Salad of the Day</i>, by Georgeanne Brennan (Weldon Owen, 2012).
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