Last week, Mark Bittman of the New York Times offered 101 picnic food ideas and featured this salad in a video. The dish looked deliciously healthy so I decided to try it myself. If Mark Bittman were a contestant on The Next Food Network Star, his point of view, as he often points out, would be minimalism. This salad is simple, but I found a few things make a BIG difference. Remember, if you want to be a minimalist, you have to buy high quality ingredients.
1. Watch out for how much salt you add. The pecorino already adds a lot of salt.
2. Cut your mint leaves into tiny pieces and go easy; the mint can be over powering.
3. Use fresh edamame or frozen in the pod; it’s a lot of work shelling, but it tastes better.
4. Use high-end olive oil.
5. I added a splash of rice vinegar to add a little kick.
Bittman doesn't really give a recipe, except for this... "steam frozen edamame and chill. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of sugar, lots of chopped mint, salt, pepper, and as much shaved pecorino or Parmesan as you like." So it might be helpful to watch his video.
Light and delicious.
