I have some really nice memories of Sunday nights with my family that involve kitchen sink salads. My sister and I would often spend the afternoon outside, our outdoor activities depended on the time of year (destroying piles of raked leaves, making picnic table forts, pretending the hammock was a pirate ship, or constructing little houses out of sticks for toads). We’d come inside and clean up, maybe draw or read, and my parents would always be listening to music as they figured out dinner (yes, I was an early inductee into the world of music with dinner). Sometimes, our Sunday night supper would be a kitchen sink salad – a large wooden salad bowl filled with chopped broccoli, mushrooms, sweet peppers, little diced pieces of cheese, and whatever else needed to be used up in the fridge. That’s the magic of kitchen sink salads, you have the freedom to add whatever you want! I have such a soft spot in my heart for iceberg lettuce, I almost always have some in my crisper and I have so many memories of reading in bed with my mom and sharing a head of lettuce. We’d slowly peel the lettuce leaves away, crunching contentedly while totally absorbed in a book. Of course, I know that I’m looking at these memories through the lens of nostalgia, but they hold such a special place in my heart it’s hard not to experience them without it. Being a kitchen sink salad, the “recipe” part is really only used as a series of gentle suggestions. Think outside your fridge, too, and look in your cupboards or pantry. I’m a big fan of beans (canned or dried), roasted red peppers in brine, capers, grains, pickled hot peppers, and anything else that looks like it would be at home in a salad. This creamy avocado and Greek salad dressing is one of my favourites, but again, use what you love and whatever is convenient.
kitchen sink salad with a creamy avocado and greek yogurt dressing:
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice and zest of half a lemon
1 large bunch of fresh basil, parsley, and/or cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 head of broccoli, segmented into small florets and blanched in boiling water
12 grape tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters depending on their size
1 cup of cucumber, cut into thick(ish) half or quarter moons
3 scallions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. pickled jalapeno or pepperoncini peppers, finely diced
About 1/4 cup of crumbled feta or fresh goat cheese
Iceberg lettuce (or any other crisp, sturdy lettuce)
Put the avocado, Greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and fresh herbs of your choice in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste, giving it a final blitz when you’re happy with the seasoning.
Place all of the remaining salad ingredients in a large serving bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss to coat. Enjoy a giant bowl of this salad, feeling good that you’ve found a use for all the odds and ends in your kitchen.
I grew up in a Leonard Cohen household and this song is a fitting tribute to childhood Sunday dinners. I still think this song is as mysterious and hauntingly beautiful as I did when my mom and dad would listen to it while making supper. This song especially makes me think of dark winter nights, clean crisp sheets, the smell of our fireplace, feeling anxious about Monday at school, my parents before they divorced, reading Tintin in bed, and my beloved childhood pet cat Peter.
Leonard Cohen – Famous Blue Raincoat
