By I drove to Grinnell Saturday. Roger was in the garden — the garden that is his whole world now, the 84-year-old man who tends six tomato plants and twelve sunflowers with the same care he once gave four hundred acres. He's slower but he's still Roger. He still watches the crop reports. He still calls Jack on Wednesdays.
The recipe this week: shepherd pie. Standing at the stove, Marlene's wooden spoon in my hand (the cracked one, the one that will outlast us all), the recipe either from the card box or from my own expanding collection, both equally real, both equally mine. The kitchen holds all of it — the old recipes and the new ones, the teacher's food and the student's food, the grief and the joy and the cinnamon. All of it. Always.
Seed starting continues at the Holloway household — the windowsill green, the grow lights purple, the soil mix precise. The annual miracle of February and March: things grow even when everything says they shouldn't. The growing is the argument against everything.
The shepherd pie was the heart of the weekend, warm and heavy in the way that February demands, but somewhere between Roger’s garden and the drive home I started craving something bright — something that reminded me the windowsill seedlings are right, that green things are already pushing through. This Swiss Tossed Salad is what I made Sunday night when I got back: quick, a little sharp from the cheese, a little cool against everything the stove had been doing all week. It felt like the right note to end on.
Swiss Tossed Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 8 cups romaine or leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
- 6 oz Swiss cheese, cut into thin strips or small cubes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced into half-moons
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and sugar until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Prep the greens. Wash and dry the lettuce thoroughly. Tear into bite-size pieces and place in a large salad bowl.
- Add the toppings. Layer the Swiss cheese strips, cherry tomatoes, red onion, black olives, and cucumber over the lettuce.
- Dress and toss. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving. Toss gently to coat everything evenly without bruising the greens.
- Serve immediately. Plate and serve right away so the greens stay crisp. Any leftover dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 290mg