Crisp, cool and current

Restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila likes the “earthy cauliflower taste and slight crunch” of the shaved cauliflower salad that chef Chris Kidder makes at Literati II. Kidder sparks up the flavor with green olives, sweet pickled onion and a lemony vinaigrette.

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Literati II’s cauliflower salad

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4

Note: When Meyer lemons are in season, Kidder uses 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice and the zest of

1 lemon in place of the orange-lemon combination below.

Pickled sweet onion

2 tablespoons diced red onion

1/8 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons Champagne

vinegar

Blanch the onion in a small saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and place in a small bowl. Stir in sugar and vinegar and set aside while making the salad. Drain the onion before stirring it into the salad.

Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange juice

Grated zest of 1 small orange

1 tablespoon Champagne

vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground

pepper

Place the juices, zest, vinegar and mustard in a small bowl and blend with a small whisk. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking to emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Makes about half a cup.

Salad

1 large head firm cauliflower

5 large green olives, sliced off the pit and then into thin

slivers

2 tablespoons pickled sweet onion

1/4 cup thinly sliced chives,

divided

Salt and pepper

Large radicchio leaves,

optional

Mizuna leaves, optional

2 eggs, boiled until the yolks are just set but still soft (about 8 1/2 minutes in gently boiling water), cooled for

15 minutes in ice water

1. Trim the cauliflower, discarding the leaves and stalk. Using a mandoline or vegetable slicer set on top of or inside a bowl (to catch little bits of cauliflower), thinly slice the cauliflower by holding the stem end and carefully sliding the cauliflower back and forth against the blade. The pieces should be roughly one-fourth inch thick; adjust the blade depth if necessary.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shaved cauliflower, sliced olives, pickled onion and half the chives. Add a generous amount of dressing a little at a time while mixing the salad with a spoon. When the salad is dressed, season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. To serve, place a few leaves of radicchio, garnished with some leaves of mizuna or other peppery lettuce, on each of 4 salad plates. Divide the salad among the plates. Shell the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Place one half, yolk side up, on top of each salad. Sprinkle with the remaining chives.

Each serving: 213 calories; 5 grams protein; 19 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 409 mg. sodium.