A YIN-YANG SALAD

 

Black sesame seeds.

An open packet of black sesame seeds reminded me of gomasio, a sesame-salt condiment that I used to make, way back in my hippy days (late 1960s), when we dabbled in Macrobiotics. 

Some of the expats in the Spanish village where I still live came round with a book called You Are All Sanpaku by George Ohsawa (translated by William Dufty). Sanpaku is a Japanese term meaning “the whites of your eyes are showing beneath the pupils”—a sure sign of physical and spiritual imbalance, according to the book. 

We checked each other out. If the whites were showing, you were told, “Hey, man, your Yin and Yang are out of whack.” The cure was a Macrobiotic diet, consisting of whole grains, organic and seasonal vegetables, little meat and fat, absolutely no sugar at all.  That may sound like an ideal diet for the whole world, but it had some severe restrictions. It was almost the antithesis of the Mediterranean diet and here we were, living in sight of the Med. 

For instance, tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes were to be completely avoided, because they were the most yin of vegetables.  Poison to the system. Fruit, too, was yin. An occasional apple might be acceptable, if it was baked to increase its yang properties. But citrus? No way. Maybe one orange a year. And we lived in an orange grove. Salads and raw vegetables were yin. Adios, gazpacho. Yeast was yin, so macrobiotic bread, as produced by local practitioners, was as dense as lead weights.

Nevertheless, we gave it a try, beginning with the 10-day brown rice fasting diet, which was supposed to sort out the body´s balance. At the end of which, I had gained weight. You were supposed to restrict fluid intake so you only peed once a day. I never drank a drop and still peed six or seven times. I was perpetually yinned-out.

But, I picked-up some new habits during my macrobiotic period. One was to eat slowly, chew 100 times, to reduce the grain to liquid before swallowing. Not that I count anymore. In a little macrobiotic cookbook, I found a really great recipe for roasted brown rice with vegetables that I still make. And, in this white-bread nation, Spain, I got hooked on whole grains. I also acquired a real fondness for that yang condiment, gomasio, toasted sesame seed ground with sea salt.

This week, once I had made a batch of gomasio, I experimented a bit, sprinkling it over some very yin-ful strawberries. Add some olive oil dressing, call it salad. I make no claims that this salad balances yin and yang elements. In fact, I imagine it bends strongly toward yin. But it is gorgeous and, with the contrasts in flavors and textures, quite delicious.

Sliced strawberries with vinaigrette, balls of goat cheese and a few rose petals amongst the salad greens. The salad is speckled with toasted black sesame-salt.

Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese and Sesame Salt

Ensalada de Fresas con Queso de Cabra y Sal de Sésamo

Use either black or tan sesame seed (called ajonjolí or sésamo in Spanish) for the gomasio. The cheese balls, with two kinds of goat cheese, might be replaced with cubes of mozzarella, feta or any queso fresco. Because the roses in my garden are fabulous right now, I’ve added (optional) rose petals to the salad. Black olives or blueberries make a visual contrast with the red strawberries. If you have a choice, go for the briny olives. Blueberries are pretty, but insipid.

For the sesame salt (gomasio):

3 tablespoon black or tan sesame seeds

1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt

Crushed sesame and salt.

Toast the sesame seeds in a heavy skillet on medium heat until they are lightly toasted and fragrant. (It may be difficult to judge the color for the black seeds.) Add the salt to the sesame seeds and toast a few seconds so the mixture is completely dry.

Remove the skillet from the heat and empty the sesame seeds into a bowl. Let them cool. Working in small batches, crush the sesame seeds and salt in a mortar. Store the sesame salt in a jar with a tight lid.

Fresh goat cheese.

For the cheese balls (bolitas de queso):

Makes about 2-dozen (1-inch) balls.

3 ½ ounces goat cheese log (½ cup diced), room temperature

3 ½ ounces fresh goat cheese (½ cup diced), room temperature 

Milk or plain yogurt to thin the cheese

Olive oil for shaping

Place the two kinds of diced cheese in a mini-processor. Process until smooth and creamy, adding milk or yogurt a teaspoon at a time if mixture is too stiff to process. 

Oil a flat container. Oil the hands. Shape the cheese mixture into marble-sized balls. Place them in the container and chill them, covered, until ready to assemble the salad.

For the dressing (aliño para ensalada):

Makes more dressing than is needed for the strawberry salad

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked pimentón)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon brine from a jar of olives or capers

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together the mustard, pimentón, salt and vinegar. Stir in the brine. Whisk in the oil until dressing is emulsified. 

For the salad:

Serves 4 to 6.

12 ounces strawberries (2 cups sliced)

¼ cup pitted black olives (or blueberries)

3 tablespoons salad dressing (above)

1 to 2 cups mesclun, microgreens, rucula, red endive or baby spinach 

Rose petals (optional)

Cheese balls (recipe above)

Pea shoots (optional)

Basil leaves

Sesame salt (recipe above)

Wash the strawberries, remove hulls and slice or quarter them. Place them in a bowl with the olives or blueberries and add 2 tablespoons of the prepared dressing. 

Place the mesclun or other salad greens in a small bowl and toss them lightly with 1 tablespoon of the dressing. 

Arrange mesclun/greens on a platter or individual salad plates with the rose petals, if using. Spread the strawberries on the greens. Add the balls of cheese. Garnish with pea shoots, if using, and basil. Sprinkle the strawberries and cheese balls with sesame salt.

More recipes with strawberries:

Strawberries with Custard Pudding (Natillas) and Meringue.

Instant Strawberry Shortcake.

Strawberries with Sponge Cake.

Strawberries with Orange-Blossom Sauce.