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Sukkot’s Salad

A star chef tries his hand at giving the holiday a signature dish

by
Liel Leibovitz
October 02, 2009

Of all the Jewish holidays, Sukkot is the one that lacks a signature culinary treat. So, we at Tablet asked Christopher Lee, the chef of New York’s celebrated Aureole, to imagine a dish suitable for Sukkot (or as he lovingly called it after a feat of masterful cooking, Shanuk).

He came back with a chicken salad that’s not only perfect for al fresco dining, but also prominently features lemon myrtle, a first cousin of that star of Sukkot’s ritual, the hadass, and lemon, a brother of that other Sukkot perennial, the etrog.

Those of you who keep kosher are welcome to substitute mayonnaise for Chef Lee’s yogurt.

Curried Chicken Salad (serves four)

Ingredients:

– 2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

– 1 rib celery, rinsed and cut into small dice

– 2 shallot cloves, peel and cut into small dice

– ¼ cup Greek yogurt

– 2 tbsp. Madras curry powder

– 8 dates, pitted and cut into small pieces

– ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

– 3 heads frisée

– 1 head mâche greens

– 3 oz. extra virgin olive oil

– 1 oz. lemon juice

– ½ tsp. Lemon Myrtle, ground

– 2 tbsp. chives, sliced

– Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

Poach the chicken in simmering water for 8 minutes, remove, and cool. Cut the chicken into small dice and place in a medium size mixing bowl with the celery, shallot, Greek yogurt, Madras curry powder, salt, pepper, and mix well. Reserve until serving in a cool place.

Remove the outer pieces of the frisée, and then cut the core off. Place frisée greens in a large bowl with chilled water and then do the same with the mâche greens. Rinse the greens well, then drain and pat dry.

Add the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, dates, lemon myrtle, sliced chives, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and mix well. Reserve until plating.

In a large bowl toss the greens with a little of the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Take four large plates and arrange equal amounts of the chicken salad in the middle of each plate.Then place equal amounts of tossed greens on each plate. Garnish the plates with the toasted almonds and some more of the dressing.

The Recipe


Curried Chicken Salad

Curried Chicken Salad

Liel Leibovitz is editor-at-large for Tablet Magazine and a host of its weekly culture podcast Unorthodox and daily Talmud podcast Take One. He is the editor of Zionism: The Tablet Guide.