Eat Voraciously: A little gem ~ INFO IMAGES

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Here's what's for dinner tonight.

By G. Daniela Galarza

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A little gem

Good morning, and happy almost-Friday, as my mom would say. It's unofficially Salad Week around these parts — maybe you've noticed?

I wrote about dressings, and how to think of them as formulas, whether you're looking for a simple vinaigrette or a more complex salad dressing, sandwich spread or dip.

Olga Massov shared a crunchy salad topping that I'd call a savory sprinkle — you'll want to put it on everything this summer. Becky Krystal covered croutons, Aaron Hutcherson dove into salad greens, Ann Maloney wrote about a rice-and-beans salad that has my name all over it and Joe Yonan shared a recipe for a curried cauliflower salad that I can't wait to make.

The clever Emily Heil went down a rabbit hole to uncover the story behind Little Gem, a petite head of lettuce that's quietly grown in popularity for the past two decades to become a favorite, especially among chefs. I've loved it since I first saw it in California sometime around 2007, and buy it any chance I get! Have you seen it around? It's sweet and crisp, with tender leaves. It's also the perfect size for hand salad, wherein the little leaves and other bite-sized things become the "chips" to a dressing "dip."

That could happen with this recipe, from the genius Ellie Krieger, a Little Gem salad tarted up with grapefruit and pickled onions that gains balance from a slick, savory avocado dressing.

Weeks ago, in doing research for my dressings piece, when I asked my colleagues about their favorite salad dressings, this avocado dressing came up. Apparently, when it was made for the photo shoot there was a bit of a fuss as everyone wanted a taste — and then another taste. After they got the shot, there was a small squabble, because everyone wanted to have the leftovers for lunch.

It makes a fine dinner, too. That special dressing – a smart combination of avocado, Greek yogurt, herbs and scallions – is blended in a food processor. It takes no time to make, and also works well over seared fish, with grilled chicken or as a binder for a spring-green chickpea salad sandwich.

Today's recipe

Photos by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post

Gem Salad With Grapefruit, Pickled Onions and Avocado Dressing

Can't find Little Gem? >> Use romaine hearts, baby bok choy or butter lettuce.
If you're low on time, don't pickle the onions. >> Just slice them very thinly and scatter them over the salad, raw. You also could skip them and toss more fresh herbs in with the lettuce.
Not into grapefruit? >> Try an orange, sliced strawberries or a few handfuls of raspberries here.
Want to add protein? >> Make crispy chickpeas or tofu or serve this salad with chicken cutlets on the side.

Storage Notes: The pickled onions can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

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Servings: 6
Total time: 20 mins

Ingredients

For the pickled onions

3 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion (half-moons)

For the dressing

1/4 cup fresh cilantro or basil leaves
1 scallion, coarsely chopped
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and peeled
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (low-fat or full fat)
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

For the salad

2 red grapefruits
8 cups (4 ounces) lightly packed torn gem or romaine lettuce leaves

Steps

1. Make the pickled onions: In a small bowl, whisk together the hot water with the honey until fully combined; then whisk in the vinegar. Add the onions and let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.

2. Make the dressing: In a small bowl of a food processor, pulse the cilantro or basil with the scallion until finely chopped. Add the avocado, vinegar, yogurt, water, salt and pepper and process until smooth.

3. Make the salad: Cut the top and bottom off each grapefruit, then, resting the fruit on one end, remove the peel and pith by cutting down from top to bottom, following the shape of the fruit with your knife. While holding the fruit over a wide bowl, use a paring knife to remove each section of grapefruit from its membranes (this is called supreming the fruit), collecting the sections in the bowl. Squeeze the juice from what's left of the fruit into the same bowl.

4. In a large bowl, gently toss the lettuce with the dressing until evenly coated. To serve, place about 1 1/2 cups of the dressed lettuce onto each serving plate. Pluck 3 to 4 segments of grapefruit and place them on top of each salad serving (reserve the juice for another use — or drink it), along with several slices of the pickled onion. Serve, grinding more black pepper, to taste.

From nutritionist and cookbook author Ellie Krieger. Tested by Ann Maloney

Nutrition information per serving (based on 6): Calories: 90; Total Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 100 mg; Carbohydrates: 11 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 7 g; Protein: 2 g.