I am slicing apples and thinking about open sky and land and how I might someday merge the city-dwelling and rural-craving parts of me. I am remembering the sweet smell of hay in every direction and skies wide open like palms overhead. I am hearing the baby cows just born crying their first sounds and the bleating of the sheep as their hooves pound down the pavement at the foot of the mountains, hundreds watching on in awe. I am feeling the piercing cool of the wine cellar, and outside, the breeze lifting the grape vines and my hair and the water rushing over the harvested grapes. Idaho. This was Idaho.
And now I am home. Making a salad full of the things I remember most sweetly.
Three weeks ago, I visited Southern Idaho as part of the #TasteIdaho15 tour of the region’s most vibrant and productive fruit, dairy, and meat farms. We saw vineyards, apple orchards, and peach groves in the disarray of their season’s end. We ate at some of Boise’s best restaurants and meandered our way through back alleys full of extraordinary street art. And we got to meet the incredible families who’ve made this land their home, cultivating its rich, volcanic soil not just for their own benefit, but for the sustenance of their communities, and the surrounding states.
This depth of commitment to stewardship of the land was evident on every farm, in every restaurant kitchen—even in the gorgeous harmony of the Sun Valley Resort’s recent renovation. Every place we visited felt like somewhere I could fall into, get comfortable in, and love.
Photo of me + apple by Brooke Bass.
One of our first visits was to the sprawling Symms Fruit Ranch, where Granny Smiths were in the midst of harvest season. Our next stop was Sainte Chapelle Winery—one of the many excellent winemakers making the most of the region’s mineral dense volcanic soil. They plied us with crisp whites that paired perfectly with lunch al fresco.
Now would be a good time to mention that I had with me the best adventuring partner anyone could ask for—the gorgeous, supremely kind, and totally brilliant Brooke Bass of the blog Chocolate + Marrow. Brooke has a spark about her that is both contagious and illuminating. We dissected and resected and inspected and analyzed and appreciated and wondered and giggled at everything around us—voraciously. Though it was our first time meeting in person (our virtual friendship began earlier this year through our blogs), it felt like we’d been friends for years.
I hope Sainte Chapelle was the first of many vineyards we’ll be able to fence hop together.
Back home on the range (aka downtown Boise), we got to explore Freak Alley in between bites of exceptional dishes at Juniper and absolutely luscious desserts at The Dish. Freak Alley was a sumptuous visual meal unto itself, boasting some of the most beautiful street art I’ve seen in years.
As we moved east to Twin Falls (in the image below), and ultimately north to Ketchum and Sun Valley, we stopped to visit a dairy farm where a mama cow was in the midst of calving a spindly, black-eyed babe in the steady communion of other pregnant cows. We saw the massive grain lots where their feed is stored, and had an obligatory play sesh of our own in the hay.
The leaves turned as we gained elevation, rainbows inhabiting tree after tree, and the air grew alert with anticipation of our arrival at Sun Valley. By the time our caravan pulled in to the Lodge, I was ready to settle in and never leave. The exquisite accommodations (wall-to-wall radiant heating in wall-to-wall marble bathroom say what?!?) and breathtaking marble amphitheater cemented the allure. By the next morning, cashew milk Earl Grey tea latte in hand, I was completely in love with Ketchum.
Our trip concluded with the magnificent Trailing of the Sheep Festival, where the area’s sheep farmers herd their flocks through the center of town, preceded by Basque and Peruvian dancers, performers, and musicians. The rush of life these sheep brought with them was invigorating—they and the handsome men and women who herded them were full of the strength of the land they called home. It was an honor to bear witness to this annual ritual.
And now, from home in LA, a salad to invoke that sweet rootedness in the land, and to remember one of the most creative cheese preparations we had on the trip: A salty, tangy, crispy Golden Greek Grilling Cheese from Ballard Family Dairy & Cheese. This cheese is similar to halloumi, that springy, briny Greek cheese that can handle being grilled without melting, and pairs perfectly with sweet things.
Instead of pure sweet, though, I followed my friend Alana’s suggestion and add these crunchy golden strips to a salad. Thus was born our Fall Harvest Salad, full of everything good from the earth now: Fresh fennel bulb, sweet persimmon, perfect apples, and fried leeks that infuse the olive oil used for a vinaigrette.
You can find halloumi at any grocery store, but keep your eyes open for Idaho-style Ballard Cheese. I have no doubt Idaho’s agricultural bounty extends close to your shores.
FALL HARVEST SALAD WITH CRISPY HALLOUMI
Ingredients
- ½ large head red leaf or butter lettuce, leaves separated and washed
- ½ cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
- ½ apple thinly sliced
- ½ persimmon thinly sliced
- ½ cup thin strips of halloumi cheese about 1-2 inches in length (I used a vegetable peeler to cut the strips)
fried leek vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup thinly sliced leek greens tops
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white balsamic or red wine or champagne vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium frying pan, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat. After about a minute, test oil by flicking a drop of water in it. If it sizzles, add sliced leek greens and distribute in an even layer across pan. Let leeks fry until they begin to turn golden (1-3 minutes depending on oil temperature), then remove from heat and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to remove leeks; set aside in a bowl to cool.
- Pour oil into a bigger bowl or small glass jar in which you can mix the salad dressing. Add vinegar and sea salt and whisk vigorously. Taste, and add more salt, if desired.
- In same pan, evenly distribute strips of halloumi. Return to medium heat and grill until they begin to sizzle and bubble. About 30 seconds longer, and they’ll start to brown. You can flip if you want to brown both sides, or leave one side smooth and creamy, and the other crisp. Remove when they’ve reached desired level of crispness, about a minute longer. Remove from heat and transfer crispy cheese to a small bowl or plate.
- Assemble salad by layering torn lettuce leaves, sliced fennel, apple, and persimmon, and topping with crispy halloumi. Drizzle with vinaigrette, and enjoy.
