Pretty in Pink

Image courtesy of Arlene Shechet.

Arlene Shechet approaches cooking the same way she approaches making art: “I start by throwing things together, feeling the textures and colors,” the New York-based artist shares with Family Style. Known for her playful and architectural sculptures that appear to be caught in flux, the artist is no stranger to combining a range of materials, from hardwood to steel to glazed ceramic, all in a single work. She doesn't miss a beat when it comes to her aptly named “pink lunch”: toast topped with watermelon radishes, pea shoots, cured salmon, and hummus, all which compliment each other in a swirl of color and flavor. The trick to making it pop? A hand-pinched plate—Shechet opts for one she bought in Seoul. “Obviously it needs to taste great and look good,” she adds. “We eat with our eyes." 

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Ingredients

• Watermelon radishes
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Kosher salt 
• Winter pea shoots
• Cumin hummus 
• Goat cheese
• Gravlax (“cured salmon”)
• Fish roe 

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Instructions

1. Thinly slice watermelon radishes, then sweat them for 5 to 10 minutes with salt and a squeeze of lime.
2. Sprinkle olive oil, some lemon, and kosher salt on a handful of winter pea shoots.
3. Spread a thin layer of cumin hummus or goat cheese on a slice of bread and layer with watermelon radishes, gravlax, and pretty pearly roe.
4. Place the bread and fixings on the cushion of pea shoots… Oops, first go to Seoul (or anywhere else) and get a hand-pinched plate that makes you happy.
5. Enjoy!