
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."
Ingredients
- Watermelon radishes
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Kosher salt
- Winter pea shoots
- Cumin hummus
- Goat cheese
- Gravlax (“cured salmon”)
- Fish roe
Instructions
- Thinly slice watermelon radishes, then sweat them for 5 to 10 minutes with salt and a squeeze of lime.
- Sprinkle olive oil, some lemon, and kosher salt on a handful of winter pea shoots.
- 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.
- 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.
- Enjoy!