Fattoush!
Bless you.
Bulgur?
Whatevah!
Move over tabbouleh…
No grain soaking here.
Just toasted pita bread (homemade if you are of a mind).
The ripest Bradley tomatoes you can find.
Crunchy cucumbers, peeled or unpeeled, it’s your choice.
Sweet red onion, fresh mint and Italian parsley.
A citrusy dressing to taste.
It’s one of those face down in your plate lunches.
Or you can make it even more divine with a few additions….like ricotta salata cheese….or grilled scallops for a smashing dinner….or Kalamata olives…or grilled shrimp…leftover roast chicken….or cottage cheese..or garbanzos…toasted pine nuts…
Or just by itself.
Fattoush
Adapted from Joyce Goldstein’s Mediterranean Fresh
2 to 3 pita bread rounds
2-3 large Bradley tomatoes, cut in bite sized pieces
2 small cucumbers, peeled or unpeeled, cut in bite sized pieces
½ small red onion, diced and soaked in a bit of ice water and a pinch of sugar
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large tsp ground sumac (this is the ultimate secret weapon in Fattoush. It adds a bright note to the dressing…it’s available from Penzey’s
A good handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh mint
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon,, juiced
Preheat the oven to 350. Pop the pita bread in and bake until they are crunchy, fifteen minutes or so.
Let cool and break into pieces.
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice and ground sumac together and season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Combine veggies in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add the pita bread and toss with the dressing and serve immediately.
Serves 3 generously.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Fattoush
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Nectarines with Fresh Thyme and Cream Sherry
I am not sure that many people start out writing about salad and end up writing about dessert, but that’s exactly what has happened to me.
I was so inspired by Marie's Nectarine and Fresh Basil Salad last week, I decided to do a version of same and take to a dinner party which I knew was leaning towards the fried chicken, devilled egg arena. And there is nothing wrong with that arena at all…I just didn’t want to do the normal potato salad or coleslaw and these eaters were sophisticated enough to get what I was doing with the Nectarine Salad.
I decided to use fresh thyme instead of basil . I didn’t have decent sherry vinegar so I substituted Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry. A little extra virgin olive oil, a little vanilla sugar, a squeeze of fresh lime, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste…this was spectacular.
Of course I didn’t take a picture.
C'est la vie.
It was a hit. The Harvey’s brought out the sweetness of the nectarines, the lime balanced that out.
It was just superb.
.
I woke up the next morning thinking about the leftovers.
I couldn’t wait to have them for breakfast. But then I started thinking about ice cream.
At six in the morning.
Nectarine ice cream.
With thyme in it.
And a bit more Harvey’s.
It really doesn‘t matter what time you make ice cream, does it?
The left over nectarine salad was smushed with vanilla sugar and another splash of Harvey’s and a splash of vanilla extract, thrown into the ice cream maker.
I took a picture this time.
Nectarines with Fresh Thyme and Cream Sherry
This is your eyeball recipe.
As many nectarines for as many people as you are serving, sliced
A good splash of Harvey’s Bristol Cream
A good pinch of vanilla sugar
A good swirl of extra virgin olive oil
A big pinch of fresh thyme leaves, crushed
A good squeeze of fresh lime juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine and serve as a salad course or as an accompaniment to grilled pork chops.
Click here for a printable recipe!
Nectarine Ice Cream with Fresh Thyme and Cream Sherry
2 cups vanilla soy milk, or half and half, or 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup half and half
¼ cup vanilla sugar
a squeeze of fresh lime juice
4 nectarines, sliced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Good splash Harvey’s Bristol cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Smush the nectarines with the sugar, add the thyme, sherry, lime juice, vanilla extract. Stir in the vanilla soy milk and pour mixture into electric ice cream maker. Freeze according to directions on your machine.
When done, remove to a plastic container with airtight lid and freeze.
If you have made the above salad, mash the leftovers with the ¼ cup vanilla sugar and thyme and add the sherry. Continue with the above directions.
Serves 4.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Radishes, Mint and Ricotta Salata
Somebody shoot me.
Why didn’t I think of this salad?
I could have, given enough time, red wine and an inspirational view.
Maybe.
But it doesn’t matter.
Melissa Clark beat me to it and got it published in the NY Times.
And I am so glad she did.
Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Radishes, Mint and Ricotta Salata
Adapted from a recipe in the NY Times June 2009 by Melissa Clark
1/2 cup sliced radishes
4 ounces sugar snap peas, sliced (1-¼ cups)
4 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled (1 cup)
1/3 bunch mint leaves, torn, (1/3 cup)
1 large clove garlic, minced
Coarse salt , a good pinch
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
A couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
In large bowl, toss together radishes, peas, ricotta and mint.
In mortar and pestle or with a knife, make a paste of the garlic and the pinch of salt. Place in small bowl and add lemon juice and balsamic vinegar and stir well to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil, stirring constantly and season to taste.
Pour over salad and toss to combine.
Serves 3 generously.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Mesa Grill Barbecue Sauce and a Southern Salad Nicoise
I used to walk in the mornings.
Three and a half miles a day.
Crack of dawn.
It was great. Loved doing it. Quiet, neighborhood sleeping, great start to the day, right.
I’m now walking in the afternoons when I get home from work.
Still three and a half miles.
It’s not quiet.
The neighborhood is not sleeping.
It’s cooking.
Outside.
It’s sort of inspirational if you think about it.
Take the other evening.
Now that I think about it, I am not sure I walked on one of the streets because someone was grilling chicken and basting it with something sweet. I think I was floating past that house….
It’s hard to walk and drool, but I’ve just about mastered it.
Then…I noticed a family with small children having dinner at their picnic table. Bowls all over the table, family laughing and eating, dog begging. Straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Potato salad, fried chicken…
That did it
Instead of listening to Free Food for Millionaires, which is a great book but has nothing to do with food, I started thinking about our dinner.
Started thinking about barbecuing chicken.
Thinking about potato salad.
Thought about salad Nicoise.
Tuna, Nicoise olives, hard boiled eggs, green beans, tomatoes, , potatoes, right?
Smelled that grilled chicken again.
Thought about the components of a great Southern meal.
Grilled chicken, deviled eggs, tomato basil salad, classic potato salad.
Put the two thoughts together and came up with this.
Barbecued Chicken with Mesa Grill Barbecue Sauce: a sauce everyone should keep in the fridge during the hot months.
Groom’s Devilish Eggs with Green Olives …do the basic deviled eggs…a little Hellmann’s mayo, chopped green olives, paprika
Classic Potato Salad …soak the red onions before using to get the strength out….use a bit of sissy mustard in the dressing to make it even classic -er
Fresh Herb Salad Mix…it’s good for you….
Tomato, Artichoke, Sugar Snap and fresh Basil…blanch the sugar snaps and drop in ice water to preserve the color. Use marinated artichoke hearts…provides the dressing, right? A bit of freshly ground black pepper and fresh basil.
See?
A Southern Nicoise Salad.
For lack of a better name.
I wonder what the neighbors will be cooking this afternoon?
Mesa Grill Barbecue Sauce
Adapted From Bobby Flay
A couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil
½ red onion, diced
1 large spoonful garlic confit
8 canned San Marzano tomatoes
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire
¼ cup water
3 tbsp dark molasses
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp wild honey
1 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
Heat the olive oil til almost smoking in large pan over medium heat and sweat the onion and garlic confit until softened, about five minutes. Throw tomatoes into food processor and pulse two times, add to pan. Cook 15 minutes at a simmer. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Put into food processor and pulse several times.
Let cool to room temperature.
Makes about 2-2.5 cups
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Asian Grilled Salmon with Warm Soba Noodle Salad
In the interest of the good health that seems to be abounding around the Red Brick Ranchero, I’ve been concentrating my culinary efforts on things that are good for you.
Checking the ingredients of this particular effort, we find :
Salmon. Good for you.
Edamame. Good for you.
Garlic. Good for you.
Ginger. Good for you
Soba noodles. Surely they are good for you.
Throw in sautéed red bell peppers, green onions, toasted sesame oil and you’ve got something here.
A meal that‘s, well, good for you. And is too easy.
And tastes divine. For supper and lunch the next day.
Asian Grilled Salmon with Warm Soba Noodle Salad
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup cooked edamame, ( I used the ones from Costco that are seasoned)
3-4 green onions, trimmed and chopped
2 nice pieces wild salmon, seasoned with a bit of tamari and black pepper
Fresh cilantro for garnish
Toasted sesame oil
Fresh lime
6 ounces dry soba noodles, cooked and drained
Grill the salmon til just done. Heat large skillet with a couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil and add the green onions and red bell peppers. Cook about five minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook about five minutes, don’t let it burn. Add edamame and stir til the edamame is hot. Remove from heat then add the cooked noodles and toss well, drizzle with the toasted sesame oil to your taste. Cut the salmon into nice chunks. Put the noodle mix on the plate and top with the chunks of salmon, drizzle with toasted sesame oil and a squeeze of fresh lime and a touch of fresh cilantro.
Dinner for 3!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Spicy Jumbo Lump Crabmeat and Black Bean Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
You know what that’s like. Total lack of inspiration.
That doesn’t mean that I’ve got nothing to turn to in the fridge to get inspired.
It just means that when I look in there nothing inspires me.
Until I saw… the crabmeat.
I want crab salad. I don’t want a mayonnaisy thing.
But I want tons of flavor. And you know, I wouldn’t mind a bit of the Latin influence going on either.
Did you know there are tons of crab salad recipes in the world but none like this.
Spicy and decadent at the same time.
And fast. I was surprised how easily this came together.
In less than an hour.
Inspired eating in less than an hour.
Who knew?
Bobby. Of course.
Spicy Jumbo Lump Crabmeat and Black Bean Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Adapted from a recipe in From My Kitchen to Your Table by Bobby Flay
Black Beans:
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
A good shake of ancho chile powder
A couple of swirls extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp Citrus Vinaigrette
Combine and season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Citrus Vinaigrette:
¼ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup fresh lime juice
A couple of leaves of fresh basil, cut into chiffonade
1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Combine juices, basil and onion in blender and blend til smooth. Keep motor running and add olive oil in thin stream and blend til emulsified. Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
May be refrigerated up to one day. Use on grilled fish. It’s faboo.
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
4 good sized roasted red peppers (I had them in a jar and went for it. Too hot to cook)
¼ medium red onion, coarsely chopped
1 canned chipotle pepper
6 tbsp fresh lime juice
1-½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Combine peppers, onion , chipotle and lime juice and blend until smooth. Keep the motor running and slowly add the olive oil in thin stream until emulsified. Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Makes about 2 cups.
Crabmeat:
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
2 tbsp Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1-½ tsp fresh lime juice
A good squirt wild honey
1 tbsp pureed canned chipotle pepper
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine it all and season to taste.
This can be made a day in advance.
Serve with sliced tomatoes and avocados with extra Roasted Red Pepper Sauce on the side.
Serves 4.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Black Bean Salad with Cumin and Mint Vinaigrette
Easy.
Versatile.
Tasty.
Gets better if stands overnight.
Can eat rolled up in a flour tortilla, as a base for nachos, underneath a piece of spicy grilled chicken.
Can eat topped with grilled shrimp and a splat of guacamole.
Can eat while standing in front of refrigerator with spoon.
Your choice.
Black Bean Salad with Cumin and Mint Vinaigrette
Adapted from The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison
2 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup each diced yellow, green and red peppers
1 small red onion, cut into small squares and soaked in ice water for 10 minutes
2 stalks celery, diced
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried Mexican oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro*
Diced avocado*
Combine in bowl. Add vinaigrette and fold together. Taste and correct the seasoning.
*add these right before serving.
Cumin and Mint Vinaigrette
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp grated lemon peel
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp garlic confit or 2 fat garlic cloves, smashed and finely minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp hot smoked Spanish paprika
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Chopped fresh mint leaves (about a tbsp)
Chopped fresh cilantro (about a tbsp)
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
Combine juice, peel vinegar, salt and garlic in bowl. Put cumin and coriander seeds in mortar and pestle or grind in spice grinder. Add with paprika to combined ingredients. Whisk in the oil. Taste and adjust seasoning and add the jalapeno and fresh herbs.
Serves 4.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Provencal Almond and Anchovy Fish Sauce
Anchovies are one of those things you either love or you hate. Growing up, I said I hated anchovies. Wouldn’t touch them. Made it up in my head that I had eaten them, they had made me sick..couldn’t stand them.
I’m such a drama queen.
Anyway, the discovery of anchovy stuffed olives eased me into the world of the salty little fish.
It has that “je ne sais quoi” of salty flavors. The “ I don’t know why this tastes so good, but give me more of it” thing.
So, with major inspiration from Joyce Goldstein, we grilled a perfect piece of halibut, blanched green beans, steamed Yukon Golds and a few grape tomatoes on the plate, we had a new version of salad Nicoise.
IF you haven’t come over to the anchovy side of life, try this. It will make a convert out of you.
Provencal Almond and Anchovy Fish Sauce
Adapted from Back to Square One by Joyce Goldstein
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
¾ tsp anchovy paste
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
¾ cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
6 tbsp chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp chopped fennel fronds
Splash of Pernod
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine in bowl and let sit for at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend.
Makes enough for 4-6 fish fillets.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Salmon Salad
What to do with salmon?The usual?
Grill it and put a sauce on top?
Saute some veggies and put the salmon on top of that?
Not just any salad.
The Salmon Salad.
The origin of this recipe is Bon Appetit magazine of several summers ago..I think, or maybe it was last summer. In that recipe, the salmon is cooked on top of the stove, the ingredients are heated together and thrown together. That worked ok.
But this method works better.
Grill the salmon to perfection.
Should take about seven minutes total on the grill if salmon is skin on. Don’t turn it.
In the meantime, you’ve got fresh squeezed orange and lemon juice, grated orange and lemon peel, Nicoise olives, artichoke hearts, capers, garbanzo beans, pine nuts and a blast of spicy fresh basil and Italian parsley coming together in a large bowl with the secret Feeding Groom ingredient, “O” Meyer Lemon Olive Oil.
Just a good swirl on top with a smidge of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Wow.
Summer in a bowl.
The Salmon Salad
One good swirl “O” Meyer Lemon Olive Oil*
2 -5ounce salmon fillets, seasoned with a bit of freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice
1 14 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
¼ cup Nicoise olives
3 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp capers, drained
1 tbsp grated orange peel
1 tsp grated lemon peel
3 tbsp fresh basil leaves chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts
Grill salmon about 7 minutes…don’t turn if skin on. Let cool about five minutes and flake.
Combine all ingredients in large bowl and let sit about 15 minutes for flavors to blend.
Serves 3 generously.
*If you haven’t tried this line of olive oils, give it a shot. The Meyer Lemon and the Ruby Grapefruit Oils are very special treats for salads just like this one.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Lentil Salad with Fresh Mint, Roasted Peppers and Feta Cheese
Well, I’ve done over 100 posts on Feeding Groom and, like so many others that have posted recently, the welcome and the new friends have made such an impact on our lives here at the Red Brick Ranchero.
So has the food.
Groom has now joined the ranks of the medicated for high cholesterol. Is it my fault? Did I pick the wrong foods? I would say no. Well, maybe.
At any rate, in an effort to curb the cholesterol that is running rampant around here, the eating habits and menu choices have undergone a rather drastic change. Red meat is no longer the go-to meal. I’m sure the beef and lamb population is growing by leaps and bounds and pigs are breathing a sigh of relief. Shrimp will become less of an option.
Moderation is the new key to life here, so these foods won’t totally disappear.
They’ll just spend quality time with us.
Here’s a great recipe for Lentil Salad with Fresh Mint, Roasted Peppers and Feta Cheese with is perfect with a beautiful piece of Grilled Steelhead Trout or salmon on top.
Very French, this is.
Very good for you too!
Lentil Salad with Fresh Mint, Roasted Peppers and Feta Cheese
Adapted from The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison
1-½ cups small French lentils,
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into small squares
½ small Vidalia onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Good pinch coarse salt
2 large red bell peppers
1 tbsp fresh chopped mint
4 tbsp chopped mixed herbs..I used cilantro, Italian parsley and thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
Sherry vinegar to taste
8 ounces feta cheese
Extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Lemon Vinaigrette
Rinse the lentils, cover them generously with water and bring to boil with carrot, onion, bay leaf, garlic and salt. Simmer til cooked about 25 minutes. They should be tender and still hold their shape. Drain.
While lentils are cooking, roast the peppers over a flame until evenly charred and put in covered bowl to steam for 20 minutes or so. Then scrape off the charred skins with a knife. Don’t rinse under water. Slit open , remove the seed and cut into squares.
Fold vinaigrette into warm lentils. Add mint, herbs and peppers. Taste and season with freshly ground black pepper and salt if needed. Taste again, and this is a great hint..splash a bit of sherry vinegar on the lentils to brighten the flavors. It really works.
Crumble the feta cheese and gently stir into the lentils.
If you have grilled fish, plate on top of the salad and sprinkle a bit more chopped herbs for garnish.
Lemon Vinaigrette
Juice and peel of one large lemon
¼ tsp smoked sweet Spanish paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic confit
Coarse salt to taste
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Remove two wide strips of peel from the lemon with a vegetable peeler and slice them into narrow slivers. Put 3 tbsp of lemon juice in a bowl with the lemon peel, paprika, cayenne, garlic and salt. Which in the olive oil and adjust seasoning for tartness, adding more lemon juice or oil, whichever is needed.
Salad serves 4.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Basil, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Black Olive Tapenade
Inspiration for lunch can come from anywhere. A food memory. A picture in a magazine.
The light bulb goes off over your head and you go on automatic pilot, pulling things out of the fridge, grabbing the scissors and walking trance like to the garden to cut fresh basil.
Slicing fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes and the secret ingredient, Black Olive Tapenade, at the ready.
All of a sudden, you’re sitting down to a combination that makes absolutely perfect sense.
And tastes absolutely perfect.
Basil, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Black Olive Tapenade
1 medium round fresh mozzarella, sliced
One large tomato, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
1 large spoonful Black Olive Tapenade
Layer mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil on plate. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Put spoonful of Black Olive Tapenade on the side and serve with crusty bread.
Serves 2.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Shrimp with Walnuts, Avocado and Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette
Looking for something absolutely divine to change your mind about what’s for dinner?
Don’t want to make too much of a mess but have something worthwhile on your dinner plate that will astound and please your fellow eaters?
You might want to try this one.
Rich, creamy avocado, spritely lemon juice, toasted walnuts with a toasted cumin vinaigrette..a hint of garlic in the dressing combined with crunchy celery, radishes and red onion topped with a quick sautéed shrimp spicy with crushed red pepper on top of crisp cold mixed baby greens.
Oh, baby.
Shrimp with Walnuts, Avocado and Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette
1 cup mixed baby greens
¼ cup Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette*
1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
½ cup diced celery
½ cup sliced radishes
2 tbsp finely chopped Spanish red onion, soaked in ice water for 10 minutes and drained
12 large shrimp, 21-25s, tail on
A good swirl extra virgin olive oil
A good shake hot crushed pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
Toss a bit of the dressing on the greens place on salad plate.
Heat a bit of olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. When oil shimmers, add the shrimp and a good shake of the hot crushed pepper flakes and cook quickly until shrimp turn pink.
Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Mix remaining ingredients together in bowl with just enough dressing to lightly coat the ingredients.
Place on top of greens and give it a good grinding of pepper before serving.
Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette
1-½ tbsp cumin seeds, toasted til fragrant and coarsely ground in spice grinder
2/3 cup fruity olive oil
1/3 cup roasted garlic oil
1 large lemon, juiced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together in bowl and let sit while you prep the salad.
Serves 2 generously.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Fennel and Olive Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
So sweet.
Just out there looking for the right partner to show it off.
Enter the olive.
Salty and spunky. Full of flavor.
Get these two together in a salad and you have a marriage made in heaven.
Cut fennel into matchstick pieces, mix it with pitted green Picholine and black Nicoise olives and toss with a sweet/garlicky sherry vinaigrette, you have got something here.
Try this with bone in pork chops or chicken, seasoned with lots of freshly ground black pepper and a bit of coarse salt, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of ground fennel, grilled to perfection.
Fennel and Olive Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
Adapted from an old Bon Appetit recipe
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp aged sherry vinaigrette
1 tsp garlic confit
½ cup mixed pitted Picholine and Nicoise olives
1 small fennel bulb, sliced into matchsticks
A handful of mixed baby greens
Whisk oil and vinegar together in small bowl. Add garlic confit, squish it against the side of the bowl to smash, and whisk til blended. Season with a bit of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Put greens, fennel and olives in large bowl. Add enough dressing to lightly coat the salad. Toss well and adjust seasoning.
Serves 3.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Shrimp Salad
What are the basics of beach vacations?
Sand, pelicans, sleeping late, eating later, pool volleyball showing off your best Esther Williams moves.
Then there’s shrimp.
You get to the beach .. You get to your seafood guy before he closes.
Cap’n Doug has the best fresh seafood in this part of the world.
Three pounds of beautiful extra large shrimp steamed with lemon and cayenne and salt…so good. Perfect dinner after 10 hours in the car.
The leftovers became another beach tradition.
Shrimp Salad.
Enter Nanny, the shrimp salad master to “whomp” up lunch.
And it was terrific. Cold shrimp, hard boiled eggs, sweet paprika, a hint of cayenne and horseradish in a spicy mayo dressing on top of ice cold romaine lettuce.
It’s gonna be a great vacation!
Nanny’s Shrimp Salad
½ pound cooked extra large shrimp, peeled and cut into three pieces
2 eggs, hardboiled, quartered and quartered again
1/2-1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
3 little center stalks of celery, diced
1 green onion, diced (use up to the half of the green)
1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp horseradish sauce
Dash of cayenne pepper
A squeeze of lemon juice
Combine and serve on romaine lettuce leaves.
Should serve three but two people ate it all and the third person had to eat a smoked turkey sandwich.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Chicken Salad
People bought it by the pound, the sandwich, the half sandwich, the pint. It flew out the door.
I think knowing how to make a good chicken salad is very important. It’s easy to do these days thanks to the availability of roasted chickens at the grocery store. You can make it low fat, high fat, with nuts without nuts with grapes without grapes … you name it. Here is one we sold at Clayton Blackmon for years. It will make a couple of pounds of chicken salad. Enough to keep and to give away in the best Southern tradition
Chicken Salad
1 -1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, boiled til cooked, cooled and diced(you can also use a roasted chicken from the grocery, if you like...works wonderfully)
2 large Granny Smith apples, cut up in small dice, and let sit in water with lemon juice in it
1 head celery, washed and cut in dice
15 oz Hellmann’s mayonnaise..you can use lowfat or regular but it must be Hellmann's
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Coarse salt to taste (or Lawry's seasoned salt)
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 whole lemon
1 cup chopped pecans
Put meat in large bowl. Shred with your fingers. Drain the apples, pat dry and add to the chicken along with celery, mayonnaise, pecans and season with salt or Lawry’s and pepper. Squeeze lemon over top and mix well.
You will love it!
