Additions to Salads

April 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

A salad can be as simple or creative as you wish.

One of my favorite salads is to assemble two or three types of lettuces in a large bowl and then over the top, place the following:

Tiny circles of the new miniature peppers–red, yellow and orange

Chopped red onion

Olives–I particularly like the Kalamato olives–well drained

Red and Yellow grape tomatoes. (or that tomato surprise in “vegetables’.)

Feta Cheese–broken into rather large pieces–for who wants a miserly amount of feta cheese?

Black Beans

Edamame  Look for my cool idea in “miscellaneous and helpful hints’

I have found that guests love to put their own dressing over this salad, so rather than ‘dressing’ it myself, I pass a few combinations of dressing in plastic squeeze bottles with the long spouts–which makes it so easy to ‘drizzle’  thin strips of dressing over the top in creative designs.  My two favorite at the moment are Green Goddess, and a good Greek dressing.  But a well-aged Balsamic is rather nice if you’re counting calories.

When I make my salads for guests, I really like to assemble each one individually, cover them with dampened paper toweling,  seal with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.  If you have space in your fridge, it makes it so much easier than each guest having to struggle with scooping out their own salads.  Also, that way, you can make each one as pretty as can be, rather than a jumble of this and that.  (Or one person glomming all the cheese, or olives, and the next person left with nothing but the greens!)  Just a thought—you might want to try it.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous and Helpful Hints, Salads

Nicoise Salad

March 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This is the most wonderful summertime recipe.  Serve on a beautiful large white or green platter to show off the produce in all it’s splendour! *

FOR THE DRESSING: (And if I were you, I’d triple the amount—that’s how much you’ll like it.)

1/4 C good cider vinegar and the juice of one lemon

1 T dijon mustard

1 C EVOO

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 C minced friesh Italian parsley, and 1 T fresh tarragon, minced

Salt and freshley ground pepper

Mix together and set aside

FOR THE PLATTER:

4 or five cooked potatoes, sliced and drizzled with some of the dressing

3 C green beans, cooked al dente

1 C yellow beans, cooked al dente

As much asparagus cooked al dente as you like

Sliced pickled beets, well drained–put these on at the last minute so their color doesn’t stain the other vegetables.

4 plump ripe tomatoes, sliced and drained

1 Red Onion, sliced

6 hard-boiled eggs, halved length-wise

3 cans solid-pack Albicore tuna, or if you have the time and the big bucks, sear some FRESH AHI grade tuna (Wow!–works for me)

1 C Nicoise olives, well drained

Anchovy fillets (optional, if you don’t like anchovies.)

PROCEDURE:

Mound all the above separately on the platter and drizzle some of the viniagrette over all the mounds of veggies, tucking the Nicoise olives and anchovy fillets here and there.

Serve with more vinigtrette on the side.  I TOLD YOU YOU SHOULD TRIPLE THE DRESSING, DIDN’T I?

*  A true Nicoise doesn’t call for this, but why not add brocolli, carrots and cauliflower, cooked al dente and cooled?

All you need to add to this meal is some good crusty bread, mounds of whippped butter, a plate of assorted cheeses and a crisp white wine.

 

Filed Under: Salads

Caprese Salad with Fresh Basil

February 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This is an especially pretty salad to go with an Italian supper.  All the colors in the Italian flag—red, white and green!

Ingredients:

Nice big, fat, juicy ripe tomatoes—and don’t make this unless you have NICE, BIG, FAT, JUICY RIPE TOMATOES!

Fresh mozzarella cheese  DID YOU NOTICE I SAID ‘FRESH’?

A hefty bunch of fresh, clean basil leaves

Aged Balsamic vinegar

Extra Virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Technique:

Find a nice, fairly large white platter.  (White is a must for this dish to show off the colors of the salad.)

Slice the tomatoes about 1/2 inch thick and drain on paper toweling.

Slice the same amount of fresh mozzarella cheese, about 1/4 inch thick

Arrange the tomatoes around the platter, tucking a slice of cheese and a basil leaf in between each.

Drizzle with the EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper

Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over all, and sprinkle a chiffonade of basil over the top.

Serve immediately

(I llke to put the balsamic vinegar in individual shot glasses on the plate, so each person can pour on the amount they like.  Also, it’s a pretty presentation.)

NOW HEAR THIS:  I have recently been making “Mini Caprese Salads”–and I’ve been eating them from breakfast, lunch and dinner:

One box little red grape tomatoes, rinsed and dried

One box little yellow grape tomatoes, rinsed and dried

About three cups cauliflower flowerettes–about the same size as the grape tomatoes

If you have access to the bags of mini red, yellow and orange peppers, AND I HOPE YOU DO, slice about three or four of each into thin rounds.  Dry in paper toweling.  If you don’t havve access to these little wonders, then use regular-sized pepers, sliced thin.

One cup chopped red onion

One bunch green onions, sliced on the diagonal–green parts as well.

One can black beans, drained and well dried in paper toweling (set aside)

Fresh basil (set aside)

One package pearl-size fresh mozzarella (set aside)

In a large bowl, put the  grape tomatoes, cauliflower, onions and sliced peppers. 

Sprinkle over with about two or three tablespoons of EVOO

Salt and pepper to taste

About 3/4 cup white balsamic vinegar.  Mix and refrigerate

When ready to serve,  nadd some fresh mozzarella pearls,break up some fresh (only fresh) basil and sprinkle over the top, and if desired, sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of the blac beans.

This would be a nice simple summer dinner, with a big mound of tuna salad in the middle, and some crusty peasant-style bread.

 

Filed Under: Salads