Panzanella Salad

We have a salad with just about every dinner meal, so making different salads is important.  We are on our second planting of lettuce in the garden and the tomatoes are just now turning; but I found some great plum tomatoes at the market.  So when  my wife asked if we could have a Panzanella salad for dinner; I was more than ready.

Panzanella salad can incorporate any number of ingredients.  Make it with fresh veggies, grilled yellow squash or even substitute canned tomatoes.  Add capers, olives or just about anything else in the fridge. Toast the bread if it is too soft or fresh.  This works well when you forget to put the bread in a bag after dinner the night before and now you have all this stale bread laying around.  Need to fill those teenage boys up, this is the thing; using inexpensive ingredients and they will be eating veggies without complaining.

Give this a try and I bet you will come back for more.

Roasted Beet and Pear Salad

This weekend was a “soup” weekend.  The weather is changing and as Fall arrives I start to think about soups.  Once I get into this mode I usually don’t stop until I either run out of room in the freezer or run out of containers to put the soup in.  So on Saturday we had our choice of Chicken Noodle, Leek and Potato or French Onion soup.  The chicken noddle is especially good to make and have in the freezer during this flu season.  Nothing says neighborly like a container of chicken soup delivered to a neighbor who is down with the sniffles.

I needed a few things to put a large pot of vegetable soup simmering on the stove so off we went on Sunday to the market.  Long story short we got what I needed for the soup and at the same time I picked up some beets and pears.  I had this thought rolling around in my head, and yes I know this is strange, about putting roasted beets, pears and watercress together for a wonderfully attractive and deliciously light salad.  The beets take awhile to roast so you have to think about this in advance but it was well worth the effort.  The secret is to slice both the beets and the pears as thinly as you can, I use a cheap mandolin, but if you take your time, a very sharp knife will work just as well.  Don’t tell the kids that the pretty “fruit” in the salad are beets and you just may slip this one by them.

In line with a recent post Why We Cook – A Rant I wanted to add surprise to the equation. Sometimes it’s fun to add something to the meal that is unexpected, something that appears to be one thing and winds up being a totally unexpected treat.  One night in New Jersey I made seckel pears.  These are small pears that are only available in the early fall, roasted with goat cheese, black pepper and honey as an appetizer for a group of macho cops, EMT’s and RN’s.  The unexpected taste of the tart pears with the smooth goat cheese and sweet honey was a huge hit.  The fresh cracked pepper added to the visual.  These are similar to the full size pears I make for dessert but the small size makes them ideal as a quick and unexpected appetizer.

Another visual trick is my watermelon salad.  Served in a large bowl with other various salads on a buffet, the guest assume that it is a tomato salad.  Watching the look on their faces as they popped the watermelon into their mouths was very satisfying.  The combination of crisp sweet watermelon with the salty feta cheese, pinenuts and red onion makes a wonderful surprise addition to any meal.  Now that watermelon is available all year long; this is not just a summer treat.  Once the word got around about the watermelon salad it completely disappeared in a matter of minutes.

So, mix it up a little, try something different and surprise your guest.

Roasted Corn Relish

A couple of nights before we left New Jersey last week my mother-in-law decided we should have some easy, comfort food.  She suggested burgers and said, “dress them up any way you wish.”  Now I like burgers, fries and a salad but the “guest list” kept growing and I wanted to make a few things that would stand out.  For the non-meat eaters I made some Salmon Burgers but the meal still lacked that one surprise dish that makes people happy.

Checking out the local market I found some avocados and fresh corn, the last of the season and decided that a roasted corn relish might just be the right thing, besides I had the grill fired up for the burgers anyway.  My goal was also to use up all the “leftover” desserts, flourless chocolate cake, profiteroles with hot fudge sauce and some cheese cake.  My sister-in-law finished the leftover bourbon Gelato, sneaking it in the kitchen so no one would see her.  Anyway, I thought the desserts would be the hit but seems the roasted corn relish caught everyones’s taste buds.  Enjoy the last corn of the season and why not in a delicious relish.

Roasted Corn Relish

Husk corn, roast on grill for 7 -9 minutes until browned but not burnt. Cut corn from cob. Cut tomatoes in half, cut pepper, mangoes, and avocados into bite size pieces. Slice onion very thinly. Place all in a bowl. Add oil, lime, cilantro and vinegar. Stir and let marinate for 1/2 hour. Salt and pepper to taste.

Note: To remove corn from cob try using a bundt (tube cake) pan, place the pan right side up on the counter, place ear of corn resting in hole in middle of the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut kernels from cob; the bowl of the bundt pan will catch all the corn.

Note: Buy mangoes and avocados that are not fully ripe, they will be easier to cut. Put limejuice on avocados as soon as possible to avoid them turning brown.

Heritage Tomato Salad

I am a little late in getting this post written, I have been in New Jersey doing some of my mother-in-law’s (to do list) and cooking up a storm for family and friends. Caesar salads, Salmon Roulades and many of the “usual” suspects have been flying out of the kitchen.  My Chicken Paprikash was especially good last night.

We had an interesting dessert the other night.  I started out making Vanilla Gelato and when I got to the part where I am supposed to add the vanilla I found out my mother- in-law was out of vanilla.  I had the custard in the pan so I reached for the honey and good ole Jack Daniels.  A gurb of the honey and a spritz of the Jack and we were in business.  We later found a large bottle of vanilla in the cupboard but my wife says forget the Vanilla Gelato and go with the Jack Daniels gelato every time.

Sadly it is the end of summer and soon we will be getting into the Fall cooking season, not that I don’t like all the soups, stews et al that goes with cooler weather; just that I really like the summer veggies, especially the tomatoes.  Get out and find those last of the season heirloom tomatoes and put together a quick and really good salad to celebrate the good tastes of the summer.

Julia's Chicken

Warm Chicken Salad

The final chapter in the Julia Child’s weekend was played out on Monday.  Returning from taking Jeannie to the airport we decided we wanted a light but good lunch to put the ribbon around our food-a-thon.  This involved putting two words that I thought I would never use in the same sentence: Julia Child and leftovers.  We still had some of the wonderful chicken left from Sunday’s dinner so why not combine the chicken with a salad and have the best of both worlds while keeping it light.

I re-heated the leftover chicken including the pan juices in the microwave,  and cut the chicken into 6 pieces.  Placing 3 pieces on each salad I finished the dish by spooning the pan juices onto the top of the salad.  This added a wonderful new dimension to the simple salad, slightly warming the lettuce and adding those tasty pan juices to both the chicken and the lettuce.

So don’t be so quick to pitch those pan juices when saving the leftover chicken.  You may find yourself in a quandary as to what to make for a quick lunch, and this warm salad may just hit the spot.

French Vinaigrette Salad

I have posted on making recipes your own; adding or subtracting ingredients to make the finished product more to your taste and liking.  This salad is the one I served this past weekend for the Neighborhood Dinner Party.  The French Vinaigrette salad dressing is ridiculously simple, and spectacularly tasty.  My wife suggested I “dress it up” a little by adding a baked goat cheese medallion.

The medallion took a good salad to the next level.  It added a touch of class visually, a contrast in texture from the leafy lettuce to the smooth and silky cheese, and a wonderful taste treat as the warm cheese blended its sweet taste to the tart dressing.

To make the goat cheese medallions cut a roll of goat cheese into 1 inch pieces.  Roll these in panko bread crumbs, place in the frig for 20 minutes or so; then bake in a 350 degree oven until they just start to color.  Carefully remove each one with a flat spatula and place, centered on the salad.  Serve immediately, then sit back and listen to  the mmmmmmmmmmmmm’s.

Here is Cindy’s winning salad  – Cindy’s Cauliflower Salad.  Check out the blogs above for more recipes.

Summer Salad

I can’t believe it is mid-August already; seems like it should be June or something.  My wife’s two tomatoes plants are performing nicely, providing fresh, great tomatoes each day.  Usually a summer treat is to cut up tomatoes and green peppers, add some salt, and you have a refreshing salad  I decided to “enhance” my old favorite to make it just a little different and make it a little more substantial.

I was looking for both a taste and visual push here.  We eat with our eyes as well as our mouths and putting a colorful dish in front of our families cost us nothing extra and makes the food just a little bit better.  I served this salad with grilled chicken breasts and green peas.

For those of you looking for an easy, quick and satisfying meal, this meals hits on all cylinders.  I know the salad made an impression because my wife gave me the ideal compliment, “this one’s a keeper”.  Give it a try!

(from the Salad Collection at emealsforyou.com)

This is a carryover from last year; but it’s still a winner. We were putting some chicken breasts on the grill and my wife wanted something “different” to go with it. As the spring heat turns into summer heat; cold, refreshing salads add color and a special touch to any meal.

The charm of watermelon salad is its versatility. Pair it with lunch meats, a can of tuna or even just some crispy crackers and you have a quick, delicious lunch… low in calories and good for you. Serve it as a dinner salad and watch the surprised looks you get. Having problems getting your kids to eat salad; come on what kid doesn’t like watermelon.

Well I have to go now… the photo made me think this is just what I need for tonight’s dinner.