The Art of Food: salad

Showing posts with label salad. Show all posts

Caesar Salad with Meyer Lemon Dressing

Caesar Salad with Meyer Lemon Dressing

3 eggs

1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic
juice of half lemon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 Tablespoons Meyer Lemon Relish
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 filets anchovies {salt pack is best}
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese {use the good stuff, please}

1 head of romaine lettuce, tender young leaves best

Fill a small sauce pan with water and bring to a boil.

Carefully lower in the eggs, trying not to crack the shell.

Cook one egg for five minutes, and the other two eggs for eight minutes, removing in soaking in cold water to stop the cooking. Let cool. Set aside the eggs cooked for eight minutes.

Cut the five minute egg in half. Remove the runny yolk into a
large mixing bowl {big enough to toss the greens}.

Add the lemon garlic, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth.
Rinse and remove any bones of the anchovies, as needed.
Chop the filets {use less or more depending on preferred taste}.

Add the meyer lemon relish, lemon juice, anchovies and 2 Tablespoons of the
Parmesan cheese and stir to incorporate all the ingredients.

To assemble the caesar salad:

To prepare the salad, remove any big, tough outer leaves of lettuce and set aside for another use.

Slice the remaining head of lettuce into four quarters. Remove the core and disgard.

Toss the lettuce with the dressing until well coated, but not drenched.

Place the dressed lettuce onto a plate or platter. Scatter a Tablespoon or two of grated Parmesan over the dressed salad greens. Cut the eggs in half and arrange around the lettuce leaves. Sprinkle the eggs with fresh cracked pepper. Serve with Parmesan crostini.

To make crostini:
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Slice a baguette into ½ inch slices and place on a sheet pan. Brush the baguette slices lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese onto each slice. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves 2-4

Kale Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons & Local Farm Egg

Kale Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons & Local Farm Egg

1 bunch Tuscan kale, washed and dried

1 bunch watercress, washed and dried and large stems removed

2 cups of croutons {buy pre-made or make your own!}

½ cup of Bacon & Onion Jam

3 Farm eggs, cooked, peeled and quartered

1 cup of aioli Meyer lemon dressing (see recipe below)

1 cup of freshly grated parmiggiano reggiano cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

If kale leaves are large, remove the thick spine and discard into your compost pile.

Stack the leaves and roll them up like a cigar.

Slice the roll into very, very thin strips, or chiffonade.

In a large bowl mix Kale, Watercress, croutons and parmesan.

Pour a quarter to half of the aioli over the greens mixture.

Mix gently with salad forks.

Serve on individual salad plates/bowls top with a dusting of parmesan and half of the farm egg.

Sprinkle the egg with a pinch of salt and a grinding of black pepper.

Grilled Apricot + Radicchio Mint Salad

Grilled Apricots + Radicchio Mint Salad

6 Organic Artisan Apricots, cut in half and remove pits

 8-10 leaves of fresh mint

 2 small heads of radicchio

 1 teaspoon Tuscan Rose + Pink Peppercorn salt

 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 2 Tablespoons Acacia Honey

 2 ounces Tuma cheese *

{*fresh mozzarella or fresh pecorino will also do well}

  Prepare the fire for the grill. Toss the apricot halves with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil. Chiffonade {cut into thin strips} 4 of the mint leaves and sprinkle on the peach. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.  

  Cut the radicchio heads in half. You should have four pieces. Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  

  Place the apricots and radicchio on the grill. Don't move the fruit for a few minutes so they brown and caramelize, which will help them easily come off the grill. {about 1 -2 minutes}. Gently remove the apricots from the grill with a spatula to a cutting board or plate. Cut each half in 4 slices. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of the Acacia honey while they are still hot so they absorb some of the liquid. You can stop right here an enjoy the grilled apricots with a dollop of whipped cream or mascarpone mix with a bit of vanilla and organic sugar.

Or....keep going.   

The radicchio will be done on the first side when the edges of the leaves begin to brown. When the first side is nice and browned, turn over and grill the other side. The first side will take a bit longer {about 3-4 minutes}.The second side will take just a minute or two. Remove from the grill to a cutting board or plate and set aside to cool enough to handle.   Slice the tuma into 1/2 inch pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Chiffonade remaining 4 mint leaves and add to the bowl.   Cut the radicchio crosswise into 1/4 inch slices.  Add to the bowl with the apricots and gently toss. Drizzle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of Saba and toss again, just until combined. Serve right away.   

Roasted Plum, Radicchio, + Goat Cheese Salad with Mint Pesto Vinaigrette

Roasted Plum, Radicchio, and goat cheese salad with mint pesto vinaigrette

Serves 6

4 large handfuls of wild arugula

1 ea small head of radicchio, grilled

¼ c walnuts

3 T Bella Cucina Chestnut Honey

4 oz goat cheese

1 ea jar Bella Cucina Plums, halved and roasted

1 T balsamic vinegar

3 T Bella Cucina Tangerine Oil

2T Bella Cucina mint pesto

½ t kosher salt

½ t cracked black pepper

For the Vinaigrette:

Whisk together the vinegar, pesto, salt, and pepper. While whisking continuously slowly drizzle in the tangerine oil. When the dressing is well mixed set aside (this is a broken vinaigrette so it will never fully come together)

For the Salad:

Put the honey into a cold pan and turn on to medium heat. When the honey begins to bubble wait one minute then turn off the heat, but do not remove from the burner, add the walnuts to the honey and stir to coat. (If at any point in the process of heating and reducing the honey it begins to rapidly darken in color or bubble out of control simply remove form the heat)

Place the greens in a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Top the salad with the goat cheese and caramelized walnuts.

Arugula + Preserved Lemon Salad

Arugula, Preserved lemon, pine nut and shaved Parmasean Salad

with lemon oil dressing served with Pane Rustico

with olive and caper relish

Serves 4

4 large handfuls of baby arugula, washed and dried

¼ c pine nuts, toasted

4 oz Parmesean cheese, use a vegetable peeler to shave into long shards

4 ea wedges Bella Cucina preserved lemons, seeds removed, pulp taken out and reserved and outside finely diced

1 T Bella Cucina Champagne vinegar

3 T Bella Cucina Tuscan extra virgin olive oil

1 t Bella Cucina lemon oil

½ t kosher salt

½ t ground black pepper

2 ea large rounds Bella Cucina Pane Rustico, toasted dry

olive and caper relish

For the Vinaigrette: In a blender puree the preserved lemon pulp, champagne vinegar, lemon oil, salt, and pepper. When the Lemon mixture is pureed,with the blender on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and when then the dressing has come together set aside

For the Salad: Place the baby arugula, pine nuts and diced lemon in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing. Top the plated salads with the shaved parmesaen cheese.

Arugula + Shaved Parmesan Insalata

ARUGULA AND SHAVED PARMESAN INSALATA

2 large handfuls of baby arugula leaves
1 wedge of Parmesan {for shaving}
1 shallot, peeled and chopped finely
1 Tablespoon cabernet or red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive Oil
1 sheet Pane Rustico flatbread*

Wash and dry the arugula leaves.
With a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan cheese into thin shards until you have around a quarter cup or so.
In a small bowl, add the shallot, vinegar, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until blended well.
Gently toss the arugula just until the leaves are lightly coated. {you may not need all of the vinaigrette-best to add less to start}. Place on a sheet of cooked pane rustico. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese.
Makes a antipasti selection, salad course or a main course when topped with grilled salmon or pulled roasted chicken.

Saturday Market Meals

I am not sure if I want to hold myself to this or not, but I will give it a shot. It might provide a good source of much needed discipline as well as inspiration, which is always welcome.

so here goes....every Saturday I will provide a recipe using an organic farmer's market selection as well as a product from the Bella Cucina pantry collection.

Today's selection was an easy one. I love fresh fennel and these tender bulbs were just picked and so beautifully small and tender, I couldn't resist. We planted fennel in our raised beds this year and, although the stalks yielded gorgeous flowing fronds of leafy fennel greens, the bulb never matured. Too overcrowded, I guess. So, the next best way to enjoy this delicate, yet aromatic licoricey vegetable was to find it at the market.

One of my favorite recipes is a simple salad that finds its origins on the Southern Italy island of Sicily. It marries the pungent fennel flavor with sweet citrus blood orange segments,

red torpedo onions, a handful of arugula greens {my addition} and chopped salty bits of black olives. Blood oranges were out of season, so I used valencia oranges and sweet as can be kumquats.

A nice light citrus juice and extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette rounds out the flavors nicely. Serve crusty toasted rounds of crostini slathered with Olivada Olive Pesto and you have a cool and refreshing summer side salad. Add Citrus & Fennel salt rub grilled shrimp, chicken or tuna and you have a main course without ever having to fire up the kitchen.

SICILIAN CITRUS FENNEL INSALATA

1 large bulb fresh fennel
1 blood orange, or whatever varietal available in season
8-10 kumquats {optional}
1 Tablespoon thinly sliced small, red torpedo onions
4 pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup arugula greens
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil * {substitute 1 Tablespoon Tangerine oil for olive oil for a richer flavor}
1/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1/8 tsp. cracked black pepper
8- 1/2 inch slices of bread
2 Tablespoons Olive Pesto

Slice fennel into quarters. Remove the core and slice the fennel as thinly as possible {use a sharp knife or mandolin}.
Place in bowl and toss with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to retain color. Zest the orange into the fennel slices. Slice peel from orange, being careful to remove all the pithy, white membrane. Carefully cut the orange segments from their skins over the bowl and reserve the juice. Add the oranges to the fennel. Thinly slice the kumquats and onions, then add to the bowl. Chop the olives coarsely. Do not add the olives to the fennel or toss the salad until ready to dress and serve, otherwise the olives will turn the mixture black.

To make the vinaigrette, Remove any seeds or membrane from the juice and add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil emulsified. Set aside until ready to serve.

To serve, add the olives and arugula to the salad. Drizzle on just enough vinaigrette until salad is lightly coated, but not overly dressed. Serve as is or with grilled shrimp, slices of grilled chicken or a piece of grilled tuna fillet. Garnish with olive crostini.

From the garden

It is mid-December and it is almost 70 degrees today! The drought has finally had some relief with a luscious downpour early this morning and a few days before. In the backyard garden, herbs are still flourishing, a late harvest of newly grown arugula lettuces are ready to be cut for cooking, and the young white turnips are almost mature.

I can hardly think of a heavy Holiday feast when the sun is shining and the rosebuds are awakened unexpectedly.
Nonetheless, I welcome the warm interruption and take advantage of its gift.
What do we eat on a day like today? Our bodies have been eating dishes that offer comfort and warmth. Today, it is craving a refreshing, but satisfying salad to reflect the unexpected warm weather.

One of my favorite salads that I often have for a light Sunday Supper is a fresh garden salad with a still-tender center boiled egg and crispy pancetta or applewood smoked bacon. It is soothing dish without being too filling or complicated on the palate.

Garden Arugula Salad with Organic Boiled Egg and Applewood Smoked Bacon

1/4 pound pancetta or bacon slices, cut into small pieces
1 large handful of fresh spinach leaves, gently washed and dried
2 fresh, organic eggs

In a saute pan, cook pancetta or bacon over med. low heat until all fat is rendered and the pieces are browned and crisp.
Remove the pieces with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside until ready to use.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat with 6 cups water until boiling. Gently place the eggs into the pan and cook for about 8 minutes. Drain the water and run the eggs under cool water for a few seconds, just until they are easy to handle and can be peeled. Peel the eggs, being carefully not to crack them open.

Toss the spinach with enough vinaigrette just to lightly coat the leaves. Refrigerate any remaining vinaigrette for another use.
On two plates, divide the spinach leaves and place one egg, slicing it open so the runny yolk spills over the plate.
Top with the pancetta or bacon pieces. Sprinkle fresh cracked black pepper over the top.
Serve while eggs are still warm.

For the Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon mustard
1 Tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

serves two.

copyright 2007 Alisa Barry

In a small bowl, add the mustard and vinegar. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and whisk until emulsified.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. * NOTE: the pancetta or bacon will be salty, so adjust seasoning accordingly.