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CookTeaser

“Photos, Recipes & CookTales For Those Who Enjoy Cooking”

Category Archives: Salads

June 20, 2011 A Salad of Baby Artichokes, Shaved Fennel, Shaved Asparagus & Shaved Parmesan.


RECIPE
Serves 2
A CookTale

Sunday a day without shopping & a salad is required as a part of the dinner.
Our garden Arugula has gone to seed. Digging through the fridge I came away with four satisfactory ingredients to compose a salad. The one ingredient that was labor intensive was preparing the fresh Baby Artichokes. Actually,frozen Artichoke Hearts would have worked as well. With a well seasoned vinaigrette we had ourselves a worthwhile side dish. And it sat on a bed of slivered Romaine Lettuce.

INGREDIENTS

1 Box of Frozen Artichoke Hearts
1/2 A Fennel Bulb finely sliced on a Mandolin
6 Asparagus spears shaven with a vegetable peeler
Parmesan Cheese shaven with a vegetable peeler
A Vinaigrette of EVOO, Lemon Juice & Salt & Pepper
4 Romaine leaves sliced to a chiffonade (optional)

METHOD

1. Defrost the Artichoke Hearts
2. Shave the Fennel bulb & Asparagus spears.
3. Shave the Parmesan Cheese
4. Prepare the EVOO & Lemon Juice Vinaigrette
5. Gently toss the vegetables together & add
1 TB of the Vinaigrette. Or to taste.
6. Toss again & plate

Add

June 17, 2011 My Idea of Potato Salad


A CookTale

Cath asked for a side of Sauerkraut to accompany the Weisswurst, I made a face & disagreed, Sauerkraut! Then I thought about an alternative, searching around I realized we had baby potatoes & fresh oyster mushrooms, & the herb garden was ablaze with flowering chives. Aha! I steamed the potatoes, cleaned & separated the oyster mushrooms & heated a saute pan to high. Added olive oil & in two separate batches & sautéed the ingredients. When they were beautifully browned, they were added to a large mixing bowl. I grabbed a scissor & lumbered to the herb garden & attacked the chives.

Above is the result of necessity being the mother of invention.

RECIPE

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

1 Pound of Baby White Potatoes
1 Basket of fresh Oyster Mushrooms (if unavailable use Shitake)
1 Small bunch of fresh Chives
Salt & fresh Black Pepper
A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
2 TB of EVOO + 2 TB for Sauteing
1 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar ( try to purchase the true Balsamic
imported from Modena, Italy)
1 TB of diced Roasted Red Pepper

METHOD

1. Clean & halve the Potatoes. Place in a bowl of water to prevent discoloration.
2. Separate & clean the Mushrooms. Set aside.
3. Heat a large saute pan to high, add 1TB EVOO & the Red Pepper Flakes. When almost smoking, add the Mushrooms. Saute until browned & thoroughly cooked. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add another 1TB EVOO to the same pan & when almost smoking add the Potatoes. Place them face down & pan roast them until browned & thoroughly cooked. Add to them to the Mushrooms.
5. When cooled, add 1 more TB of EVOO & the Balsamic Vinegar, toss & sprinkle in the Chives. Add the 1TB of diced Red Pepper

June 10, 2011 On a Night Too Hot To Even Light An Oven, A Delicious Jumbo Crabmeat Salad


RECIPE
Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Salad.
Serves 3

On the way home from NYC Cathie stopped at Fairway on 125th Street, a fabulous store, & brought home a pound of unpasteurized Jumbo Lump Crabmeat. The plan was to fulfill our visiting daughter Lissa’s request for Thai Crab Cakes. But after a scorching hot day, the evening called for a cool refreshing salad.
The substitution worked out well.

INGREDIENTS For the Salad

1 lb. (2 cups) fresh Jumbo Lump Crabmeat
Grated zest of a Lime
Sea or Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/2 Cup finely minced Red Bell Pepper
1 Celery Stalk, finely minced
1/2 Cup finely minced Red Onion
1/4 Cup minced fresh Cilantro (or Parsley or Chervil
2 Ripe Tomatoes ( if you can find them)
1 Ripe Avocado if you have it

INGREDIENTS For the Dressing

1 TB freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
1/2 tp Sea or Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Heavy Cream or Sour Cream
1/3 cup minced Chives

METHOD

1. Combine all the ingredients for the Dressing.
2. In a large bowl, combine the Crabmeat & Lime Zest and toss with just enough Dressing to lightly coat the Crabmeat. Taste for seasoning.
3. In another bowl, combine the Pepper, Celery, Red Onion, Cilantro & S&P and toss with just enough Dressing to lightly coat the vegetables. Taste for seasoning.
4. Combine the contents of the two bowls, mixing very gently to blend.
5. Mound the Salad in the center of the plate. Arrange the Tomato slices the Avocado slices around the salad.
6. Add more of the Dressing if necessary.

Broccoli Rabe with Baby Sauteed Potatoes

Serves 3

To accompany the Crab Salad, the dinner called for a side dish of a green vegetable, but not another salad green. Garlicy Broccoli Rabe filled the bill, & the sauteed Baby Potatoes added the crunch.

INGREDIENTS

1 Bunch of Broccoli Rabe
1/2 Pound of Baby White Potatoes
2 Garlic cloves finely sliced
Salt & Black Pepper to taste
A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
4 TB of Olive Oil, 2 for the Broccoli &
2 for the Potatoes

METHOD For the Broccoli Rabe

1.in a large pot bring a small amount of water to a boil.
2. Wash the Broccoli Rabe & cut 1″ off the stems.
3. Add the Broccoli Rabe & steam for 6 minutes, covered.
4. Remove & put into a bowl of cold water which both stops the cooking & maintains the vegetable’s color.
5. Drain & cut into 1″ pieces.
6. Heat a deep sided saute pan & add 2 TB of Olive Oil. Add the Garlic & saute until fragrant & lightly colored.
7. Add the Broccoli Rabe, a splash of water & cook until heated & tender. Remove to a bowl. Reserve & set aside.

METHOD For the Potatoes

1. After washing & scrubbing the Potatoes thoroughly, dry & cut in half.
2. Heat the same saute pan & add 2 TB of Olive Oil. When shimmering, add the Potatoes & saute until they are fork tender & brown.
3. Add the reserved Broccoli Rabe & toss it all together.
4. If required, finish with another splash of Olive Oil & your’e ready to plate.

May 27, 2011 May 26 – From Julia’s 1970 Classic, Caesar Salad


Caesar Salad

The Classic Caesar Salad

Caesar Salad Classic

Serves 4
‘From Julia’s Kitchen” deftly descibes the theatrical hand gestures of Senor Caesar when preparing his personal creation, the Caesar Salad, at tableside in his Mexico City restaurant.

This recipe lacks the Senor’s theatrics, but does include all of the original ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

4 Hearts of Romaine Lettuce
3/4 Cup of EVOO + 2 TB
3 TB of Red Wine Vinegar
2 tsp of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp of Salt & fresh ground Pepper
1/2 tsp of Coleman’s Dry Mustard
1 Garlic clove crushed
1 Egg
1 Small Lemon, Juiced, or to taste
1/4 Cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 Cups of homemade Garlic Croutons
1 2 Ounce can of Anchovy fillets

METHOD

1. In a bowl or a lidded jar, combine the EVOO, Vinegar, Worcester Sauce, Mustard, Salt, crushed Garlic, & Lemon juice.
2. Coddle the Egg by heating it in a pot of water brought to a boil, turn the burner off. Carefully drop in the Egg & let it coddle for about a minute. Remove & allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle crack open the coddled Egg & add it to the dressing. Whisk or shake until thoroughly blended.
3. Cut 2 or 3 pieces of day old loaf bread into Crouton size pieces. Put into a bowl, add 1 TB of EVOO & 1 tsp of Salt & toss to mix.
4. Heat a large frying pan & add the other 1 TB of EVOO, when heated add the crushed Garlic. When the Garlic is lighlty browned & the oil is fragrant add the Croutons. Saute until toasted. Remove to its prep bowl.
4. Time to prepare the Romaine hearts.
Cut them into bite size pieces, no more than about an inch wide & add them to a large salad bowl. (The Senor might have used a wooden bowl & rubbed all of the sides with a Garlic clove)
5. Add the Dressing to the Lettuce, moistening to your liking. 3 TB should more than do it. Toss in the Croutons.
6. Plate & top with the Anchovie fillets. If you don’t care for Anchovies just omit them & the dish is ready to serve

Note: In the quantity listed there will be Caesar Dressing left over. I believe that It can be kept refriderated for one week. I would not keep a dessing that contains an egg any longer.