American Fattoush
Ok, this one has lettuce. It's totally vegetarian, the bigger is better American version of the common Levant salad on every kitchen table in Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian areas. I took inspiration from the salad created at Insalata's Restaurant in San Anselmo, CA. It's heartier than basic Greek salad and has become my favorite mid summer lunch.
Serves 4
2 sm pita breads, split, with
each piece cut into 6 triangles
1 head Romaine lettuce,
washed and shredded
1 handful fresh arugula,
washed and stemmed
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
chopped
3-4 sprigs fresh mint, leaves
only minced
6 sprigs flat leaf parsley,
leaves only coarsely chopped
8-10 cherry tomatoes, washed
and thinly sliced
6 pitted Kalamata or similar
olives, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, peeled and
cut into thin rings, then cut rings in half to make strings
3 oz fresh Feta, crumbled or
cut into small pieces
2-3 Persian cucumbers or 1 sm
English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt to taste (remember
olives and feta can be salty)
Put pita on a baking sheet
and bake at 350ยบ until crisp and dry. Cool and break into smaller pieces.
Toss all ingredients together
in a large salad bowl.
Dressing:
1 clove garlic mashed
¼ tsp ground cumin
juice of ½ lg lemon
½ cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Whisk it together and when ready to serve, pour over salad.
Chicken Salad with Raita and Lentils
This is my longtime company's coming favorite summer luncheon star. Served with a plate of sliced tomatoes, a spiced, chutney and good flatbread, the Indian inspired chicken salad makes a memorable, colorful and healthful meal. It's not sandwich chicken salad.
serves 6
16 oz plain yogurt
8 oz sour cream
1 1/4 c peeled, seeded and grated cucumber (drain it)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch ground cayenne or arbol pepper
2 1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill fronds (you can alternatively use mint)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
This is the dressing. In a medium sized bowl, combine all the ingredients and refrigerate.
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached with 2 cloves
1 1/2 c dried green/brown lentils
2 c broccolini, cut into bite sized pieces and blanched in salty water 3 min.
1 bunch scallions, cut into 1/4" thick disks
1 c thinly sliced cucumber
1 c carrots, peeled and grated
1 1/2 c cashew nuts, coarsely chopped
1 lb spinach leaves
Boil the lentils in salted water until tender (maybe 10-15 min depending on lentil size). Drain thoroughly and cool.
In a large serving bowl, combine chicken, broccolini, lentils, scallions, cucumbers and carrots. Blend in the raita dressing.
Serve on a bed of spinach greens and top with the cashews.
Pasta, Peas and Shrimp with Pesto
Everybody needs a good pasta salad recipe and this is early summer's best.
serves 4-5
1/4 c pine nuts, toasted
1/2 c mozzarella, shredded
1 lb small shrimp, cooked and peeled
1 c fresh peas, shelled
3 1/2 c shell shaped pasta or rotini
2 tbsp grated Parmesan, Romano or Locatelli cheese
Dressing
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp wine vinegar
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
salt to your taste
1/4 c pesto sauce
1/3 c good quality olive oil
Blanch the peas in just enough salted water to cover them. (This means cook them 1-2 minutes in boiling water.) Remove the peas, save the water for the pasta and drain the peas well.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions using the pea water in the mix. Drain the al dente pasta and immediately run it under cold water to refresh and cool. Drain carefully and lightly salt it.
In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, shrimp, grated cheese, peas and pine nuts.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Pour over the salad. Sprinkle on the grated cheese and season with freshly ground black pepper.
Serve with cherry tomatoes and black olives.
Omelet Salad
This was my invention for my cafeteria: we made a lunch salad out of all the things we would've cooked up into omelets if we had the stove space. The potatoes in it are usually served beside omelets. This concoction was a huge hit! Serve it with great rye or black bread and salted butter.
serves 4
1/2 lb new potatoes, boiled until tender and peeled
5 extra large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1/2 lb baked ham in thick chunks
1/2 small red onion, minced
1/4 lb shredded cheese (Gruyere, cheddar, Jack or any cheese you'd melt into an omelet)
6 mushrooms, cleaned and dried and lightly sauteed in butter.
1/4 c flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 lg green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 c baby spinach leaves, cleaned
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp freshly ground or cracked black pepper
pinch of salt (remember ham is salty)
1/4 c dill fronds, finely chopped
Dressing
1 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 sm garlic clove, minced
Slice the potatoes and mushrooms thinly. Quarter the eggs, then half the quarters. Cut the ham into bite sized chunks. Combine all the ingredients but salt and pepper in a large serving bowl and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving blend the dressing ingredients and use as much as you want on the salad.
Vietnamese Cabbage and Chicken Salad
I made this for a San Francisco party and spent the next few days sending the recipe out to everyone who was there. I included it in the updated version of How to Fix a Leek... where it also got a lot of rave attention. Sweet, sour, salty, colorful, crunchy and soft--it's everything you need for the perfect summer meal. With a fresh baguette along side.
serves 4
2 chili peppers, seeded and mince
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp vegetable oil (not olive)
3 tbsp fermented fish sauce (Nam pla)
1 medium onion, sliced into thinnest disks
freshly ground black pepper
Combine these ingredients into a dressing and let it stand 30 minutes.
2 c poached chicken breasts, shredded (2 lg boneless breasts)
4 c white cabbage, shredded
1 cup carrot, shredded
1/2 c fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Combine every ingredient but the cilantro leaves in a large serving bowl. Toss with the dressing. Garnish with the cilantro leaves and serve.
Avocado and Smoked Turkey Salad
Creamy avocado and smoked anything make a marvelous marriage.
serves 4
2 lg red bell peppers
4 ripe avocados
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 sm red onion
5 ears fresh corn
1/2 lb smoked boneless turkey
2 doz black olives, pitted if you have them
1 lg grapefruit
1 c mayonnaise
1/2 c plain yogurt
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 sm garlic clove, smashed and minced
dash Tabasco sauce
Salt to your taste
Arugula leaves to make a serving bed.
Hold the red peppers over a flame or under the broiler to char on all sides if you can. Run them under cold water and peel off the skin. Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and veins. Cut the pepper into small cubes.
Half the avocados, remove the pits and peel off the skin. Cut the flesh into small cubes. Put them in a bowl with the lime juice and toss.
Peel the onion, half it and cut it into very thin half moon rings.
Boil the corn in salty water 5-8 minutes depending on how fresh it is. Drain and cool. Cut the kernels from the cob.
Cut the turkey into small cubes. Peel the grapefruit and remove the white fiber. Separate the sections and cut each in thirds.
Combine all these salad ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Put the mayonnaise, yogurt, pepper flakes, cilantro, garlic and Tabasco into a small bowl and blend well. Pour over the salad and blend it in. Serve immediately.
If you didn't find anything here you can use, stay tuned. I have more meal worthy salads to post later in June: Mexican corn salad, Italian tuna bean, curried chicken, Chinese bean sprout, Moroccan couscous, Portuguese salt cod and chickpeas, club sandwich salad.
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