It was lunchtime in Florence, Italy. Touring the huge central market, the Mercato Centrale, left us hungry and ready for lunch. The market was filled with colorful produce stands and wine shops, butcher counters and fishmongers, heavenly cheese shops and bakeries. The prosciutto counter alone left us tourists standing in awe.  We tucked into a local ristorante.

We watched with curiosity as the waiter delivered a big platter of freshly sliced tomatoes and mozzarella to the Italian family sitting next to us. Along with some bread and wine, it was a wonderful way to start a meal. Whenever I make a salad Caprese at home, I remember that sunny day in Florence.

Salad Caprese is the essence of summer. Vine-ripened tomatoes, moist mozzarella cheese, and aromatic basil leaves. No cooking required, just slice, arrange, dress and enjoy. It’s the perfect example of the power of simplicity: simplicity allows great ingredients to shine.

With wonderful varieties of summer tomatoes available choose whatever looks best at your market – meaty Roma’s or colorful heirloom varieties. This week the red and yellow heirlooms made for a colorful Caprese.

When it comes to cheese, my favorite for a Caprese is buffalo mozzarella. Made from water buffalo milk, it has a sweet flavor and creamy texture.  Buffalo mozzarella comes in a container surrounded with a milky liquid. Drain off the liquid and slice. Its messy to cut because of its softness but the flavor and texture are heavenly. Its hard not to skip the salad and gobble down the entire ball of cheese. It melts in your mouth.

There are also great cows milk mozzarellas available. Some are even pre-sliced for easier assembly, a nice time-saver. Choose a fresh style cheese, not the hard rubbery balls.

Traditionally a Caprese has basil leaves tucked between the layers of tomatoes and cheese and is dressed with good olive oil. Because we love basil, I also dress the salad with a basil dressing. By stirring a tablespoon or two of basil pesto into olive oil (liquifying the pesto) you get a fragrant emerald green dressing. Click here for my basil pesto recipe. Another option, add a drizzle with good quality balsamic vinegar.

Whatever your choice in tomatoes, mozzarella and dressing, try making an easy salad Caprese this summer.

Salad Caprese -The Essence of Summer

 Print This Recipe
 Print With Images

Choose the best fresh ripe tomatoes you can find, whether Roma’s or heirlooms. I love the sweet flavor and creamy texture of buffalo milk mozzarella, but use whatever good fresh mozzarella you can find, just not the hard rubbery balls. Fresh basil leaves and a basil vinaigrette complete this easy, classic Italian salad. Serve as a delightful starter or even a light lunch with some fresh bread.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

4-8 fresh tomatoes, depending on the size and how much you plan to serve

4-8 ounces fresh Mozzarella cheese

a handful of fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons basil pesto, preferably homemade (see recipe here)

2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

High quality balsamic vinegar, optional

Directions

1) Slice tomatoes about 1/4″ thick and place on a platter or plate. Drain and slice the mozzarella cheese. Place cheese slices between the tomato slices. Tuck fresh basil leaves in here and there.

2) For dressing, stir together the basil pesto and olive oil until it’s a thin dressing. Drizzle over the salad and season with salt and pepper. As an option, splash on a little high quality balsamic vinegar but it’s lovely on its own.

A few more links you might enjoy on tomatoes:

Information on heirloom tomatoes from Wikipedia

Varieties of heirloom tomatoes, more information

Great idea from Simply Recipes, turning the salad into Caprese mini sandwiches

Seasonally simple garden Heirloom tomatoes. Celebrating Summer’s arrival, from White on Rice Couple

Whether canned or dried, beans are the backbone of any strong pantry. Strong, like silent soldiers, waiting to leap into action to help you create a meal. With a strong pantry you will never go hungry, even when you are too tired to go to the grocery store.

While canned beans are good for certain recipes or when you are short on time, nothing can beat a dish started with dried beans. Soaked overnight and cooked slowly the next day, great are the rewards in flavor for healthy dishes like this simple white bean salad. Add a generous amount of fresh chopped herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil and you have a satisfying side dish for grilled chicken, shrimp, pork or beef.

Mix your beans with canned tuna (I buy low mercury tuna from Wild Planet) for a terrific lunch. Cook a batch and enjoy them for a few days. They hold well in the refrigerator.

It wasn’t until I discovered Rancho Gordo that I really began to cook with dried beans. Based in Napa, California, Rancho Gordo brings high quality heirloom dried beans to market. Beans that are grown in limited quantities. Beans that have better flavor and texture than your generic super market dried beans. Beans that are fresh. Once I tried their bean varieties, dried beans became a constant in my pantry. My favorite and the one I can’t live without? Cannellini beans.

Big, white, creamy-tender pillows, Cannellini beans are very versatile. I use them in soups, salads, stews and side dishes with wonderful results. Cannellini beans are good for you and an inexpensive source of protein. If you are vegetarian or vegan, these beans are your “meat”.

For this white bean salad, start the beans soaking before you go to bed. The next day, cook them and finish the salad. Serve chilled or at room temperature with lots of fresh herbs and a little olive oil. Sometimes I add crumbled feta cheese or Parmesan.

Sometimes I serve them as a side dish. Sometimes I just have a small bowl as a healthy afternoon snack. For dinner, I’ll top with my beans with grilled chicken or shrimp. Cannellini beans are incredibly versatile.

Once you understand the simplicity of cooking dried beans, they will become a canvas for many wonderful dishes in your kitchen. Make them what you want.

Summer White Bean Salad

 Print This Recipe
 Print With Images

Don’t be daunted by the length of this recipe. It’s really easy. It just takes a little time and thinking ahead. While I’ve made this salad with canned beans in a pinch, there’s no comparison to starting with good quality dried Cannellini beans. I order mine from Rancho Gordo in Napa, California. Soak your beans overnight and cook them the next day. This salad works beautifully served at room temperature or chilled, great for summer dinners and picnics. Add any herbs that please you – rosemary, mint, basil, oregano, chives. Crumbled feta and shaved Parmesan cheese work nice too.

Serves: about 6

Ingredients

1 pound (454 grams) dried Cannellini beans

7-8 cups (2L) of filtered water

————————————————–

2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil

½ cup (72 grams) diced celery (chopped small)

½ cup (72 grams) diced carrot (chopped small)

1 cup (144 grams) diced onion (chopped small)

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large dried bay leaf

Kosher or sea salt and black pepper, as needed

——————————————————

1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons (45ml) extra virgin olive oil

1-2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped (minced)

3/4 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt

¼ teaspoon (1 gram) ground black pepper

2-3 teaspoons fresh finely chopped rosemary

1 generous tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

1 -2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano

Additional good quality extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over salad at serving

Directions

Soak Beans (Night before)

Pick through the beans for any broken pieces or debris and discard. Place beans in a large enough container to hold both the beans and water. I use an 8 cup (2 quart/2 L) measuring container. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cook Beans

When you are ready to cook your beans, warm 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy pot. I use a 5 ½ quart Le Creuset Dutch oven (2-3L), sometimes called a French oven. Add celery, carrot, onion and garlic to the pot and cook until vegetables are softened, turning down the heat if necessary. You want to “sweat” the vegetables, which is cooking them slowly without getting any color on them.

When vegetables are soft, pour in your beans and water and add the bay leaf. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn down the heat to low. Cover the beans and simmer gently for approximately 2-3 hours. Last time I made them mine took 2 hours, but timing can vary.

Check the beans occasionally to make sure they are covered by water. Beans are done when they are soft and tender to the bite. When beans are almost there, add salt and pepper to season.

When beans are done, gently strain off the water and allow the beans to cool. Beans can be refrigerated covered at this point for a day or two, or continue with the recipe.

Finish the White Bean Salad

Start by making the vinaigrette dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in the herbs. Pour dressing over the beans and mix gently so you don’t break up the beans.

At serving time, taste the beans and add additional salt and pepper if needed, then drizzle with good olive oil.

Notes on additions:

This is a versatile recipe. Make it your own by adding halved grapeseed tomatoes (fresh, roasted or sun-dried), feta or Parmesan cheese, or other herbs. Mint is terrific. Thinly sliced shallots are a good addition too.

Links to other recipes and instructions that might be helpful:

These beans go great with Grilled Lemon Mint Chicken

Fold in some Roast Baby Tomatoes with Thyme for wonderful flavor and color

Cannellini bean recipes, from Simply Recipes

Crockpot Recipe for Cannellini Bean Stew with Parmesan, from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Simple instructions for preparing beans, by Rancho Gordo

Sun Dried Apricot Vinaigrette

 Print This Recipe
 Print With Images

Yield: ½ cup

For a clean, bright tasting vinaigrette all you need is good quality, fruity olive oil and the sun-dried apricot vinegar plus salt and pepper. Simple! Sometimes I add a little finely minced shallot, but the apricot is more pronounced without the shallot. Try it both ways. On oil, you can also use grapeseed oil. It has a light, neutral flavor, which really allows flavored vinegars to shine through. This works well to dress a salad, as a marinade for chicken or shrimp or even a sauce. To find the vinegar on the internet type the name into your search engine for sellers.

For a great salad, add blue cheese crumbles and glazed pecans. The flavors work beautifully together and the colors are a treat for the eye.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons good quality olive oil (or lighter tasting grapeseed oil)
2 tablespoons sun-dried apricot vinegar (blood orange and spicy pecan are good too)
Salt and pepper, to taste.
1 teaspoon finely minced shallot, optional

In a small bowl whisk all together until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you like tangy vinaigrette, taste and add a little more vinegar, to taste.

Links on where you can find Cuisine Perel’s flavored vinegars, and try looking in your favorite gourmet market:

Amazon page for a variety of their vinegars

The Cuisine Perel homepage

One evening we had a great dinner at Merriman’s Restaurant in Waimea. Known for their regional Hawaiian cuisine, the restaurant showcases fresh, local ingredients from the island’s agricultural treasure trove. That’s where I experienced my goat cheese salad, Hawaiian style.

Crisp salad greens, sweet red tomatoes, deep purple roast beets, golden yellow pineapple, cool cucumber cubes and a creamy avocado dressing made for one fantastic salad. What really made me order it was the addition of fresh goat cheese. I love goat cheese and could not resist. One bite, and I knew I’d want to recreate this salad home.

As often happens, I ended up back in the kitchen talking with the chef. He showed me twenty pounds of beautiful, fresh goat cheese from a local farmstead operation, Hawaii Island Goat Dairy. I wanted to go meet the goats and see where this marvelous cheese came from.

The soft bleating of baby goats guided me into the barn. I was immediately handed a baby bottle and quickly found myself feeding a hungry one-week-old baby goat. I could have sat there and happily fed these sweet babies all day.

What started as a hobby turned into a passion, a business, and a labor of love for Dick and Heather Threlfall who own and operate Hawaii Island Goat Dairy. As island restaurants consume all that’s produced, they unfortunately don’t export to the mainland. You can still create this colorful and healthy salad at home by seeking out good quality goat cheese at your favorite market or cheese store. Choose your favorite dark salad greens such as red lettuce or mixed baby greens. Roast baby beets in the oven until tender, halve sweet grape tomatoes, dice fresh pineapple, and chop up some fresh, seedless cucumber. I like to use the tiny, crisp Persian cucumbers.

As a note, I grilled my pineapple before dicing it (as the restaurant did), but you don’t need to. And instead of making a creamy avocado dressing, dice some avocado and add the avocado directly to the salad. Add goat cheese crumbles and toss with a light vinaigrette. You’ll have a beautiful, colorful and healthy salad inspired by our dinner at Merriman’s.

Thanks to Dick’s kindness, we left with generous samples. We had a picnic dinner that evening – baguette spread with fresh goat cheese, a bottle of wine, some fresh fruit and salad greens overlooking the beach, watching to the waves rolling ashore.

Goat Cheese Salad – Hawaiian Style

 Print This Recipe
 Print With Images

Inspired by dinner at Merriman’s Restaurant in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii, this brightly colored salad is fresh tasting and healthy. To make it a main course, add more salad greens and add grilled chicken or fish.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4-6 baby purple beets

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 head crisp, red lettuce (or about 5 ounces of ready to use salad mix)

12-16 sweet grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

4 small spears fresh pineapple, diced

small 1-2 Persian cucumbers, diced small (or other seedless cucumber)

1 ripe avocado, split, seeded, quartered then diced

4-8 ounces of good goat cheese, crumbled

3-4 tablespoons light tasting vinaigrette dressing, recipe below

Directions

1)   With a rack placed at the center level, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Trim the tops off the beets to about 1 inch. Wash and dry the beets and place on a double piece of heavy foil. Toss the beets with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the beets up in the foil and place the packet on the center rack in the oven. Roast until beets are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 40 minutes depending on the size.

2)   Remove beet packet from the oven and cool until you can handle them.  With paper towels, rub the skins off of the beets; quarter them and set aside. If you are concerned with your hands turning purple, wear disposable food handler gloves while working with the beets.

3)   To assemble your salad, divide the greens between plates, add your fruit and vegetable bits, and add the goat cheese. Drizzle sparingly with your vinaigrette dressing. Alternatively you can toss the salad greens with a little dressing, then add all of the goodies.

Basic Vinaigrette

This is a basic, light tasting vinaigrette recipe that you should memorize. If you’d like a creamy style, whisk in an egg yolk – a trick I learned from Ina Garten in her book Barefoot Contessa Family Style. If you make it with the egg yolk, chill dressing until serving. If not, the vinaigrette can be held at room temperature. Re-whisk before serving.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Champagne or good quality white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon finely diced shallot (optional, but adds nice flavor)

1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic (optional, but adds nice flavor)

1 large egg yolk (optional, but adds creamy texture)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Whisk oil, vinegar, shallot and garlic together in a small bowl to being it together. Whisk in the yolk if using, then season.

2) If using yolk, refrigerate until serving. If not, set aside at room temperature until ready to serve. You may need to re-whisk before serving.

Other links you might enjoy with goat cheese:

Goat cheese recipes from Simply Recipes

Salad with Warm Goat Cheese on Toasted Baguette, from Steamy Kitchen

Beet Greens and Goat Cheese Crostini, from White on Rice Couple

Warm baked goat cheese, from David Lebovitz

We had another fun weekend with the Sears Chef Challenge! This weekend was event number two. We were at the Sears in Brea, California. My thanks to tore Manager Phil, Operations Manager Darlene Lima, Sebastian and the Sears Blue Crew for a great setup and successful event! If you missed the first post, please check it out for details on the Sears Chef Challenge and be sure to visit the website for recipes, games, information and an update on the competition.

I’m competing for two wonderful charitable organizations; monetary donations will go the Saddleback Church Food Pantry feeding the hungry in our community and appliances will go to The Sheepfold, an organization serving abused women and their children. These two organizations can only win if you vote for me on the Sears Chef Challenge website. Voting starts June 26 through July 10 so please pass on the word! You can vote once a day!

The next event, number three on June 5, will be our own recipe. The chefs do not yet know the ingredients we will be allowed to use. The ingredients are being voted on by visitors to the Sears Chef Challenge website. Check it out and vote for your favorite ingredient list. I’m voting for pork tenderloin or shrimp!

This Week’s Recipe – Smoked Salmon Nicoise Salad

Thanks again to Chef Rachelle Boucher for her recipe. Rachelle authors the fun food and cooking blog Drawn to the Kitchen with Chef Rachelle. Be sure to check out her blog.

Pronounced “knee-SWAHZ”, the Nicoise Salad is one of the great classic salads along with the Caesar, Cobb, Louis, Italian Panzanella, and Waldorf.

The Nicoise Salad originated in the city of Nice, France. Nice is France’s second-largest city and queen of the Cote d’Azur – the “blue coast” along the Mediterranean Sea in the beautiful south of France. The salad incorporates fresh salad greens, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, boiled potatoes, haricot vert (French baby green beans), tiny black cured Nicoise olives, and traditionally tuna. The salad is dressed with Dijon vinaigrette with capers, another very Mediterranean ingredient.

A Nicoise is a hearty main course salad that gives every diner a bounty of enjoyment. I’ve made Nicoise Salads for picnicking and tailgating before summer concerts. The perfect picnic entrée, all of the elements are easy to prepare, package and transport. All you have to do is assemble at the site on a big platter and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Offer extra dressing on the side and a fresh loaf of crusty French bread, a little dessert and you have one fantastic picnic. But don’t save this just for picnics, try it tonight or the next time you have friends over for dinner. They will be impressed! Like it’s said, we eat with our eyes first, and this salad is filled with lots of color and texture not to mention fabulous flavors.

I’ve usually made my Nicoise with seared Ahi tuna. Rachelle’s recipe uses smoked salmon, another one of my favorites. It was a terrific twist on the classic recipe and even easier to prepare as you can purchase good quality smoked salmon almost everywhere these days. If you have a smoker, try smoking your own salmon.

For this salad I used smoked salmon from the Honey Smoked Fish Company. It’s available at a few Costco stores in California and Texas, at Bristol Farms or online from their website starting with a 4 pound package. If that is more than you think you can use, get a friend to go in with you and split an order. I used the Lemon Pepper flavor for this salad. They offer smoked trout as well, which would be fantastic on a Nicoise Salad.  If you are not a fish fan, try making a Nicoise with chilled and sliced grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast marinated in olive oil, lemon and herbs.

My Recipe Notes

For my Nicoise salad I chose to use the baby green beans, but Rachelle’s recipe notes asparagus as an excellent alternative. For the green beans, blanch them in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes, then chill in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and keep the green beans a nice bright green. Drain and chill. If you prefer to use asparagus, Rachelle notes you can blanch them as well. Another option is to roast or grill the asparagus. Depending on the thickness of the stems, roast at 425 degrees on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet for 3-4 minutes and test for tenderness.

For potatoes I chose Dutch Baby Golds. You can use baby red potatoes or small fingerling potatoes as Rachelle lists. For the olives, pitted Greek Kalamata olives work very well if you can’t find Nicoise olives. Nicoise are traditional but they are very small and do have the pit.

Rachelle notes a one pot cooking method for the beans, potatoes and eggs. If you want to do your eggs separately place cold eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with one inch of cold water. Bring water to a just under a boil, cover, remove from the heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Then run under cold water to cool. Peel when ready to proceed with the salad.

The vinaigrette is absolutely terrific! Try it with any salad for a nice change. It also works well with grilled or roast chicken and as a dressing for a cold potato-style salad. Vinaigrettes are not just for salads. Use them as you would many other dressings and sauces. You’ve got to try this salad.

Smoked Salmon Nicoise Salad

 Print This Recipe
 Print With Images

Recipes courtesy Chef Rachelle Boucher
Serves 4-6 as an entrée

Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon minced shallot (approximately 1?2 of one medium shallot)
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard 1
1/4 cup good quality champagne or white balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup good quality lemon or mild olive oil
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh thyme or lemon thyme
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped chives and/ or basil chiffonade or leaves to garnish

Salad

1 lb. spring mix, butter lettuce leaves or a combination of both, washed and dried
1/2 lb baby green beans or thin asparagus, stem ends trimmed
1 lb. small fingerling potatoes or other small new potatoes (all the same size)
8 eggs, warmed in a bowl of hot tap water to cover
7 oz. dry cured black olives, or Niçoise style olives
1 pint red cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
1 pound of Smoked Salmon, or large flaked white albacore tuna

Directions

One pot cooking method

1) In a large, deep pot bring 2 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to a boil. Meanwhile prepare an ice bath: in a large bowl, add about 3 cups of water to about 4 cups of ice. Set aside. Drop green beans or asparagus into boiling water, stir and cook 2-3 minutes or until tender.

Quickly scoop vegetables from water with a small strainer or slotted spoon and spread out evenly on clean paper towels to cool (or into an ice bath). Next in the same boiling water, keeping the smaller potatoes whole, cut only the larger ones so the potatoes are nearly equal in size. Place potatoes into boiling water, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10-12 minutes until they can be pierced through with a paring knife. Remove potatoes with a strainer spoon when they are done. Cool and cut in half if they are small or into bite sized pieces if you prefer.

2) Remove eggs from warm tap water and gently lower into the same pot of simmering water. Return to a full boil, then turn off heat and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid. Leave eggs in hot water for 15 minutes. When eggs are done, chill in ice bath for 5 minutes, peel and cut in half lengthwise with a wet pairing knife.

3) In a medium bowl blend shallot, mustard and vinegar. Slowly drizzle oil into mixture and whisk until emulsified. Add capers, parsley, thyme and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4) In a very large bowl, lightly toss greens with just enough of the vinaigrette to evenly coat the leaves. Arrange the beans or asparagus and potatoes in groups on a large platter or on individual chilled plates. Mound greens in the center of plates or platter. Lightly toss the tomatoes with a small amount of vinaigrette. Arrange tomatoes and olives in groups around the greens on the plates. Add 2-4 egg halves to each plate. Season eggs and potatoes with salt and pepper. Finish the salad with large chunks of smoked salmon. Drizzle a little dressing over the salmon, beans and potatoes. Top with chives and/or basil chiffonade.

Created by an Italian chef in Tijuana, Mexico around 1924, Caesar Salad is one of the great classic and well-loved salads. Found on almost every restaurant menu, it’s easy to forget that a great Caesar can be made at home. My favorite restaurant Caesar Salad is made at Gulfstream restaurant in Newport Beach and it’s after Gulfstream that I pattern my homemade Caesar Salad recipe.

Start with fresh, crisp Romaine leaves, drizzle on a creamy, garlicky homemade dressing and add fresh baked croutons from a few pieces of leftover bread.  Add a few wisps of Parmesan curls and that’s about it. I like to add corn kernels for a bit of a twist, as Gulfstream does. Although not traditional, sometimes I’ll add other ingredients for color and visual appeal like a little finely chopped parsley, tiny diced red onion, even a few sliced grapeseed tomatoes. I think they make a traditional Caesar more interesting, but you can do as you please – goodies or not.

The best part of a Caesar Salad is the dressing. Nothing out of a bottle please. Get your blender out and whip up your own. Once you do, you’ll never use bottled dressing again. The best recipe I’ve found is from Chef Michael Chiarello, entrepreneur, Napa Valley restauranteur, Food Network star and cookbook author. When I made his Caesar dressing recipe I looked no further. It’s thick, creamy, and garlicky so it clings nicely to crisp Romaine leaves.

The original recipe calls for 6-8 anchovy filets. I prefer to use anchovy paste in a tube. If the thought of fishy anchovies in any form makes you scrunch up your face, try the tube stuff. Trust me. There is no fishy taste in the dressing.  It adds a subtle richness and depth that would be missed. Nice thing is this dressing uses the power of the blender to emulsify it into a creamy rich dressing, so line up your ingredients and get out your blender. When making the dressing, add your oil in a thin, steady stream so it has a chance to come together and get thick. If it gets too thick, add a teaspoon or two of warm water to help liquefy the dressing. You can add as much as you need to gain the consistency you perfer, whether thick or thin.

About croutons. Once you’ve made homemade croutons you’ll never be tempted to use boxed or bagged versions again. And it’s a great thing to do with those last few pieces of bread at the end of a loaf. For crunchy, golden croutons, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Using white or sourdough bread, trim off the crusts and cut the bread into approximately one inch cubes. I use one piece of bread for each person. Mix a little olive oil with granulated garlic in a bowl and toss the bread cubes with the oil-garlic mixture. You want them lightly coated, not soaked. Pour the bread cubes onto a metal rimmed baking sheet and toast until the croutons are golden and crunchy. You will just start to smell the garlic when they ready. They will get more crunchy as they cool.  Set aside for your salad and use after they have cooled as warm croutons will wilt your salad.  These are so good everyone will wander into the kitchen and want to snack on them before you can get the salad made, and any extra keep well…if there are any.

Note: As Caesar dressing uses raw egg yolks, use only fresh, refrigerated, clean, high quality eggs with no cracks. You may also use pasteurized eggs. This recipe makes a fair amount of dressing so if you are making it for a smaller group it halves easily. It will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two but as it has the raw egg yolks you are better making smaller batches of fresh dressing that one big batch if you are not going to use it all.

To make this a main meal versus a side salad, add chicken or shrimp. Whether grilled, sautéed, roasted or broiled, either one is a great addition giving more sustenance to the salad.

Hail Caesar – Caesar Salad

 Print This Recipe
 Print With Images

Caesar Dressing
Chef Michael Chiarello from the Food Network website

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

2 egg yolks
2  tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons anchovy paste in a tube (he used 6-8 anchovy filets, minced. I use the paste)
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
4 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, or more to taste
2  cups extra virgin olive oil
Warm water as needed to get to the viscosity you want
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Place the egg yolk, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce in a blender. Blend until pureed. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until it is fully incorporated. If the dressing stops moving in the blender, stop the machine, add a little warm water and then continue until all the oil is added. To finish, add the cheese and blend on low speed to incorporate.

To Complete Your Salad

Hearts of Romaine – figure one heart for 2-3 people depending on whether it’s a side salad or an entree salad. Use the whole leaves or slice the hearts across into 1 inch pieces.

Corn kernels – for color and a nice addition, about 1-2 tablespoons per person
Red onion, diced very fine – for some color
Fresh parsley, chopped fine – for some color
Grapeseed tomatoes, halved
Fresh Parmesan cheese – either a sprinkle of grated or using a vegetable peeler make curls off of a block of cheese
Homemade croutons

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday to cook for. Get the coffee going early, ease into a day of cooking and and turn on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I love tradition. Puttering all day in the kitchen preparing to delight everyone with a feast to come is a joy for me.

My family had a strict tradition with our Thanksgiving menu and woe to you if wanted to mess with it.  You risked excommunication from the family. The tradition was roast turkey with dressing and gravy, mashed potatoes, green vegetable (yes, the ever present green bean casserole), creamed pearl onions and cranberry salad.

Although I have fooled with my Thanksgiving menu a bit over the years, it’s still a close variation to what my mom and my Aunt Rose used to do. I’ve long passed on doing green bean casserole but I always make the cranberry salad.

Digging through my mom’s old metal recipe box I came across the original recipe card. It was from my Aunt Rose. She called it Cranberry Relish. There are no directions, just a simple, short list of ingredients and a note to top with whipped cream.

The best part about this salad or relish is that there is no cooking involved. Just draining and mixing. Even a person with no cooking skills can do this one! It’s simply whole berry cranberry sauce, oranges, pineapple and walnuts. Mom always used fresh oranges. I often use canned Mandarins. She always topped it with freshly whipped cream flavored with a little sugar and vanilla (Chantilly Cream). I usually leave off the whipped cream (lower fat and calories), but you choose. Serve it in a glass or crystal bowl. The jewel-like colors are beautiful on the table.

If you are looking for something fresh and easy, I hope you’ll try this family tradition from my home to yours. I’ve been making it for as long as I can remember. Please let me know how you like it. If you are not big on turkey, it goes great with roast pork, ham and roast chicken.

One last note – save the juice that drains from the fruit. It tastes wonderful mixed with a little ginger ale or club soda for the kids. That was a treat I always looked forward. These days I’d rather mix it with Champagne or sparkling white wine for a sort of Thanksgiving Kir Royale.[/donotptint]

Easy No-Cook Cranberry Salad (Relish)

 Print This Recipe
 Print With Images

No cooking makes this simple enough for anyone to make. Just drain, mix and embellish if you desire. It never fails to delight. Thanks to my Mom and Aunt Rose.

Serves 8

Ingredients

2-16 oz. cans Ocean Spray Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
1-20 oz. can pineapple chunks in water (not syrup), pieces cut in half
2-3 oranges, peeled, sectioned, and cut in half (or use a small can of mandarin oranges in water, drained)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (toast them if you’d like for more flavor)
3/4 cup sweetened whipped cream or Healthy Top, optional

Directions

1) Set a large strainer or colander into a deep bowl. Pour cranberries, pineapple and mandarin oranges (if using canned) into the strainer and drain for three to four hours, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.

2) Add chopped walnuts and orange segments (if using fresh), and gently mix to combine.

3) Transfer to a glass or crystal bowl to show off the pretty color of the salad.

4)  Spoon or pipe whipped cream on top of the salad around the edges (if using)

The salad will hold in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 days so you can make it ahead. Don’t do the whipped cream garnish until serving time (if using). Serve chilled or more towards room temperature if you prefer.

* Note – Using a hand mixer or an immersion blender with whisk attachment, beat cold heavy cream with a 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 1-2 teaspoons sugar until soft peaks form. Dollop mounds of the whipped cream around the edge of the cranberry salad. Mom had ot have whipped cream on top. I skip it!

Other Helpful Links:

Healthy Top non-dairy, non-soy whipping cream replacement (vegan), from MimicCreme

Strainers and colanders in many sizes available from Sur La Table