EASY SWEET PICKLES is a divine pickle recipe you can almost eat-right-away. It’s perfect when you have a craving for a sweet/sour flavor. It gives a wonderful lift to your favorite deli meat sandwich. It is positively addictive on a grilled hamburger. Add it to chopped salads. Plus the jars look so beautiful in your refrigerator. It only takes 15 minutes to make. It’s ready to go in eight hours, and it will last, refrigerated, for up to 5 days.
This is the Caesar Salad recipe we served in our artisan pizzeria, PASSIONATE PIZZA. We tossed every salad to order. Health concerns dictated we use mayonnaise in the dressing. I still make my dressing the Passionate Pizza way. My clever and talented Toronto granddaughter Cait loves my Caesar Salads. (I’ve dressed my sewing dress form in one of our Passionate Pizza T Shirts.)
GARLICKY CAESAR SALAD … serves six
1/4 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise (it’s irreverent, but it works)
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, or grana cheese (plus thin shavings of cheese for serving – optional)
2-3 anchovy fillets, drained, plus more fillets for garnishing if you wish
2 generous tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 – 3 garlic cloves, smashed
a good dash of Worcestershire sauce
a good dash of a Tabasco
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons of capers
Freshly ground white pepper
One very large head of romaine or 3 chilled large hearts of romaine
Freshly ground black pepper and garlic croutons (recipe follows)
1. In a blender, combine the mayonnaise with the cheese, anchovies, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce and Dijon Mustard. process until smooth. Season with white pepper.
2. In a large salad bowl toss the roughly chopped romaine with the dressing, capers, croutons and season with black pepper. Garnish with cheese shavings and anchovy fillets (if desired) and serve right away.
garlic croutons
In our pizzeria we would bake enormous trays of garlic croutons. You could do the same but I prefer to saute the bread. Slice country-style bread in thick slices then roughly tear into large croutons. Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a large skillet, toss in a few crushed garlic cloves, and over a low heat let the garlic cloves brown and flavour the oil. Remove the garlic. Increase the heat under your pan then add your croutons. Brown quickly on one side, then turn them over and continue browning. It is this heady aroma of garlic and the rich olive oil flavoured croutons that make this an outstanding salad. The croutons taste best made fresh so indulge and nibble on any croutons left over.
This is the perfect salad to compliment your Christmas dinner. The buttery avocados and the sweet Mandarins combine beautifully with the exotic Asian dressing.
Almonds and avocados, mandarins and crisp romaine lettuce combine beautifully with my favorite Asian Dressing. The exotic flavors of this salad will compliment your Christmas turkey. The recipe is on MRS. BUTTERFINGERS.
In a bowl put 1 tb Dijon mustard, 1 tb red wine vinegar, 1 tb honey. Whisk together, then slowly add 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and whisk vigorously until thickened.
This will make enough dressing for an 8 oz container of mixed greens.
Enjoy
GARLICKY CAESAR SALAD - 6 servings
1/4 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
3 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino, parmesan, or grano cheese , plus thin shavings of cheese for serving (optional)
2-3 anchovy fillets drained plus more fillets for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
2-3 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard, and 2 tablespoons drained capers
a good splash of Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce
Freshly ground white pepper and a smidge of salt
A very large head of romaine or 3 large hearts of romaine
Freshly ground black pepper
Home made garlic croutons (recipe follows)
l.In a blender, combine the mayonnaise with the cheese, anchovies , lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire and Tabasco and Dijon Mustard. process until smooth. Season with white pepper.
2. In a large salad bowl, toss the romaine with the dressing, capers and croutons and season with freshly ground black pepper.
GARLIC CROUTONS
In a large skillet pour a generous amount of good olive oil and a few crushed garlic cloves. On low heat gently brown the garlic. Remove garlic.
Slice thickly good country bread, then tear the slices into generous croutons. Increase the heat and saute the bread in the oil. Turn to brown both sides.
BLT SALAD serves 4 as a main course . Prep time:20 minutes. Total time: 55 minutes (if you make croutons in the oven)
8 slices bacon (8 oz)
1/2 baguette (8 oz) sliced into 3/4 inch cubes (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 pound romaine hearts coarsely chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved.
l. Preheat oven to 375 F. Arrange bacon in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Cool, then crumble into large pieces.
2. Meanwhile, make croutons: Toss baguette cubes with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet (or divide among two smaller ones). Bake until golden brown, rotating sheets and tossing croutons halfway through, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, and scallions; season with salt and pepper. Add romaine, tomatoes, and croutons; toss to coat with dressing. Sprinkle with bacon. Serve immediately.
Chef Notes:
I’ve given you the recipe directly from the book. If you wish you could do the bacon in skillet on the stove, and also do the croutons the same way.
I like to tear my croutons into medium sized pieces. I think it looks better. I also used a little extra bacon. I used the thick sliced bacon.
If you haven’t buttermilk on hand make your own; Mix one-third cup milk with one teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar, and let sit for 15 minutes before using. Adding buttermilk is a good way to thicken dressings without a lot of oil
I take just two ingredients,
Glittering gray diamonds of sea salt
Gorgeous globes of
sun-kissed tomatoes,
I embrace my laziness
and stand over the kitchen sink,
juice running down my arms
Eating tomatoes.
It is perfection.
For dinner I’ll put summer on the table with this salad made with tomatoes and nothing else. Just a drizzle of the finest extra-virgin olive oil, some torn basil leaves, a few grinds of pepper and salt. No aged balsamic vinegar - just these perfect vine-ripened tomatoes.
Any tomatoes left over I’ll put on a few slices of toasted artisan bread with mayo, a sprinkle of sea salt and a couple of grinds of pepper. I’ll eat it open face. Sublime. You can’t improve upon perfection.
This is a refreshing make ahead salad. Corn kernels are lightly cooked just to develop their flavor. Then mixed with chunks of smoky roasted chiles,bell peppers, luxurious avocado and crunchy sharp scallions. To make two or three days in advance, mix all the ingredient except the avocado and store in the refrigerator. Add the avocado shortly before serving.
This recipe is from Mesa Mexicana. The book is by two of our favorite chefs, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.
AVOCADO CORN SALAD
Makes 6 generous cups
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 5 ears) or if you’re making this out-of-season use frozen corn kernels
1 tsp salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 large red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded
6 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup red vinegar
Heat half cup of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the corn with seasonings, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool.
Cut the avocados, bell peppers and roasted poblanos into 1/2 inch dice.
Add to the sautéed corn along with the scallions, red wine vinegar and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix well and let sit twenty to thirty minutes to blend the flavors.
Serve at room temperature. Corn relish can be stored , tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to a day.
It’s always nice to have an easy, but different salad in your apron pocket. Especially right now when local romaine and other salad greens are available at your market. For this salad use baby salad greens, spinach, romaine or any other salad greens. Tender basil leaves give you bright bursts of flavour and a jazzy herb twist.
You’ll need for this ITALIAN SALAD you’ll need…
Italian or any type of artisan bread
a few generous splashes of olive oil
A 6 ounce bag of baby romaine lettuce, spinach or any other salad green mixture
A few tablespoons of fresh oregano. (if you have it growing in your garden.)
A big handful of whole fresh basil leaves
A thinly sliced red onion
Red Wine Herb Vinaigrette(recipe follows)
A sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Preheat your oven to 350F . Cut the bread into generous cubes and toss with enough olive oil to coat each one. Spread the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes or so.
Tear or chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Toss it with fresh basil, red onions and a generous splash of the vinaigrette. Top with croutons and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Now you’re eating your greens. Good for you!
Canada Day was glorious. Sunshine, sunshine and more sunshine. A perfect day for a family barbecue.
My two young nephews ( six and seven years old) asked for hot dogs. Instead of cooking their hotdogs on the barbecue we surprised them with a wiener roast. More fun for the kids to cook their wieners over a real fire, and a delight for the adults to watch. For the adults it was burgers, corn on the cob and a really different take on potato salad. Roasting the potatoes brings out their sweetness . The sharp flavours of capers, mustard and vinegar really perk them up
ROAST POTATO SALAD (serves four)
4-5 thick bacon slices
20 or so baby red or white potatoes
a sprinkle or two of salt and a generous grind of black pepper
a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
A big handful of fresh dill fronds if you have any
A few heaping spoonfuls of capers(your choice of spoon size)
A big spoonful of grainy mustard
A splash of red wine vinegar
And another splash of balsamic vinegar
Now let’s start cooking.
Cut the bacon slices crosswise into thin pieces. Toss them into a large saute pan, add a splash of water and begin heating the works over medium-high heat. When the water evaporates and the bacon begins to brown, turn the heat down a notch and continue cooking until it’s all nice and crisp. Strain and reserve the fat. (By adding water to the raw bacon you’re less likely to burn it, as it gradually releases its fat and browns evenly. )
Meanwhile preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Cut the potatoes in half. Toss them with the bacon fat and salt and pepper, then roast them until they’re tender and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Shake the pan occasional so the potatoes brown evenly on all sides. Cool to room temperature.
Toss the potatoes with the remaining ingredients. Serve right away or refrigerate and safe for later. This salad is excellent when it’s made the night before the party.
