Archive for the ‘Salads and Dressings’ Category

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Herbed Cherry Tomato Salad

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

 
My last few posts (and consequently meals) have been rather heavy so I’m in the mood to post a couple of salads, beginning TODAY.
 
I can hardly wait for local tomatoes to come into season. (Soon! Soon!). Grocery-store cherry tomatoes may not be able to compete once that season starts, but in the meantime they offer little bursts of flavor as well as gorgeous color.
 
This simple Greek-inspired combination uses them to excellent effect.
 
The Salad
 
Ingredients:
 
for the dressing:
 
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (If you are lucky enough to have fresh oregano, put 1 teaspoon of it into the salad instead.)
 
for the salad:
 
1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup chopped pitted Greek olives
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 small cucumber, chopped into tiny chunks
crumbled feta cheese to taste
1 tablespoon (or more) fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon (or more) fresh chopped basil
 
Instructions:
 
In a small jar combine the dressing ingredients.
 
Drain the tomatoes, which tend to be a bit wet, particularly when cut in half. In a bowl combine the tomatoes with the remaining salad ingredients. Toss with dressing. Serve immediately.
 
Serves 4 as a side salad or 2 as a main dish.
 
 

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Posted in Salads and Dressings | 6 Comments »

Cryin’ Pepper Fruit Salad

Monday, April 12th, 2010

 
I love fresh fruit. It’s sweet. It’s colorful. It’s refreshing. And you can do just about anything with it.
 
I have to admit I would never have thought of putting pepper on it until I met Mary Cantu.
 
Smart, energetic, and fun, Mary is the co-chair of the Mount Holyoke Club of San Antonio. The club imported me for a cooking session last June, and Mary couldn’t have been a better hostess.
 
Knowing the way to a food writer’s heart, she took me out to a memorable lunch followed by a whirlwind trip to Central Market.
 
When I wrote about the strawberry lemonade at Central Market I said that if the store had existed when I was in graduate school in Texas I probably would never have left the state—and I stand by my words.
 
It’s an exciting grocery store, one that takes pride in offering a variety of fresh foods and letting the shopper know where those foods were grown and raised.
 
Coming from New England, where fresh produce was only just starting to appear in farmstands, I was completely bowled over by the gorgeous ripe blueberries, corn, and peaches on the shelves there.
 
As we were touring San Antonio Mary described one of her favorite desserts. In both Texas and California, she told me, restaurants and farmers-market vendors are now increasingly serving fruit salad with a hint of spice instead of sugar.
 
Mary was kind enough to send me a pepper blend specially created for fruit salad. Unfortunately, I’m out of it and don’t know where to get more—so I am currently resorting to cayenne. She also sent me a recipe, which I have lost.
 
Luckily, the basic components of this salad are pretty simple–fresh fruit, lime, and a hint of pepper.
 
Be very careful! The first time I tried the cayenne I put in too much. My nephew Michael immediately dubbed the result “cryin’ pepper salad.” If you add pepper sparingly, however, the salad may well inspire you to dance around the kitchen.
 

The Salad
 
Ingredients:
 
6 cups chopped fresh fruit (preferably not berries; I used pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon, and mango)
the juice of 1 large lime
cayenne pepper to taste (begin with a tiny pinch)
a pinch of sea salt (optional)
 
Instructions:
 
In a large bowl stir together the fruit and lime juice. Add a pinch of cayenne and taste the mixture. Add a little more cayenne if you think the fruit can handle it.
 
At the last minute stir in the salt. (I think it makes the salad a little sweeter.)
 
Serves 6.
 

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Posted in Salads and Dressings | 8 Comments »

Paying Tribute to the Green Goddess

Friday, April 9th, 2010

George Arliss in full rajah regalia (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)

 

I’ve been posting recipes for heavy dishes lately so I’m in the mood for a little salad! This dressing comes courtesy of a fellow blogger and film lover, Donna Hill.
 
Donna recently discussed the history of eating at the movies (with great photos and video clips!) on her blog, Strictly Vintage Hollywood. She concluded with a recipe for Green Goddess salad dressing, created at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel in 1923.
 
The herbally tinted salad dressing honored a hotel guest, the actor George Arliss. Arliss was then starring in a popular play titled The Green Goddess. He would go on to appear in both silent and sound film versions of the story.
 
The Green Goddess is a hoary chestnut full of imperialist ideas. Arliss played the Rajah of Rukh, a fictitious and stereotypical oriental potentate.
 
Shrewd but selfish and vindictive, the rajah threatens to execute a party of Englishmen who accidentally land in his kingdom—and tries to force the wife of one of the men to become his paramour.
 
When he is foiled by British aircraft flying to the rescue, the rajah proclaims sadly but proudly, “Barbarous Asia bows to civilized Europe.”
 
The play and film’s depiction of “Barbarous Asia” is appalling even by that day’s standards, but it is interesting as a period piece. A historian of colonialism could certainly make hay out of the stereotypes.
 
And Arliss came across as both elegant and funny in his wickedness—much more appealing and effective, in fact, than he was in the picture for which he won the Academy Award for best actor, Disraeli.
 
Neither film version of The Green Goddess is available on home video at present. Happily, the Alice Joyce Website offers stunning stills of the 1923 silent production. (Joyce played the object of the Rajah’s lust in both 1923 and 1930).
 
Turner Classic Movies occasionally shows the 1930 sound version and offers a couple of clips for viewing on its web site.
 
While you’re watching them, do try the dressing. If you’ve never had Green Goddess Dressing, imagine a cross between Caesar and ranch dressings. (I love both.) It’s smooth, flavorful, and tangy, and the herbs give it lovely green flecks. Thank you, Donna!
 

 
Green Goddess Dressing
 
Ingredients:
 
1 clove garlic
4 anchovy fillets
1 scallion, chopped
1 generous tablespoon chopped parsley
1 generous tablespoon chopped chives
1 generous tablespoon tarragon or basil
the juice of 1 lemon
2 cups of mayonnaise (homemade is best, but commercial—even low fat—is fine; just avoid fat free)
salt and pepper to taste
 
Instructions:
 
Place the garlic and anchovy fillets in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until minced. Add the herbs and lemon juice, and process again; then add the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, and process again until smooth.
 
Taste for seasoning and adjust seasonings accordingly.
 
Serve over a split romaine heart. (Actually, I just shredded some romaine, which worked beautifully.) Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil or tarragon if you wish.
 
Makes about 2 cups of dressing. 

 

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Posted in Salads and Dressings, TV and Film History | 8 Comments »

Tangy Ranch Salad Dressing

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

ranchsaladweb

 
After my recent LENGTHY post on Lillian Hellman and pot roast I believe my readers and I deserve something short and simple today.
 
I’m nibbling on any greenery I can get my hands on at this time of year–usually augmented with apples, nuts, and dried fruit. So I thought I’d share with you my most recent salad dressing.
 
A few days ago I had a hankering to make the ranch dressing my neighborhood matriarch, Mary Parker (a.k.a. Gam), used to make. Hers was the first ranch dressing I ever tasted, about 30 years ago. I loved its smoothness, its tang (from buttermilk), and its gorgeous flecks of herbs.
 
Unfortunately, the file that contained Gam’s recipe has mysteriously disappeared from the Tinky laptop. The laptop is not, alas, the most reliable of electronic devices.
 
Instead I used some of what I remembered from Gam, took a look at a few other recipes in cookbooks, and came up with my own version of the dressing.
 
It isn’t exactly Gam’s formula, but it certainly perks up a salad. You’ll find it a little thinner than commercial ranch dressings (which probably contain mysterious thickening agents). It still adheres nicely to a lettuce leaf or a carrot stick. And its complex, fresh flavor beats that of any bottled dressing I’ve ever tried.
 
Cutting the Herbs

Cutting the Herbs

 
Not Gam’s Salad Dressing
 
Ingredients:
 
fresh herbs to taste (I used 1 handful parsley, 1 handful dill, and a few basil leaves)
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise (low fat is fine if you’re dieting)
1/2 cup sour cream (I should think Greek yogurt would also work very nicely, although I haven’t tried it)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
several turns of the pepper grinder
several drops of Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch sugar
1 pinch paprika
 
Instructions:
 
Chop the herbs as finely as you can. I do this by crowding them into a small, narrow glass (like a juice glass) and sticking my scissors into the glass. You may need to chop your herbs in batches.
 
Combine the herbs with the other ingredients in a blender and process until the mixture is smooth. Place the dressing in a covered jar and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours before using it.
 
Makes a little more than 2 cups of dressing. Use within a few days.
 
 
I love having herbs on my window sill at this time of year!

I love having herbs on my window sill at this time of year!

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Harvest Salad

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

harvest salad web

 
I originally planned to post this salad for Sukkot, the week-long Jewish harvest festival. Somehow, the calendar got away from me!
 
When I decided to make salad my theme for this week, however, I remembered how much I liked the slightly sweet/slightly tangy honey-mustard dressing and resurrected the recipe for my table and my blog.
 
The bacon wouldn’t be very appropriate for Sukkot, of course, but it does help transform the salad into a whole meal. The final product has fruit, protein, calcium, vegetables, and nuts. And it tastes terrific, too.
 
The dressing recipe makes enough for another day. Just be sure to refrigerate the leftover dressing–and to bring it to room temperature and shake it well before you use it again.
 
Ingredients:
 
for the dressing:
 
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste (I like to grind the pepper mill about 6 times)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 
for the salad:
 
1/2 pound uncooked spinach leaves
1/2 cup walnut or pecan halves (or more if you like)
1 apple (your choice, cored but not peeled)
1/2 small red onion, chopped into rings or pieces
1/2 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese (or more if you like)
3 strips cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (or more if you like)
 
Directions:
 
First, make the dressing. In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together the vinegar, the juice, and the honey until the honey dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the mixture cool for a few minutes; then use a whisk to stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. It will take a while for the ingredients to smooth themselves out.
 
Finally, slowly whisk in the oil. Careful pour the dressing into a jar with a tight-fitting lid that will hold at least 1-1/2 cups of liquid.
 
Wash the spinach thoroughly.
 
Place the nuts in a small frying pan, and fry them over low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly, to release their oils. Take the pan off the heat.
 
Just before you are ready to eat, slice the apple. In a salad bowl, combine the spinach, onion slices, toasted nuts, apple slices, cheese, bacon (if using), and cranberries.
 
Shake the dressing, and pour a third to a half of it onto the salad. Toss the salad well but carefully.
 
Serves 8.

 
tinkysoup

  
By the way, since I know many of you are probably in the midst of holiday shopping right now (I’m starting soon, I promise!), I thought I’d remind you that copies of my Pudding Hollow Cookbook are available.
 
Of course, I’m sure most of my faithful readers’ friends and relatives already have copies of this lovely book (my text, Judith Russell’s illustrations), but if someone on your list doesn’t own a copy please consider buying it.
 
Domestic postage and gift wrap are free (although I have to confess that my gift-wrapping skills aren’t as good as my cooking).  And I love to sign copies of the book.
 
Here’s the link…..
 

PuddingHollow_Cover1203

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Posted in Autumn, Holiday Foods, Salads and Dressings | 5 Comments »

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