SALAD STAPLES
SALAD STAPLES
BASICS FOR CREATING YOUR OWN DELICIOUS AND SIMPLE SALADS
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SUPER COLESLAW
JULY 2024
This is too easy and suits so many meals. I have put it up today because in July we have the 4th and some Coleslaw on the side or right on top your hotdog or grilled hamburger is a basic American staple. But that isn’t to say it can’t go on your taco or morning omelet or sandwich wrap too. It is well rounded in its uses, crispy and savory fresh. Served cold of course. It originated in the Netherlands. The word coleslaw comes from the dutch term koolsla which means “cabbage salad”. It can be made with a simple vinaigrette, carrots and onions added, herbs if you please, and for a creaminess faint but perfect, add the mayo, in small portions, just enough, so the dressing and cream blend nicely and coat the cabbage for a chilled luncheon delight.
RECIPE
REMEMBER TO ADD THE MAYONNAISE TO YOUR LIKING!
Also get creative with what you add or how you present it’s color, strictly purple slaw, or a pale green and white pallet, it can be mixed and matched for seasonal flair.
GALLERY OF FOOD TO TOP WITH SLAW*
GALLERY OF FOOD TO TOP WITH SLAW*
HOT DOG: FIND THIS ROLL RECIPE IN THE ITALIAN SANDWICH SECTION OF RECIPES
A SALAD SIDE TO ANY MEAL AT ALL
OMELET WITH ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING AND THEN SOME SLAW
ADD TO SALSA OR ADD SALSA TO SLAW
TACO: HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLA MADE AND DELIVERED BY ARTURO FROM GUSTO BREAD
FOR YOUR WRAPS: ALL WRAPS ADD SLAW: NAAN RECIPE HERE
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Spring Spinach Salad with Bacon and Eggs
APRIL 2024
Garden greens are in beautiful form and spring spinach exactly as it should be for a fresh crisp salad. Harvesting from the garden you want the center leaves that are small. We are eating them fresh, not steamed or sautéed. I find this salad hearty. I find that it satisfies a bodies want of good garden nutrients. Spinach is rich in iron, a power punch of fiber and also a dose of protein too. Adding the hard boiled egg and bacon gives another protein boost so for me this is a winner. Some parmesan cheese and a taste of honey dijon in a tart and sweet vinaigrette dressing finishes of this salad as a complete meal. Beats and canned spinach popeye power punch any day!
For the salad: Spinach...other new greens if desired as well, such as arugula, frisée, little gems...hard boiled eggs...bacon...parmesan cheese...salt and pepper...honey dijon vinaigrette (recipe below)
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HONEY DIJON VINNAIGRETTE
Ingredients: In order of mixing
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tablespoon seedy dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 cup olive oil
Put garlic, mustard, honey and salt in a mixing bowl, jar or measuring cup. Add red wine vinegar and rice vinegar and whisk. Whisk in olive oil slowly to incorporate.
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WINTER GOLDEN BEET SALAD WITH CITRUS
FEBRUARY 2024
I have always thought that the best salads are always in the winter. We eat salads in the summer because we think it’s cool and refreshing but the good stuff pops up in the garden in the colder months. The greens are young, the sprouts are crisp, the lettuce thrives in the chilly morning, the roots are sugary sweet and new, the pea vines are climbing with snow pea and sugar snap and the trees are laden with citrus. At least this is true where I live….in a southern california town where the summers are brutal hot and salad greens wilt the second they are picked but we are lucky to get to grow year round so our late winter early springs are glorious.
This is not a strict recipe per se, but perhaps an inspiration for salad delicacy when the garden calls and you find yourself craving something good and fresh. I’ll run through the idea and you can make what you will with it.
Baby Kale….Baby Arugula…..Pea Shoots…..Arugula Sprouts…..Golden Beets…..Blood Orange…….Tangerine……Avocado……Snow Pea…..Blackberry……Nasturtium Flower…..Fresh Mozzerella or Feta or Parmesan……Lemon Cream Dressing…..Salt and Pepper to Taste
Lemon Creamy Dressing
CHOP OR CRUSH THE 4 GARLIC CLOVES……LET STEEP IN THE 1/2 CUP HEAVY CREAM IN THE FRIDGE FOR A FEW HOURS
YOU CAN STRAIN THE GARLIC OUT FOR A MILD FLAVOR OR KEEP IT IN THE CREAM.
ADD THE SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
ADD 1/2 TEASPOON LEMON ZEST
WHISK THE CREAM FOR A BIT UNTIL IT STARTS TO THICKEN
ADD 2 TABLESPOONS OF LEMON JUICE
ADD 2 TABLESPOONS OF OLIVE OIL
WHISK UNITL COMBINED
NOW YOU ARE DONE…..AND READY TO DRESS YOUR SALAD
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MY MOTHER’S VINAIGRETTE
The other day I walked into the kitchen and saw my mother making her vinaigrette. The scene in front of me was remarkably similar to this photo to your left. My mother has never changed. To our absolute luck her dressing hasn’t either.
Vinaigrette tutorial below…..I would suggest following the ingredient guidelines but taste as you go. You might find you need more honey or a pinch more of salt.
Two garlic cloves, bunch of parsley, 1 tablespoon mustard, 2 tablespoons honey, pinch of salt, dash of balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1 cup olive oil
CAESAR DRESSING
INGREDIENTS
1 garlic clove chopped…….pinch of salt…..1 large egg yolk….2 tablespoon lemon juice…..3/4 teaspoon seedy dijon mustard……1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil….3 tablespoons grated parmesan
Whisk together the dijon mustard, egg yolk and lemon juice. Add very slowly the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, whisking constantly. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup vegetable oil, while you keep whisking, until the mixture has thickened and resembles mayonnaise. Add a dash of water until consistency is like cream. Whisk in the parmesan cheese.
SOURDOUGH CROUTONS
SOURDOUGH BREAD TORN INTO PIECES, THYME, OLIVE OIL, SALT AND PEPPER…..BAKE AT 400 DEGREES UNTIL BROWNED AND CRISPY
