Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook Page 8
1 head iceberg lettuce
¼ cup grated Cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated Monterey jack cheese
½ cup chopped scallions (including tops)
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed
½ cup regular or light sour cream
⅓ cup corn oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon picante sauce
1 cup crushed corn chips
1. Tear the lettuce into small pieces and toss with the cheeses, scallions, and tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate in a salad bowl until serving time.
2. When you are ready to serve the salad, make the dressing. Peel, pit, and scoop the avocado into a small bowl. Mash with the sour cream, oil, lemon juice, and picante sauce and mix well.
3. Toss the salad with the dressing and sprinkle the top with crushed chips.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Dijon Pasta Salad
—DYING FOR CHOCOLATE—
Back when I was developing this recipe, everyone ran cold water over their pasta to cool it. But these days, that rinsing is frowned upon, as it washes away starch and makes sauces adhere less to the pasta. So I no longer rinse the pasta for this dish. I do let it cool to room temperature, though, because hot pasta will absorb the dressing. So I drain it, put it in a bowl on the counter, and keep an eye on it while I’m doing other things. I give it a stir now and then, and taste-test one piece of pasta every ten minutes or so. Once the pasta is cool, I mix all the ingredients together, then place it in a large, pretty bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill several hours before serving. If you’re making this vegetarian, leave out the bacon.
1 pound tricolor fusilli or rotini pasta
⅔ cup corn oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
⅔ cup mayonnaise
2 large celery stalks, chopped
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked and chopped
2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 scallions, chopped (including tops)
½ to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
Paprika (optional)
1. In a large pot of boiling spring water, cook the pasta until al dente, usually 11 to 13 minutes. Drain and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, and mayonnaise. Add the cooled pasta, celery, bacon, eggs, scallions, salt, and paprika (if using). Toss gently and taste for seasoning. Chill thoroughly before serving.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Sugar Snap Pea and Strawberry Salad
—THE MAIN CORPSE—
People love strawberries in salad, because it makes them think they’re not actually eating something that’s good for them; they’re eating something delicious (which is also good for them). For the edible-pod peas in this dish, you can use either sugar snaps or snow peas.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons raspberry vinegar
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ pound (1 cup) sugar snap peas or snow peas, strings removed
1 pound (4 cups) strawberries, thickly sliced
1. In a glass jar with a screw-top lid, combine the oil, vinegar, and mustard. Shake thoroughly.
2. Steam the peas in a small amount of water until bright green but still crunchy, about 30 seconds. Remove them from the heat, drain, then quickly run cold water over them to stop the cooking. Drain again.
3. In a bowl, combine the peapods and sliced strawberries. Shake the dressing again and drizzle over the peapods and strawberries. Serve immediately or chill for no more than 1 hour.
Makes 4 servings
Grilled Slapshot Salad
—THE GRILLING SEASON—
As much of a hassle as it is to grill vegetables (and it is), this salad is worth the trouble. You can make it for a cookout an hour before your guests arrive.
2 tablespooons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large or 4 small garlic cloves, crushed through a press, or 1½ teaspoons finely minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium or 4 small zucchini, cut on the diagonal into ¼-inch-thick slices
8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 sweet onion, such as Mexican or Peruvian sweet, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 ears of fresh corn, shucked, or frozen ears of corn, thawed
1 tablespoon sherry vinaigrette (here), or more to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture between two 9 x 13-inch glass baking dishes.
2. Place the zucchini into one of the baking dishes and mix carefully with your (clean) hands, so that all the zucchini slices are lightly coated with the oil-garlic mixture.
3. Place the mushrooms, onion slices, and corn into the other glass pan and again mix carefully by hand so that all the vegetables are lightly coated with the oil-garlic mixture.
4. Preheat the grill and oil the grates. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
5. Place the zucchini slices on the grill and cook briefly—no longer than 30 seconds—on one side only. Place the zucchini slices back into their glass pan, grilled side up, and put them into the oven while you prepare the rest of the salad (but for no longer than 10 minutes).
6. Briefly grill the mushrooms, onion slices, and corn on all sides, until they have grill marks but are not quite cooked through. This should only take a few minutes. Remove the onion slices and mushrooms and set them aside to cool. Holding each ear of corn perpendicular to a cutting surface, slice off the kernels.
7. Remove the zucchini from the oven. In a large bowl, combine the zucchini slices, mushrooms, onion slices, and corn kernels. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and carefully stir in the fresh basil. Serve immediately or chill for no more than 1 hour.
Makes 4 servings
Exhibition Salad with Meringue-Baked Pecans
—THE GRILLING SEASON—
I first tasted a salad very similar to this in an upscale New York City restaurant. I resolved to figure out how to do it. I also just make the pecans for the holidays. They freeze well.
Sherry vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon best-quality sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
2 cups fresh arugula (2 ounces)
6 cups mixed greens: fresh radicchio, curly endive, and escarole (6 ounces)
1 cup Meringue-Baked Pecans (recipe follows)
For the sherry vinaigrette:
In a glass jar with a screw-top lid, combine the vinegar, mustard, and sugar. Shake vigorously. Remove the lid, add the oil, and shake vigorously again. Add salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
Tear the greens into large bite-size pieces and place in a salad bowl. Just before serving, toss with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle the pecans over the top and toss again. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings
Meringue-Baked Pecans
1 egg white, from a large egg
⅓ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
2 cups pecan halves (½ pound)
1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Butter a 10 x 15-inch jelly-roll pan or rimmed baking sheet.
2. In a small bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg white until it forms stiff peaks. In another small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Keeping the beaters running, add the sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time to the beaten egg white. By hand, fold in the melted butter and pecans. Spread the pecan mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the oven. Using a
metal spatula, carefully flip the pecan mixture one small section at a time. When all the pecans have been turned over, return the pan to the oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Watch them carefully—do not allow them to burn. Cool the pecans on paper towels.
Makes 2 cups
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
—THE GRILLING SEASON—
Orzo is an interesting pasta, because it looks like rice but isn’t. This dish looks beautiful on the plate, always a big plus.
1 cup (6 ounces) orzo pasta
1 cup seeded, chopped tomato (about 3 small)
¼ cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons finely chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or more to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon grainy or regular Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons garlic oil (available in specialty food shops or online)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3½ ounces chèvre (French goat cheese), crumbled
1. In a large pot of boiling spring water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the tomato, celery, onion, capers, olives, and basil.
3. In a glass jar with a screw-top lid, combine the vinegar, mustard, and sugar. Shake vigorously. Remove the lid, add the garlic oil, and shake vigorously again until an emulsion forms.
4. Pour this vinaigrette over the pasta mixture and season with salt and pepper. Chill the salad. When ready to serve, mix in the crumbled goat cheese.
Makes 4 servings
Figgy Salad
—STICKS AND SCONES—
Like the strawberries in Sugar Snap Pea and Strawberry Salad, figs are a welcome salad fruit. People also usually like nuts in a salad: They deliver a crunch unlike that of celery. The chèvre here does double duty, adding protein and a creamy smoothness to the dressing.
4 ounces dried Mission figs
½ cup ruby port
½ teaspoon sugar
1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) skinned hazelnuts (also called filberts)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 large shallot, minced
2 ounces chèvre (French goat cheese), at room temperature, sliced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 cups baby field greens, rinsed, drained, patted dry, wrapped in paper towels, and chilled
1. Cut the stems off the figs, rinse them, and pat dry. Place them in a small saucepan with the port and sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and simmer gently until the figs are soft, about 10 minutes. Reserving the cooking liquid, drain the figs. Allow the figs to cool, then cut them into quarters and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, toast the filberts over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they emit a nutty smell, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan to cool, then coarsely chop.
3. Return the fig-cooking liquid to the saucepan and reheat over low heat. Stir in the vinegar, shallot, goat cheese, oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Add the figs and increase the heat to medium-low. Stir the dressing until the cheese is completely melted.
4. Toss the field greens with the warm dressing and sprinkle the nuts on top. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings
Wild Girls’ Grilled Mushroom Salad
—CHOPPING SPREE—
Cremini mushrooms are small portobellos and are sometimes marketed as “baby bellas.” An executive in my publishing house had tasted a dish similar to this at an upscale Denver restaurant (yes, we have them!) and charged me to figure out how to make it. This recipe is the result.
4 ounces fresh portobello or cremini mushrooms
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 ounce fresh oyster mushrooms
3 large garlic cloves, crushed through a press
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons best-quality medium-dry sherry, such as Dry Sack
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Cooking spray
6 cups baby field greens
1. To clean the mushrooms, wipe them carefully with damp paper towels. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and discard. Using a sharp knife, lightly trim the gills from the portobello or cremini mushrooms and slice into 1-inch cubes. Cut the shiitake caps in half.
2. In a large glass bowl, whisk together the garlic, mustard, sherry, and vinegar until well combined. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking all the while. Place the mushrooms into this marinade and toss gently to coat all sides. Set aside to marinate, but not for longer than 10 minutes. Do not overmarinate the mushrooms, or their delicate flavor will be lost.
3. Coat a grill rack with cooking spray and preheat the grill to medium-high to high heat.
4. Grill the mushrooms for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve immediately on a bed of field greens.
Makes 4 servings
Chopping Spree Salad
—CHOPPING SPREE—
When chopped salads were the rage, I tried to get a recipe for one past our family. This one finally succeeded. If you are a vegetarian, leave out the chicken.
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large head romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed
4 canned hearts of palm, well rinsed
Cooking spray
¼ cup pine nuts or slivered almonds
Tangy Lime Dressing (recipe follows)
½ cup diced jicama
1 cup seeded diced tomato (about 2 medium)
½ cup thinly sliced scallions, including tops (about 2 scallions)
1. Place the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap and pound them with a mallet to a ⅓-inch thickness. Slice each breast in half lengthwise.
2. In a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish, mix the lime juice with the oil and place the chicken in this marinade while you prepare the rest of the ingredients and dressing, 15 to 20 minutes. Do not marinate the chicken for longer than this, or it can turn mushy.
3. Wash the head of romaine very well, then cut off the bottom and slice off an inch from the top (and discard them both). This will give you even edges. Carefully cut the rest of the head crosswise into ½-inch-wide slices. You should have about 8 cups of romaine pieces. Rinse these well, spin them to remove any moisture, and wrap them in paper towels. Chill until you are ready to assemble the salad.
4. Place the rinsed hearts of palm into a bowl of cold spring water and allow them to soak for 5 minutes to remove the brine.
5. Meanwhile, lightly coat a small sauté pan with cooking spray (or use a nonstick pan) and toast the pine nuts over medium-low to medium heat. Stir frequently to prevent burning. When the pine nuts are just beginning to turn golden brown (3 to 4 minutes), remove them from the pan, place on a plate to cool, and set aside until you are ready to assemble the salad.
6. Remove the hearts of palm from the water, pat them dry with paper towels, and cut them crosswise into ¼-inch-thick discs. Wrap the pieces in a paper towel and chill until you are ready to assemble the salad.
7. Coat the grill rack with cooking spray and preheat the grill to medium-high to high while you prepare the Tangy Lime Dressing.
8. Grill the chicken for about 4 minutes per side, or until it is cooked through but not dry. Remove the chicken to a cutting board, cool slightly, and cut into bite-size pieces.
9. When ready to serve, place the lettuce, hearts of palm, jicama, tomatoes, scallions, and chicken in a large, attractive salad bowl. Toss with half of the dressing, then add the dressing by tablespoons until the salad is lightly dressed,
not overdressed. (You may have a bit of dressing left over.) Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top and serve immediately.
Makes 4 large servings
Tangy Lime Dressing
½ garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon dried fines herbes (available in many supermarkets)
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1½ teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
⅓ cup buttermilk
1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
⅓ cup best-quality mayonnaise
3 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream, or more as needed
1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a mini food processor, combine the garlic, fines herbes, parsley, and cilantro and blend until pulverized, less than a minute. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lime juice, and mayonnaise until well combined and smooth. Whisk in the garlic-herb mixture, the cream, and Parmesan, blending until evenly mixed. Taste carefully and add more cream if the dressing seems too tangy. Add salt judiciously, as the mayonnaise and cheese are already salty. Grind in some pepper and taste again. Use immediately.
Primavera Pasta Salad
—DOUBLE SHOT—
This is a great salad to prepare the day of a nighttime cookout. In the Colorado mountains, when the calendar says it’s spring (primavera), we usually can’t cook out, because we’re still struggling with snow and cold. By the time the Fourth of July rolls around, we’re usually okay to grill outside (although it has snowed in Breckenridge in early July).
8 ounces pasta, in small shapes, such as cavatappi, ditalini, penne, or macaroni
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
¾ cup grated daikon radish
¾ cup chopped scallions (including tops)