Caesar salad

So simple yet so good.  I like Caesar salad as much as everyone does but when I tried this recipe inspired by April Bloomfield, no other Caesar salad dressing now comes close.  I love the balance of the fat from the eggs, acid from the vinegar and mustard, and umami from the anchovies and parmesan.  My favourite way to make this is in a major jar, with a quick blitz from a hand-held mixer.  You could make this in a blender or a food processor too.  Just more clean up that way.

I like to top this salad with parmesan croutons, bacon bits, and marinated white anchovies.  Typing this is making my mouth water...

The recipe:

7-8 anchovy fillets
1/4 cup white wine or red wine vinegar
3 tbsp dijon or whole grain mustard
1-2 garlic cloves
1 large egg
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 cup neutral oil like sunflower, grapeseed (or canola, which I actually don't like using...but that's another post)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To make:
Combine the first 5 ingredients and pulse until smooth.  Gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream while your machine is on.  When everything has emulsified and come together, add the cheese.  Pulse again just until blended.  Season with pepper (and salt if needed, although this if often unnecessary).  Pulse again for a few seconds.  Done!

Arugula with Grilled Portabella and Blue Cheese

The title is the recipe.

Arugula (or rocket/roquette) is by far my favorite salad green. Sturdy, bitter, nutty. Yummy.

Portabellas (or portobellos) are one of my favorite mushrooms. Meaty, substantial, flavorful.

Blue cheese. Tangy, salty, creamy. Love. Any cheese for that matter.

Balsamic reduction brings all these together. Sweet, sour, smoky.

This is what makes a great salad...different flavors, different textures, all combining into one perfect mouthful.

Potato Salad

It's been so long since I've cooked. Well, I've been cooking...but only functional cooking. What's functional cooking? That means cooking just because you HAVE to and not because you WANT to. When I WANT to cook something, I call that recreational cooking. Hehe!

I'm making a potato salad today since S&A are coming over and we're having a BBQ to say good-bye to summer :-(

So here's my recipe for potato salad:

1. Boil about 2 lbs. of potatoes, skin on, until soft but not mushy.
2. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mix together:

1 heaping cup mayonnaise
3 heaping tsp. whole grain mustard
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tbsp. apple cider vinger
1/2 pack cooked minced bacon (or a whole pack if you want)
4 stalks of chopped green onions
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
freshly cracked black pepper
about 2 tsp. salt and 3 tsp. sugar

Here's how mine looked at this point...


By now, your potatoes are probably done so drain them well and let them dry completely. Cut them into manageable sized chunks and put them into your dressing mixture while they are still warm. Gently toss until the potatoes are evenly coated. Stick in the fridge to cool.

A few notes: make sure you like the way your dressing tastes before you put the potatoes in. Adjust the salt/pepper/sugar accordingly because once the potatoes are in, they're in. Can't adjust the seasoning anymore unless you want your potato salad to turn into mush. Also, peeling the potatoes is optional. I happen to LOVE potato skins. I like the textural contrast it gives. Just make sure you scrub the potatoes well before cooking.

Final product:

Brown Sugar and Mustard Roast Pork

I felt like making a nice dinner tonight. Our menu:

Goat cheese and arugula salad with pears, dates and walnuts

Brown sugar and mustard-crusted roast pork

Rosemary-garlic duo of potatoes

Brown Sugar and Mustard-Crusted Roast Pork

*2 tbsp. whole grain mustard
*1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
*1 tsp. salt
*1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
*1 tbsp. olive oil
*1 tsp. dried rosemary
*6 cloves garlic, each clove sliced into 4 slivers
*1 to 1.5 kg pork roast

1. Mix first six ingredients and set aside.

2. Stab pork roast in several places and insert garlic sliver into each hole.

3. Put pork in roasting pan and rub with mustard mixture. Let stand to marinate for a couple of hours.

4. Roast in a 350 oven until thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 140, approximately 60-90 mintes. Once your thermometer reads 140, turn oven to 500 and finish roast for another 10 minutes. You can also use the broiler for 5-7 minutes.

5. Let roast sit for 10-15 minutes before carving.


Rosemary-Garlic Duo of Potatoes

*6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cubed into 2 inch pieces, skin on
*2 yams/sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed into 2 inch pieces
*3 tsp. minced garlic
*1/2 cup olive oil
*2 tsp. kosher salt
*1 tsp. cracked black pepper

1. Toss everything together.
2. Roast in 350 oven for 30-45 minutes.
3. Brown under broiler or put back in oven when you raise the roast temp. to 500.
4. Watch closely because the sweet potatoes can burn. Brown for about 5 minutes.

Goat Cheese and Arugula Salad with Pears, Dates and Walnuts
*3 cups arugula leaves
*2 slices goat cheese, cubed
*1 bosc pear sliced
*1/2 cup walnuts, toasted lightly
*4 dried dates
*2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
*3 tbsp. olive oil

1. In a small skillet, saute pear slices and dates in a bit of olive oil until pear slices are lightly caramelized.
2. Toss with arugula, goat cheese and walnuts.
3. Dress with an emulsion of 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar and 3 tbsp. olive oil.

My Mom's Marvelous Macaroni Salad

Just a little alliteration there :-)

This recipe is inspired by my mom's version but somehow, I can never duplicate that perfect balance of sweet, salty and tangy that made her macaroni salad a favorite of many a gathering.

But this version of mine has been a hit many times too and so tomorrow, for a picnic of 40 people, this will be my contribution.

A word of warning: this recipe will feed an army.

Macaroni Salad

900 grams macaroni, cooked according to package directions

large can (540 ml) of crushed pineapple, drained well

1 bottle (375 ml) sweet pickle relish, drained well

1 bottle pimiento (cooked red peppers bottled in water), chopped/minced

1 large jar (950 ml) Hellman's low fat mayo (or full fat if you so desire)

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt (use less if using regular table salt)

1 tsp. ground pepper

1 whole chicken

Procedure:

1. Boil chicken in salted water, cool, shred (do not include the skin and, obviously, the bones), then set aside.

2. Mix together the mayo, pineapple, pickles, pimiento, salt, sugar and pepper.

3. Let the dressing stand for about half an hour to let the seasoning meld together.

4. Mix together the macaroni, dressing and chicken.

5. Serve well chilled. Tastes better the next day.

A few notes. When you boil the chicken, you can add a quartered onion and a couple of stalks of celery to the boiling water. Don't forget to salt. Salting the cooking water is also very important when cooking the macaroni so you don't end up with tasteless pasta. Don't overcook the macaroni and don't rinse after cooking. There's nothing worse than mushy or watery pasta in a salad. Drain everything well (pasta, pineapple, relish, pimiento) before mixing together. This will prevent your dressing for becoming too runny. And lastly, taste the dressing before mixing in the chicken and macaroni. It's definitely easier to adjust the seasoning before you put in the "solids" and the seasoning will mix in more evenly if you do it before putting the salad all together.

A few other notes not related to the recipe above. When I prep onions, carrots, and celery for other dishes, I always put the small bits and scraps in a ziplock bag which I then stash in the freezer. I'll also freeze the celery leaves and the outer layer of the onion. When I make stock, I then have my aromatics always ready to throw into my stock pot. I also freeze chicken bones from grocery rotisserie chicken and home-cooked roast chicken. It's perfect for making stock and is definitely better than the store bought stock/broth.

Ok, I think that's all for now. Gotta pack for that picnic...