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| "Vines," iPhoneography by Anne Halsted |
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Best Corn Salad Ever
adapted from David Lebovitz
submitted by Judy O’Shea
preparation time: 20 to 30 minutes
serves 6
2
to 3 ears of very fresh corn
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 ripe avocado
½
cucumber peeled and
seeded
1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the
vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons red wine
vinegar
1 heaping
tablespoon Dijon mustard (don’t skimp on the mustard)
1
to 2 small shallots peeled and
minced (1-2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon sea or
Kosher salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
Shuck the corn and remove it from the cob. DO NOT COOK THE
CORN. Remove any stems and slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Peel and dice the avocado. Peel, seed and
cube the cucumber.
Put the corn kernels, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, and
chopped basil into a serving bowl and season with freshly ground black pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard,
shallots, salt, and olive oil. Pour the vinaigrette dressing over the salad and
gently mix together. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
The dressed salad can be served right away or in a few
hours. (It can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature but should
be served room temperature.) It’s best the same day it’s made.
Garbanzos Italienne
Marjorie
Lonergan’s recipes
submitted by Judy
Gray
preparation time:
15 minutes
serves
6
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney
beans, rinsed and drained
⅓ cup red wine
vinegar
4 tablespoons
olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon oregano
3 teaspoons
chopped onion
½ cup thinly
sliced celery
2 tablespoons
dried capers
1 tablespoon chopped
parsley
1 small clove
garlic, chopped
ground pepper
Combine
ingredients. Mix thoroughly and chill in refrigerator for several hours.
This recipe was in
a group of loose recipes from my mother’s collection. I have used it many times
for an addition to green salads or an extra bean salad.
Garlic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
from Alice
Waters
liberal
adaptations by Julie Christensen
1 small garlic
clove (or ½ small shallot or pinch of red onion, diced)
Salt
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (or juice of ½ lime or lemon)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (or juice of ½ lime or lemon)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or more, to taste)
Wash the greens and dry them well, first
in a salad spinner and then by rolling them up in a towel. Refrigerate until
used.
Put a peeled garlic clove (or shallot or
onion) and 2 big pinches of salt in a mortar and pound into a purée, with no
chunks remaining. Add the wine vinegar
(or lime or lemon juice), grind in some black pepper, and taste for the balance
of salt and vinegar.
Allow to macerate for a few minutes.
Whisk in olive oil. Taste the dressing with a leaf of lettuce. It
should taste bright and lively without being too acidic or oily; adjust the
salt, vinegar, or oil as needed.
To dress the salad, put several generous
handfuls of greens in a large bowl. Toss with about three quarters of the
vinaigrette, and taste. The greens should be lightly coated but not
overdressed; add more dressing as needed.
This is my go-to dressing and I make a
hundred variations – a dash of balsamic, a bit of honey, herb salt - depending
on the season and the ingredients in the salad. Every time I make this dressing
– which is often – I think of Alice Waters saying she loves salads so much she
can eat one for breakfast.
Quick Southwestern Salad
submitted by Julie Christensen
preparation time: 45 minutes
serves 6 to 8
4 chicken thighs,
skinless & boneless*
2 teaspoons extra
virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chili
powder
2 teaspoon cumin
1½ cups brown rice
1 head romaine
lettuce chopped
1 can kidney beans
drained and rinsed
2 cups unsalted
corn tortilla chips crushed
½ cup Monterey
jack cheese shredded
½ cup black olives
sliced
1 cup fresh pico
de gallo
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees F.
Season
chicken thighs with chili powder, cumin, a pinch of salt and pepper and the
olive oil. Roast chicken for 25 minutes or until fully cooked. (Or substitute
cooked chicken seasoned with cumin and chili to taste and warmed.) When cooked
(or seasoned and warmed) shred or chop the chicken.
Cook
rice according to the instructions on the packaging and let cool.
Add
the romaine lettuce to a large bowl with the drained kidney beans, olives, and
cheese. Toss with ½ the pico de gallo and salt and pepper to taste. Add the
chicken and crushed tortilla chips and toss.
Add the remaining pico de gallo to the rice and blend.
Serve
the salad mixture with a spoonful of rice and pico de gallo on the side.
Roasted Red Peppers and
Cherry Tomatoes with Ricotta
Cherry Tomatoes with Ricotta
submitted
by Mary Reid
preparation
time: 1 hour or more
serves
6
4 red bell
peppers, halved, seeds and ribs removed
6 oil-packed
anchovy fillets finely chopped
4 garlic cloves,
thinly sliced
1 cup basil
leaves, divided
Kosher salt,
freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons plus
½ cup olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes,
halved
½ cup fresh
ricotta
½ cup pitted small
black and/or green olives
Flaky sea salt
Preheat
oven to 375 degrees F. Place bell peppers, skin side down, in a shallow baking
dish, and top with anchovies and garlic. Tear ¼ cup basil leaves over the top,
season with kosher slat and black pepper, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil.
Bake until peppers are tender but still hold their shape and are slightly
charred around the edges, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile
blend remaining ¼ cup basil leaves and ¼ cup oil in a blender until smooth,
season basil oil with kosher salt and black pepper.
Arrange
bell peppers on a platter. Top with tomatoes, ricotta, olives, and more basil,
then drizzle with basil oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.
This high-summer
salad hits every note on the taste scale – sweet (red peppers), sour (tomato),
salty (ricotta and anchovies), and bitter (olives).
Shaved Fennel Salad
with Croutons and Walnuts
with Croutons and Walnuts
 |
| Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski |
from
Bon Appétit
submitted
by Anne Halsted
preparation
time: 30 minutes
serve
6
2 cups coarsely
torn or chopped sourdough bread
½ cup walnuts
6 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons
sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove,
finely grated
¼ teaspoon red
pepper flakes
2 fennel bulbs
with fronds
¾ cup torn mint
leaves
½ lemon
2 ounces Parmesan,
shaved
Preheat
oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle bread with 3 tablespoons oil; season with salt.
Toss, squeezing bread with your hands to help it absorb as much oil as possible,
until evenly coated. Place bread on one side of a rimmed baking sheet and
walnuts on the other side (they cook at different rates). Bake until walnuts
are golden brown and croutons are deeply browned and very crisp, 8 to 10
minutes for walnuts, 12 to 15 minutes for croutons. Let cool, then coarsely
chop walnuts.
Meanwhile,
combine vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Let sit 10
minutes to let garlic mellow and flavor the vinegar. Whisk 3 tablespoons oil
into vinegar mixture, then add croutons and chopped walnuts. Season crouton
mixture with some salt and toss to coat and let croutons soften slightly, set
aside.
Remove
stalks and fronds from fennel bulb. Discard fronds and thinly slice stalks.
Place in a large bowl. Cut fennel bulb in half and thinly slice on a mandolin
(if you have one, it is much easier; if not practice your knife skills). Add to
same bowl along with mint. Zest lemon half over salad, then squeeze in juice.
Season with salt and toss to combine. Divide reserved crouton mixture among
plates and top with half of the Parmesan. Arrange fennel salad over; top with
remaining Parmesan and drizzle with oil.
Simple Wild Rice and Chicken Salad
submitted by Julie Christensen
preparation time: about 1 hour including cooking the
rice
serves 4 to 6
2 cups chicken
broth, low-sodium
1½ cups wild rice
1 tablespoon
butter, unsalted
¼ cup cider
vinegar
2 teaspoon Dijon
mustard
1 tablespoon agave
1 clove garlic
clove minced
2 tablespoons
olive oil
1 carrot shredded
2 cups dino kale,
shredded
4 tablespoon
roasted almonds sliced
2 rotisserie
chicken breasts shredded
½ cup dried
cranberries or cherries
To
cook the rice, add the broth, rice and butter to a pot and bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, simmer according to package directions until the rice is
tender and the water has absorbed. Remove and let cool.
In
a small bowl, add the vinegar, Dijon, agave, garlic and olive oil. Season with
a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.
In
a medium bowl, add the rice, carrots, kale, almonds, and chicken breast. Use
tongs to mix. Add the dressing and mix to combine. Add dried fruit.
Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
from
Marguerite Thomas
submitted by Jeanne Milligan
submitted by Jeanne Milligan
serves
approximately 4
1 cup cherry
tomatoes
1 small shallot,
peeled and diced, approximately 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons
red-wine vinegar
Kosher salt and
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 thick slices
bacon
8 ounces blue
cheese, like Roquefort, crumbled
¼ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons
mayonnaise
1 tablespoon olive
oil
1 teaspoon hot
sauce
1 teaspoon lemon
juice
1 dash
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
1 large head
iceberg lettuce, the outer leaves removed, cut into 4 wedges
2 tablespoons
finely minced chives
Combine
the tomatoes, shallots and vinegar in a small a bowl, and sprinkle with salt
and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
Cook
the bacon in a sauté pan until crisp on both sides, then drain on a paper
towel. Crumble when cool, set aside.
Make
the dressing. Put half the cheese into a medium-size bowl, and mash with a
whisk. Add the buttermilk, mayonnaise, olive oil, hot sauce, lemon juice and
Worcestershire sauce, then mash and whisk the dressing until it is mostly
smooth. You may wish for a little more hot sauce, lemon juice or
Worcestershire, to taste. Then whisk again and set aside.
Assemble
the salad. Place one wedge of lettuce on each plate, and gently spoon dressing
over it. Sprinkle each wedge with crumbled bacon, the dressed tomato halves,
the remaining blue cheese and some minced chives.
Budapest Goulash Soup
from ms Inspire on the Danube River
submitted
by Richard and Marilyn Lonergan
preparation
time: 4 hours overall, including cooking
serves
8 to 10
1 tablespoon olive
oil
1 pound boneless
bottom round steak, cut in ¾ inch cubes
4 large onions,
finely chopped
3 garlic cloves,
minced
1 teaspoon caraway
seeds
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to
taste
3 red bell
peppers, seeds removed and finely diced
2 carrots, diced
finely
2 tablespoons
sweet Hungarian paprika
5 small red
potatoes, peeled and cut in ½ inch cubes
2 quarts water
(more may be needed)
sour cream for
decoration
Use
large stew pan. Salt and pepper beef cubes and sauté them quickly in olive oil.
Set aside beef.
Then,
using same pan, sauté the chopped onion until soft; add garlic and sauté for 1
more minute. Add sautéed beef back into
onion mixture. Add red bell peppers,
carrots, paprika, bay leaves, and water. Cook until the beef gets soft, about 2
½ hours. You may need to add more water.
Then add the potato cubes and cook for 45 minutes more. Remove bay leaves. Add
salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a touch of sour cream.
This is comfort
food! Could be prepared using ground
beef instead of beef cubes
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
 |
| Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Bonnie S. Benwick/The Washington Post |
from the Washington Post September 25, 2018
via Richard and Marilyn Lonergan
preparation time less than 35 minutes
serves 2 to 3
1 medium
white onion
2 large
cloves garlic
1 large
boneless, skinless chicken-breast half
Kosher
salt and Black pepper
1
tablespoon vegetable oil
2
tablespoons tomato paste
1 to 2
teaspoons Louisiana-style hot sauce, to taste
2
tablespoons golden raisins
1
tablespoon roasted/toasted sesame seeds
2½ to 3
cups chicken broth, preferably no-salt-added
Four 6-inch
corn tortillas
½ cup
half-and-half (optional)
Lime
wedges, for serving
Cut the onion into ½-inch dice. Smash
and peel the garlic. Place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap;
pound to an even thickness of about ½ inch. Discard the wrap and season the
chicken lightly with the salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over
medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the chicken; sear it on both sides for
a total of 5 to 8 minutes, until just cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer
to a plate to cool.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan;
cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Clear a spot at the center of the pan and add
the tomato paste, spreading it a bit. Cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute, then add
the hot sauce (to taste), raisins and sesame seeds, stirring to incorporate.
Heat 2½ cups of the broth in a deep pot,
over medium heat. Transfer the onion mixture to the pot of broth, being sure to
scrape the pan clean.
Tear the 4 tortillas into several
pieces, letting them fall into the pot as you work. Cook for 8 minutes,
stirring a few times. The tortillas should be softened/falling apart.
Meanwhile, shred the cooled chicken with
your hands or cut it into bite-size chunks.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Using an immersion
blender, purée the soup mixture until creamy smooth. If it seems too thick, add
some or all the remaining ½ cup of broth. Stir in the half-and-half, if using.
Taste, and add more salt, as needed. Once it has just warmed through, remove
from the heat. Divide between or among wide, shallow bowls, then add the
shredded chicken to each portion, mounding it at the center.
Serve with lime wedges, passing more hot
sauce at the table.
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