Things keeping me from the blog + a Greek-style salad

A few things have kept me away from Cackalackyfoodie over the past 6 weeks. I spent some time traveling - sans computer - in the Amazon basin, for example. And I got engaged. To be married. This is no reason to completely neglect the blog, but I hit the ground running when my mother told me how disappointed she would be if I ran off and got hitched without inviting her. I had a wedding to plan.

The good news: most everything is done. As the event draws closer, details will need my attention, but the big stuff is out of the way. I can focus on other, more enjoyable aspects of life! And I can manage to cook now and then, which is good, because I'm tired of eating microwave popcorn for dinner.

I opted for a simple Greek-style salad for lunch yesterday, a beautiful pile of fresh veggies, feta cheese, olives, and pickled peppers dressed with oil and vinegar. It's a nice way to mark the end of summer produce (you can still find a decent tomato or two here in central North Carolina), and it travels well.

I'll try to manage a "real" recipe for my next post, but I've been streamlining my meals recently. Spending hours at party rental stores and florist shops will do that to you.


A Simple Greek Salad

2 large cucumbers, seeded and diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 red onion, finely diced
a chunk of feta cheese, cubed
a handful of Kalamata olives, rinsed and pitted
5 pickled peppers, cut into thin rings
2 tablespoons of parsley and mint, chopped
sherry vinegar
extra virgin olive oil

Combine the first six ingredients in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with sherry vinegar and olive oil. Add freshly chopped herbs and toss. Enjoy!

Tomatoes and paneer

When I bought a wedge of paneer at the Durham Farmers' Market, visions of a traditional Indian meal danced in my head: cubes of cheese suspended in spinach or nestled between green peas and tomato. Instead, the paneer was used to garnish a fabulous summer tomato salad, courtesy of my boyfriend, O. After a morning of cleaning and reorganizing the house (not fun, but necessary) I was happy to turn the kitchen over to him — he's a good cook — but I wasn't prepared for just how tasty lunch would be.

I shouldn't have been so surprised, as simple dishes are often the most delicious. Quality ingredients don't require much embellishment, and Sunday's lunch was a perfect example: slices of heirloom tomatoes drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and topped with crispy pan-fried cubes of paneer, straight from the cheese-making geniuses at Chapel Hill Creamery.

Paneer can be made at home, but I've never managed to create anything near as good as Flo Hawley and Portia McKnight's version. Seared in a bit of butter and olive oil, the crunchy brown exterior adds verve to any dish, and the warm cheese takes on a rich, nutty flavor. A dish this simple doesn't require a recipe, but a list of ingredients and basic instructions follow. 


O's Heirloom Tomatoes and Paneer

3 medium heirloom tomatoes, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
1/3 - 1/2 cup cubed paneer cheese
olive oil
unsalted butter
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
basil, cut into chiffonade

Layer sliced tomatoes on a platter, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and set side.

Heat a large skillet over medium flame. Coat the bottom of the pan with a film of olive oil and add a small pat of butter. When the butter foams, add the cubed paneer and allow to brown on one side. Toss and brown another side, about 5 minutes total.

Scatter the cooked paneer across the platter of tomatoes. Sprinkle with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and freshly cut basil. Serve while the cheese is still warm.

Too hot + cole slaw

Thus far, July 2011 has been outrageously hot. The weather in central North Carolina is miserably muggy, and though I hate to devote another summer blog post to temperature, it does affect my appetite and my menus. Who wants braised lamb shanks when the thermometer is pushing 100 degrees? Give me meats and veggies on the grill, a salad, and a large iced tea.

Cole slaw is a traditional summer dish, an item that regularly appears on picnic tables and pot luck suppers when temperatures soar. I made a vat of slaw on July 4, served alongside grilled hamburgers and corn on the cob, and though it was good, it wasn't great. And I know why. I used commercial mayonnaise.

Homemade mayonnaise is a revelation. Light and fresh and not too sweet, homemade mayo doesn't contain the preservatives that make most commercial varieties taste so, well, processed. Last night I made my favorite cole slaw again, but this time I used mayo made by hand. Tremendous difference.

The slaw recipe couldn't be simpler — it takes just a couple of minutes to put together after you've made the mayonnaise and cut the veggies. If you aren't confident about homemade mayo, read the label of the commercial varieties before you by, opting for the one with the fewest ingredients, all of which should be easy to identify and pronounce. I'm a fan of Duke's mayo in a pinch.

Oh, and please don't leave the celery seed out of the cole slaw, as it changes the flavor quite a bit.

Traditional Cole Slaw
Makes about 6 servings

1 1/4 cups homemade mayonnaise (recipe follows)
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 heaping tablespoon celery seed
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 head green cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 head red cabbage, finely shredded
3-4 carrots, grated

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Add the mayonnaise and celery seed. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.


Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and blend well. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, allowing the flavors to meld.

Homemade Mayonnaise
Makes about 1 1/4 cup

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon Coleman's dry mustard or prepared Dijon mustard
1-2 large pinches sugar
2 egg yolks*
about 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, dry mustard, and sugar in a bowl and whisk to dissolve the dry ingredients. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Begin whisking these ingredients at a fast pace,
then slowly — drop by drop — add the oil. The mixture will thicken and lighten in color, at which point you can pour the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.

Homemade mayonnaise will keep in the refrigerator for about one week.

* Consuming raw egg yolks increases your risk of Salmonella or other food borne illnesses.

Simple Rice Salad

 

Let's call it The Headache That Negatively Impacted My Appetite. A dull, throbbing pain emanated from behind my left eye and spread across the top and sides of my skull. Never sharp or searing, it didn't interfere with more test driving this weekend (the Volkswagen Golf TDI is the current leader)  but the pain was just unpleasant enough to make me feel sick.

Sunday night I scraped myself off the couch — cranky noggin be damned — and scrounged through kitchen, searching for something edible that was light, easy, and wouldn't require a run to the grocery. The result: rice salad with fresh herbs, a simple dish that I often serve as a side in the summer. 

Rice salad variations are endless, but I rely on a squeeze of lemon, minced shallots, a few ounces of good extra virgin olive oil, and freshly chopped herbs to produce a lovely summer side dish (or a light meal for those who aren't feeling well). To feed healthier appetites add a few cooked peas, chopped steamed asparagus spears, chicken, or shrimp. Use any long-grain rice you'd like — I often have basmati or jasmine in the cupboard. 

My friend Jeanne taught me to cook rice like pasta, in a large pot of boiling water. This method ensures fluffy, individual grains that don't stick together. Give it a try.

Rice Salad with Parsley, Chives and Mint

Makes 3-4 side servings

1 cup long-grain white rice

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 shallot, minced

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley, chives and mint

Fill a large stockpot with water, add a pinch of salt, and bring it to a rolling boil. Add the rice and cook until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then spread the rice on a baking sheet to cool.

Put the lemon juice and shallot in a bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil, creating a vinaigrette.

Place the cool rice in a medium bowl and fluff with a fork or your fingers. Judiciously dress with the vinaigrette — you don't want to drown the rice. Sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs just before serving, tossing well to be sure the herbs are evenly distributed. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary.

Panzanella, for a sweltering summer

I'm living for my Northern California vacation. Temperatures dropped from their record highs earlier in the week — it's only in the 90s now. Ninety-something degrees Fahrenheit plus the sweet kiss of humidity that causes profuse sweating after 5 minutes outdoors. I plow through it, but I'm generally miserable.

An attitude adjustment is in order.

My CSA produce box helps a bit. Each Wednesday is a little like Christmas. I enter the (cool, clean) walk-in refrigerator at Foster's Market to pick up my share of goodies, thinking about what I'll create with the contents. After walking the dogs near the market yesterday (dogs is plural — I'm caring for my brother-in-law's sweet black lab this week), we piled in the car, fresh veggies in tow, and headed home. Under Gus and Jenny's watchful gaze, I made panzanella, the Italian bread salad that's perfect for summer. No oven or multiple saucepans needed — just a sharp knife, heavy cutting board, and a mixing bowl.

Panzanella is peasant food, a dish that makes use of leftovers, a no-waste option that's not only delicious, but makes you feel virtuous to boot. Basil and tomatoes from the produce box joined leftover ciabatta from the weekend's romesco sauce. Softened by liquid, the bread cubes absorb the flavors that surround them. Cucumber adds crunch, the onions are a bit pungent — the result is a refreshing option for yet another sweltering summer day. This is intended to be served as a side dish, but some of us consume more than one helping and call it dinner.

Panzanella
Serves 4 as a side dish

4 cups of stale ciabatta, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3-4 ripe tomatoes, cubed
1 small red onion, sliced
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
16 or more basil leaves, chopped
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Place ciabatta cubes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil and red wine vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, toss gently to combine, taste for seasoning, and serve.

Time for tabbouleh

I'd forgotten about tabbouleh. Not entirely, of course, but I couldn't remember the last time I enjoyed this popular Middle Eastern salad. When a friend asked if I could bring a nut-free, dairy-free dish to her annual Fourth of July pool party (nut-free and dairy-free to prevent a couple of small guests from going into anaphylactic shock), tabbouleh came immediately to mind. It fits the bill perfectly: cracked wheat enlivened with generous amounts of parsley and mint, dressed with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, all combined with flawless summer tomatoes.

I made a big batch of the stuff the morning of July 4. A true Lebanese tabbouleh contains far more parsley than grain, but I cheated; I tired of chopping bunches of herbs long before I reached the 5 cups required. The result was still delicious. So delicious that I made it again for dinner.

My friend Trish and I stopped by the grocery store post-pool party to pick up salmon fillets, lettuce, assorted snacks — visions of a big, beautiful meal in our heads. As the day wore on and we settled down with the first five episodes of Big Love on DVD (because I really need to get hooked on another cable TV show on a channel I don't subscribe to), Trish and I agreed that grazing in front of the TV was ideal. The salmon stayed in the refrigerator and I made a second, smaller batch of tabbouleh, brought out flatbread, cheese, and my new favorite olive, the Castellano. Spread out on the coffee table, the food was ideal. Light, great at room temperature, and easy.

Looks like tabbouleh will be a mainstay this summer.


Tabbouleh Salad
Serves 4

1 cup bulgur
2 cups water
1 bunch scallions, chopped, including part of the green top
2-3 bunches flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped
1 bunch mint, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 lemons, freshly juiced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Place the bulgur in a heatproof bowl. Bring the water to a boil, then pour it over the bulgur and give it a quick stir. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 30-45 minutes.

While the cracked wheat rehydrates, clean and chop the herbs, scallions and tomatoes.

When the bulgur has softened, strain to remove any extra water, then fluff with a fork. Add the chopped vegetables and herbs, then dress with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Tabbouleh is best made an hour or two before you plan to serve it, giving flavors a chance to meld and improve. Serve at room temperature.

Classic vs. wildly popular, and an awesome summer salad

My friend Mo is a big reader. Novels, non-fiction, poetry — Mo likes it all. We discuss books at work, and he very kindly brought two in for me this week. The first: Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner (with a "from the library of" sticker inside and a post-it note marking "A Rose for Emily"). The second: Twilight, which he borrowed from a friend.

Yes, that Twilight, the teen vampire love story sensation, the instant bestseller, the first in a series that spawned a succession of films. As the weekend unfolds, I face a choice: Faulkner vs. Meyer. Nobel-prize winning author vs. contemporary sensation, one of the American South's most important literary figures vs. one of Time magazine's Most Influential People of 2008 (Meyer ranked #49).

I'll make my decision later. Right now it's time for lunch, and I'm about to enjoy one of my favorite summer salads, a salad that focuses on summer fruit — using whatever is at its best — with peppery arugula and Marcona almonds. If you aren't familiar with Marcona almonds, prepare to be amazed. And addicted. Marcona almonds are ridiculously good. They are shorter and rounder than a regular almond, a little sweeter, definitely richer in taste. Imported from Spain, Marcona almonds are lightly fried in olive oil and salted. After eating the last one, I run my fingers through the empty container, coat them with whatever oily, salty goodness is left, and lick them. There, I admit it.

Today's salad features fresh farmer's market peaches and the sun jewel melon that arrived in this week's CSA box. Stripped of its bright gold skin, the pale, slightly green-hued flesh reminds me of honeydew. I wish figs were in season — they're a favorite paired with a few sprigs of arugula and sherry vinaigrette. I use more fruit than arugula in this salad; I think of the greens as a bright accent, not the star.

Marcona almonds have become increasingly popular in the States, and are usually available at Whole Foods, Costco, and Trader Joe's. If you can't find them, use toasted almonds instead.


Summers Fruits with Arugula and Marcona Almonds
Serves 1-2

Sherry Vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon shallot, minced
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
pinch of kosher salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine the minced shallot, sherry vinegar, and kosher salt in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, starting slowly, gradually adding it in a steady stream. Whisk constantly to create an emulsion.


Salad:

1 large ripe peach, pit removed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 sun jewel melon, skin and seeds removed, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
a few slivers of red onion (optional)
a handful of arugula, washed and dried
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Marcona almonds

Combine the fruits in a bowl and drizzle with a few tablespoons of sherry vinaigrette. Add the arugula and red onion (if using) and toss gently. Taste for seasoning — it will probably need a pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of the pepper mill. Add more vinaigrette if necessary. Put on serving plate(s) and sprinkle with Marcona almonds.

Big summer

This is the year of Big Summer. Crazy hot temperatures hit central North Carolina in early June and let up on the last day of the month. Coupled with humidity, this is the kind of weather that renews my vow to move to the Pacific Northwest, the land of cool, green, and lush. I love Oregon. Everyone wears layers, paddles the Columbia River on weekends, and eats fabulous food from trucks stationed downtown. The pace seems slower (I know those people at Nike are getting a lot done, but walking around Portland feels better, easier, than the East Coast cities I've lived in). Life isn't sluggish or dull, but velocity is somehow altered.

I digress.

Because someplace else is always better than where you are.

Today I'm enjoying a reprise — I woke to temperatures in the 60s and a cool breeze — but the crazy heat sped up the crop cycle (so says my CSA farmer). This week's produce box included 3 different melons, cherry tomatoes, and heirloom tomatoes. After splitting the share with my friend Cathy, I brought home the ultimate small watermelon, whose flesh was the best-est of all possible watermelons. Sweet, lush, and juicy. I also brought home a sun jewel melon, which resembles a fall delicata squash and has an amazing perfume. It radiates heat and summer and flowers.

Watermelon-Tomato-Feta Salad  for dinner was a no-brainer, given my ingredients. If you haven't discovered this treasure, do try it. I don't remember exactly when I stumbled upon the glorious tomato-watermelon salad combination (it was sometime in the late 1990s, during my Boston years). I've enjoyed countless variations since then, but I'm happy with this version: ripe watermelon, gorgeous tomatoes, red onion, basil and/or mint, freshly crumbled feta cheese, a splash of vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and you've captured the best of summer.

I used cherry tomatoes in today's salad, but diced regular tomatoes would work just as well.

Watermelon-Tomato-Feta Salad
Serves 1-2

1 cup cherry and/or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
1 1/2 cups watermelon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, seeds removed
3-4 tablespoons red onion, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon mint, chopped
2 tablespoons basil, chopped

Combine the tomatoes, watermelon, and red onion in a large bowl. Sprinkle with kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper from the pepper mill and toss. Add red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and feta, then toss gently to combine. You can refrigerate the salad at this point for up to and hour. Add freshly chopped herbs just before serving.

Bejeweled carrots

Last week's CSA box contained the most visually arresting carrots I've ever come across. Purple outside, orange inside, these carrots were stunning. I wasn't sure what to do with them — if cooked, would the colors bleed and muddle? Unseasonably hot weather (it feels like August in early-to-mid June) meant I wouldn't find out. No way was I firing up the oven on a day with a heat index over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combined with parsley, mint, oil and vinegar, carrots make a refreshing, ideal summer side dish. Feel free to substitute another light vinegar for the lemon juice and white wine vinegar used here. If I'm lucky enough to receive another bunch of purple carrots, I'll slice them thinly and blanch for a minute or two — they look particularly gorgeous when cross cut. Tonight, I opted to grate them. The picture above looks like a dish of carrots and beets, no? No. The purple flecks are the outer edge of these beautiful veggies, post-grating.

A Google search revealed that purple carrots have more beta carotene than their ubiquitous orange relatives. If I ever live in a house with a decent yard, I hope to plant some and enjoy them more often.

Carrot Salad with Parsley and Mint
Serves 1-2

1 1/2 cup grated carrots
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons mint, chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk in the extra virgin olive oil, creating an emulsion. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the grated carrots and combine with freshly chopped parsley and mint. Chill for one hour before serving.

A flat of strawberries

Other women are excited by new clothes, jewelry, or shoes. 

I get all worked up when my CSA farmer announces that extra flats of strawberries are available for purchase. I immediately responded to his email and bought this extra 12 pints of berries, because what single woman doesn't need a flat of strawberries?

It makes me happy just looking at them lined up in the refrigerator.

I brought the extra flat of berries home last night, along with collard greens, turnips, radishes, spinach, and 2 additional pints of strawberries, bringing the grand total to 14 pints. Everything is fresh and lovely, but I need to hop on the berry thing.

Eight pints went into the freezer. They'll stay there for a week or so, when I find time to make preserves. Many will go into homemade ice cream tonight. The rest I'll consume over the next few days — with yogurt in the morning, with cream for dessert, or macerated with balsamic vinegar and tossed with a handful of arugula from my back porch. This early summer salad is so simple it doesn't really require a recipe, but I've done my best guesstimating quantities. Be sure to use a high-quality vinegar.

Strawberries and Arugula with Balsamic

Serves 2

1/2 cup of strawberries, cleaned, hulled and sliced

pinch of sugar

pinch of kosher salt

2-3 teaspoons high-quality balsamic vinegar (I'm using a lovely fig-balsamic this time)

a few turns of freshly ground black pepper

a couple of handfuls of arugula

extra virgin olive oil

Toss the sliced berries with sugar, salt and balsamic vinegar. Let them sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes, then combine with the arugula. Add freshly ground pepper to taste, drizzle with olive oil, and toss gently to combine.

A light dinner

Sometimes all I really want for dinner is a green salad. Boring? Nah. Not if you grow your own lettuce.

The lovely green leaves in the pictures came from my back porch. My house has a tiny yard, but I've covered the deck with pots of all shapes and sizes, the majority filled with edible plants.

The delicate flavor and fresh crunch of newly harvested lettuces can't be beat. The key is to dress them with a light vinaigrette, something that allows the greens to shine through, show off. I toss in a few radishes for color and a nice peppery bite, consider a perfectly hard-boiled egg if I need more substance, then add just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the leaves. Spring perfection.

For a gorgeous hard-boiled egg, place the eggs of your choice (I usually stick with large, and yes, the eggs from your local farmer's market are significantly better) in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then shut off the heat and — this is the important part — allow the eggs to sit in the cooling water for 10-11 minutes. Please adjust the time according to the size of your eggs. Then crack the shells and place them in ice water to cool completely. When peeled, you should have beautiful yolks, buttery and golden, without the nasty green rings and chalky centers of overcooked eggs.

Do what you will with the eggs. I like to sprinkle them with sweet herbs and kosher salt before they hit the salad bowl.

For a vinaigrette, rely on your taste buds. I prefer a ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, but hey, it's your salad. Many people like a 4:1 ratio. Adjust accordingly.

My favorite dressings include a minced clove of garlic (or two) and finely chopped shallot. I add Dijon mustard if I'm in the mood for a little more spice, but it's not required. Fresh herbs are always included — just be sure to choose sweet, tender herbs like chervil, tarragon, chives and thyme, rather than the more assertive options, like rosemary and sage. With delicate lettuces I'm a big fan of lemon or lime juice instead of vinegar, but champagne vinegar is lovely, and I reach for the sherry vinegar bottle frequently. If you don't want to deal with a whisk and are willing to simply combine ingredients rather than create an emulsion, put all of the ingredients into a covered glass or jar (covered with a lid, not your hand or plastic wrap) and shake. Hard.