summer salad daze

Whoever came up with the phrase "lazy hazy days of summer" was nuts. Hazy perhaps, but lazy? Not around here!

Lonesome Road Studio is a bit of a late bloomer this year regarding summer shows and markets (nothing like waiting until the hottest part of the year to emerge from hibernation!) and will be kicking off a short summer show season with the new Downtown LaSalle Canal Market on Saturday, July 28th. In the midst of all the preparations for shows, our garden has come alive as well and we're currently up to our eyeballs in cucumbers. Lazy? No way!

Typically I make cucumber salads with a more savory-salty flavor, but this year I experimented a bit with a dressing that I used earlier for a classic spinach and strawberry salad. I discovered that this sweet and tangy dressing was also a great match for cucumber slices and we've been enjoying it in abundance.

Simply combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Shake in a jar or whisk briskly to dissolve the sugar completely. Then, add 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I prefer to use a light sunflower oil for this dressing. You can use olive oil but I like the lighter taste of the sunflower oil, and I hate waiting for refrigerated olive oil dressings to "unthicken." I also like to experiment with different types of balsamic vinegars and found that using a raspberry-infused white balsamic vinegar is wonderful with salads featuring fruit.

If you're in the LaSalle, Illinois area, come and visit me at the Downtown LaSalle Canal Market! I heard a rumor that The Olive Gallery will be there also - could be dangerous for me. Having a bit of a vinegar obsession, I'm hoping that they'll bring their Coconut White Balsamic Vinegar to the Market - doesn't that sound wonderful? Their Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar is already on the Lonesome Road shelf - decadent, delicious and so different, and it also makes a wonderful vinaigrette for spinach and strawberry salad! So, you might just see a lot more wildly experimental salad dressing recipes here at the Lonesome Road kitchen blog... what better time than during the salad daze of summer?

sweet, salty and crunchy winter salad

The Perfect Winter Salad!

Salty stuff. Sweet stuff. Crunchy stuff. Chewy stuff. It doesn't get much better than that - and there's bacon!

This salad is as delicious as it is beautiful, with rich greens, jewel-toned fruit and contrasting sliced almonds. The delicately sweet dressing is incredibly simple and complements the other flavors to perfection.

You can prepare this with mixed greens (particularly pretty and tasty with radicchio tossed in) or use only spinach, or a combination of all. You can substitute pine nuts for the sliced almonds if you like, but I do really feel that the dried cranberries (not raisins) provide the best flavor in this salad. Be sure to try this with Mandarin orange segments also. *swoon*

This is a terrific side salad to serve with a simple meat-and-potatoes type dinner and it's a surprisingly tasty accompaniment to many curried dishes. And it will make a spectacular salad to ring in 2011, whether as part of a cozy dinner for two, or as a start to a healthy new year.

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I like to use safflower oil because its mild flavor doesn't compete with the other ingredients)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons wine vinegar (try using a raspberry blush balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar or a simple white wine vinegar)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk ingredients together thoroughly and set aside.

For the salad, toss together:

• 5 to 6 cups mixed salad greens, including spinach if you like
• 6 slices cooked lean bacon, crumbled
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2 green onions, white only, thinly sliced

Lightly toss salad ingredients with the dressing and serve immediately, or wait until ready to serve before adding the dressing.

Also, if you're preparing the salad in advance, add the almonds at the last moment so they will stay crunchy.

Serves 4.

so... many.... tomatoes!

Well, it has finally happened. The Lonesome Road Studio Kitchen is about to be inundated with a bumper crop of tomatoes in various stages of ripeness. Eventually I will be getting out the heavy equipment and spending some time making pizza sauce to freeze, but in the meantime I'm making dishes that really emphasize the freshness and quality of a good garden-ripened tomato. In fact, just a couple of days ago, I made a delicious insalata caprese, a simple Italian salad of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, olive oil and um.... oregano. Basil is the traditional herb of insalata caprese but we have plenty of fresh Greek oregano on hand so that is what went into my salad.

Hm. Will these become pizza sauce? Or maybe a nice cool Panzanella (Italian bread and tomato salad)?
Look at the size of these things!

Greek oregano.

Isn't this just gorgeous? And so fast and easy to prepare, it literally takes minutes. Just slice the best ripe tomatoes you can find, and layer alternately with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. You can actually buy 7 ounce containers of the sliced cheese, which makes this even quicker. If serving for a special occasion, a large beautiful platter works well but I also use an 8 inch by 8 inch glass baking dish for the job. The salad can be chopped if you prefer, but the slices look prettier and and are obviously faster to prepare.

Drizzle with a high-quality olive oil, then sprinkle with slivered fresh basil (or in my case, oregano tastes very nice as well). Season liberally with sea salt and black pepper and allow to sit in your refrigerator, covered, for a little while. Before serving, allow the salad to warm up a bit to almost room temperature. An 8 inch by 8 inch dish of insalata caprese will serve 4 to 6; if you have any leftovers it is delicious tucked into an omelet for breakfast the next morning.

the dog days of summer are upon us...

Beat the heat with fresh, fast and lemony Shrimp, Feta and Basil Linguine Salad!

A Lonesome Road Kitchen exclusive - I created this delicious, cool and simple Mediterranean-inspired linguine salad during a particularly steamy hot spell on the gravel road outside of Prisontown. (!)

Yes, the dog days of summer are upon us here in the northern hemisphere. Seriously. Or, "Siriusly." The dog star Sirius is rising with the sun and temperatures are in the 90's in the Chicago area and looking to stay that way for a while. In fact, the city is poised to break a record for the most consecutive days of over-80 temperatures this summer. Phew!

So now is the time to dig out all of those salad recipes you've been wanting to try; if I do say so myself, this one is especially tasty and worth a try in your salad repertoire. Except for a few brief minutes to boil the water for the linguine, this dish is "stove-free." It also makes good use of garden bounty, if you now happen to be inundated with tomatoes and peppers of the all-at-once variety. The salad's ingredients are flexible; you could also create an all-out seafood extravaganza, or add even more veggies including cucumbers, or olives, or whatever you like and have on hand.

The salad starts with a beautiful basil-infused linguine; many larger supermarkets or gourmet shops carry many varieties of pastas now and it's fun to experiment with flavors. Add some cooked shrimp, tomato-basil feta cheese, veggies and my simple vinaigrette, and you have dinner or lunch for 3 or 4 on a hot summer day.

For the shrimp, feta & linguine salad:

• 8 oz. basil flavored linguine, cooked per package directions
• 1/2 pound cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp
• one 4-ounce package tomato-and-basil flavored feta cheese
• 2 large plum tomatoes, chopped and seeded
• 2 Cubanelle peppers, chopped and seeded
• 2 or 3 teaspoons minced red onion
• juice of one small lemon

Combine cooked pasta, shrimp, cheese and veggies, then liberally squeeze on lemon juice. Using the lemon juice first really gives the salad great flavor before you add the dressing.
Then, whisk together the vinaigrette:

• 6 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
• 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh minced oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon fresh minced basil, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pour vinaigrette over the linguine salad ingredients, tossing gently and thoroughly to combine.
This does taste even better the next day!
Makes about 4 servings.

my big fat Greek salad dressing

Fresh-Picked From Our Garden!

Isn't that a gorgeous plate of spring garden greens?

These fresh, delicious lettuces and spinach were picked just minutes before this photo was taken and are ready to be turned into a fabulous salad.

One of my favorite dressings is what I call "My Big Fat Greek Salad Dressing." I prefer vinaigrette style dressings made with good olive oil and lots of herbs, and this one is absolutely perfect. It's wonderful on a big traditional Greek style salad bursting with briny olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, onions, peppers and cucumbers, but it also makes a delicious marinade for just about any grilled veggies (terrific on eggplant or summer squash) or meats. Try it as a dressing for your next new potato salad as well.

Note: Be sure to look carefully at your apple cider vinegar label to be sure that it's real.

Some brands are actually "apple cider-flavored" white vinegar.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup good-quality olive oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and halved
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (like Colman's)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk ingredients together; for best flavor allow to sit overnight if possible.

If using dried herbs, add them right away. If using fresh herbs, you will have better results by adding them to the dressing just before serving.

new for Easter... pineapple and carrot relish

A new, healthy and delicious

holiday classic.

Yes, there are always tried-and-true holiday favorites, but as someone who loves to cook and try recipes, it's always fun to inject some new life into an old menu.

This nifty little recipe came from one of those cool free recipe cards at the supermarket. Originally intended to be a salad; but after tasting, I think it is best served on the side as a relish. Try it, and be the judge for yourself.

I used safflower oil in place of the original canola oil, but use what you like as long as it is light and not overpowering. Also, I used white balsamic vinegar for the white wine vinegar (basically the same thing but with a slightly different flavor that I prefer in this dish). And, I used curry powder since I absolutely adore it and I have the tastiest Madras curry powder purchased from an Asian grocery. Frankly, I'm not sure what the interchangeable-ness (a word?) is between chipotle chili powder and curry powder; I'm sure it's just a matter of preference.

Try this beautiful, fresh and easy salad (relish) for Easter; I think you'll like the way it complements your old favorites!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 2 cups shredded raw carrots
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon canola (or safflower) oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large serving bowl combine pineapple and carrots.
In a small bowl stir together marmalade, oil, vinegar, chipotle or curry powder, salt and pepper. Pour over pineapple-carrot mixture; toss to combine. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Serves 4 as a salad.

sunday dinner redux - love on a plate with a twist 2 - labor day edition

Chet Atkins' Coleslaw
Planning on grilling this weekend for the big "end-of-summer" Labor Day cookout? What could be a more perfect side dish than cool, crisp coleslaw?
This is reportedly the coleslaw recipe of the guitar great Chet Atkins, published in the awesome "Dinah Shore Cookbook" (yes.. Dinah Shore) which I scored in my favorite resale/consignment shop. It is one of my all-time favorites; a vinegar-and-oil-based recipe with just the right touch of sweetness. The original recipe does not include onion, but I do like a bit of onion added to the slaw. I also use real apple cider vinegar in place of the recipe's original white vinegar; it's probably just me but I equate white vinegar with pickle-making and house-cleaning. Heh.

For best results, let this blend for about an hour before serving with your masterpiece of the grill.

7 to 8 cups shredded cabbage (or a 14 oz. bag of pre-packaged coleslaw mix)
1/2 cup shredded carrots (if not using the coleslaw mix
1 tablespoon finely minced onion (more if you like)

For the Dressing:
Scant 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I've used light olive oil with good results as well)
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sugar (I added the extra teaspoon of sugar because the apple cider vinegar is quite piquant!)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (like Coleman's)
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, more or less to your taste (I like Tabasco's green sauce made with jalapenos)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Thoroughly whisk together the dressing ingredients (the dry mustard will want to clump a bit; just keep whisking it until dissolved). Add dressing to the cabbage, carrots and onions; refrigerate for around an hour before serving.

Serves 4 to 6, depending on how much you like coleslaw!