Salad Sensations

As the mercury rises to it’s August peak, appetites seek lighter fare that doesn’t require firing up the oven or wiling away hours on a sunny day laboring over a five-course repast.  The one-pot meals of fall and winter are cast aside in favor of one-bowl meals, salad bowl, that is.  Main dish salads inspire creation as we select unique ingredient combinations and whisk together that amazing dressing.  Salads are also easily portable for contributing to group picnics and backyard grilling events.

Salads are incredibly versatile.  They may be served as an opener to the meal, the most popular choice of presentation all year long.  They can stand in as a side dish to accompany a main entrée; this is especially welcome in the hot summer months when a crisp, cool salad pairs perfectly with grilled chicken or fish.  Salads are an excellent option for sensational, summertime entrée, little else needed in the way of accompaniment besides some bread from the bakery and a refreshing libation.  Also coveted during the summer months when a variety of fruits are abundant is the colorful fruit salad. 

The variation does not stop at course alternatives.  When it comes to versatility of ingredients, the options are boundless.  Originally, a salad was the composition of raw vegetables drizzled with a dressing that typically consisted of oil and an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar.  Today’s salads have welcomed every combination of ingredients into the bowl.  They do not discriminate. The more in the bowl, the merrier.  Chilled, cooked vegetables have joined the ranks.  Croutons, nuts, wasabi peas and sunflower seeds provide crunch.  Berries and sliced peaches or oranges provide a pop of color and sweetness.  Cheeses such as goat cheese, feta, blue cheeses, Parmesan, fresh mozzarella or shredded cheddar-jack add yet another layer of flavor and protein in addition to the incorporation of chicken, beef, seafood, beans or eggs.  For healthy oils, toss a sliced avocado into your southwestern salad or some olives into your Italian dish.  Bottom line, if it’s in your pantry, it will work in your salad.  There are no rules whatsoever when it comes to putting a salad together.

When it comes to main dish salads, the key is to incorporate an entire meal into the bowl: a protein source, a carb and plenty of vegetables.  If you can sneak a complimenting fruit into the combination, even better.  The salad should also seek to satisfy as many facets of dining pleasure, from varying textures to multiple taste sensations.  Ladies, if your guy has proclaimed ‘Men don’t eat salads for dinner!’ that’s because those particular men haven’t been served a salad that met all of the aforementioned criteria.  If I were served a plate of leafy greens with a dressing and the server declared that as dinner, my reaction would be less than enthusiastic.  The rabbit may accept that graciously, if you have one; it is not a complete and balanced meal for a human being, man or woman.

So what would constitute a complete and balanced meal in a salad bowl?  A combination of rotini pasta, celery, red onion and cooked shrimp, crab or lobster tossed in a Louis-style dressing (basically a cocktail sauce-flavored mayonnaise), served on a bed of red leaf lettuce and rimmed by cherry tomatoes would fit the bill.   A palette of cubed chicken, strawberries, mesclun greens, blue cheese, cashews and cucumber would also fit the bill when accompanied by some whole wheat dinner roles.  Try cooked chicken tossed with mesclun greens, sliced peaches, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese and pecans, served with a crusty bread from the bakery.

Salads can be artfully arranged on platters.  One example of this would be the French Nicoise salad, which typically includes grilled tuna, hard boiled eggs, leafy greens, tomatoes, green beans, Nicoise olives and potatoes, drizzled with a light vinaigrette.  For a southwestern option, arrange grilled chicken over leafy greens and surround with mounds of black beans tossed with olive oil and cumin, corn mixed with colorful bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and slices of avocado, and drizzle some salsa over the chicken.

If you’re looking to go meatless, try this southwestern combination: green chilies, diced jicama, tomatoes, wagon wheel pasta, pinto beans, cubed cheddar and Monterey jack, avocados and a creamy salsa dressing.  An Italian choice would be cheese-filled small ravioli tossed with wilted spinach, pecorino Romano cheese and a creamy pesto dressing.  Add a touch of Capri to that combination with some cherry tomatoes and little balls of fresh mozzarella, if you want a little more oomph.

A heartier side dish salad is the perfect accompaniment with a grilled salmon filet or a steak.  Try an Italian panzanella, which is tossed homemade croutons (traditionally made by Italian peasants to use up the previous day’s bread) with tomatoes, colorful bell peppers, olives, cucumber, basil, red onion and olive oil vinaigrette.  A southwestern side salad would consist of avocados, red and yellow bell peppers, red onion, black beans and grape tomatoes tossed with a lime vinaigrette.  Amp up potato salads by adding more ingredients to the mix, such as nuts, green beans or blue cheese.  Turn a macaroni salad into a main dish sensation with the inclusion of cubed ham, cheddar, peas and halved grape tomatoes.

Now that you have read about way too many dinner possibilities to ponder and your keyboard or mobile device becomes a flood zone as you salivate, I leave you with a couple of actual recipes for main dish salads that embrace the season’s shellfish.

Lobster Potato Salad Aioli

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 large garlic cloves, pressed

½ tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound lobster meat, cut into chunks

1 ½ pounds red new potatoes, quartered, boiled until tender, drained, cooled

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced

1 cup fresh sugar snap peas, strings removed

4 celery ribs, sliced crosswise into ½ inch slices

1 bunch scallions, sliced crosswise into ¼ inch slices (green part only)

For the aioli dressing, whisk first six ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Toss remaining ingredients together in a large serving bowl.  Add the dressing and toss again to coat evenly.  Serves 2-3.

Asian Shrimp and Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon chili-garlic sauce

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons peanut oil

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled, tailed removed, boiled until pink, drained,        

4 ounces spaghetti, boiled until tender, drained, cooled

½ cup carrots, julienned

1 cup cucumber, diced

½ cup snow peas, strings removed

½ cup red bell pepper, julienned

1 cup bean sprouts

3 scallions, sliced crosswise into ¼ inch slices

For the dressing, whisk first six ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

In a large serving bowl, toss the remaining ingredients in combined.  Whisk the dressing again and add to the salad, toss well to coat.  Serves 2.

No, it’s not deja-vu.  The instructions for these recipes are indeed just about identical, even though the ingredients vary.  Salads are just that easy.  Best of all, many of them can be made ahead since they’re consumed chilled.  Note, however, that when making pasta salads, as the Asian one above, keep the dressing separate from the salad until serving time if you plan to make the salad ahead.  Pasta has a nasty habit of consuming all dressings and sauces as it sits.

Food for Thought

Tomatoes are at their peak this month, as will be evidenced when you cut into one just purchased from your local farm stand or farmers market.  Unlike the anemic supermarket versions that lack flavor altogether, fresh tomatoes are stunning when you cut one in half, crimson through and through.  The flavor is amazing and addicting.  Take advantage of these delights while the getting is good.  For the simplest side salad, cut a tomato into wedges, eighths works best.  Use one tomato per person.  Sprinkle the cut tomatoes with chopped fresh oregano, salt and pepper, then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and a high quality balsamic vinegar. 

For a perfect lunch, combine small balls of fresh mozzarella with whole grape or cherry tomatoes, go with a fifty-fifty ratio.  Add some chopped fresh basil, salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve over mixed salad greens.  Accompany with some crusty Italian bread and a glass of pinot grigio, lunch couldn’t be better.

This Month's Flavor: American Grill

It is grilling time once again, with July and August being the peak months for outdoor cooking activity.   Granted, I know at least a couple of die hard individuals out there who insist on standing at a grill just outside a gaping garage door during bone-chilling January just to satiate their cravings for grilled meats sporting braised grids and dripping with sweet and spicy sauce.  In my household, the grill typically gets shrouded and relegated into the shed for the winter months, the last cookout occurring sometime in late October.  By that time, huddling around the warmth of the flames or sipping a glass of merlot around the fire pit while Brian grills is usually requisite.  Whether enjoyed in the crisp and colorful months of autumn or during the hazy days of summer, everyone loves a cookout.  It is the nationwide quintessential American pastime that symbolizes summertime.  In recent years, the fine culinary art of the grill has become more popularized than ever by grilling gurus that include Steve Raichlen and Bobby Flay.

First established in the southeastern United States, four key areas rival for the honor of boasting the best barbecue: Texas, Memphis, Kansas City and North Carolina.  Original barbecue technique called for slow roasting pork over a wood platform for several hours.  The result was tender meat laced with the flavors of wood smoke.  This was barbecue.  Not to be confused with grilling.  Grilling is what most of us outdoor cooks perform.  Grilling basically means cooking food more expediently over a hot grill, and the traditional barbecue flavors are imparted through additives such as aromatic wood chips, cedar planks and flavorful ingredients for seasoning.  Do not, under any circumstances, confuse the two terms.  Those who participate in serious team competitions to strive for the best true barbecue don’t like it!  Food editors won’t like it either.  Many casual cooks tend to use them interchangeably.  If a diehard Texas barbecue chef gets wind of such an uttered grievance, the punishment will be swift banishment to a cell where you will be served exclusively bread and water.  The bread will not be grilled Texas toast, either.

The aromatic tale of hickory smoke, spices and tangy sauce entices and beckons, a mouthwatering invitation for outdoor gathering.  Cooking, dining and socializing outdoors is as casual and relaxing as entertaining can get.  A backyard cookout with a select group of close friends and family is a regular occurrence in most households.  Larger affairs with longer guest lists take to the local parks and beaches.  Either option offers the perfect atmosphere for social scene cookery.  The head chef who swelters at the grill gets a helping hand from a whole crew of sous chefs.  While he or she craftily wields the tongs to turn the ribs, others are relegated to contributing salads, sides, appetizers and desserts.  There is often a designated bar tender who has been drafted into duty as well.  The proper carriage while attending these functions is as follows: mingle and socialize with a drink in one hand; the other hand must remain free to lend assistance in cooking and, of course, nibbling.

All grilling involves flaming action.  However, the most heated topic of debate among grill masters involves how the fire gets started.  Purists like my husband swear by charcoal, insisting that this is the traditional method of grilling and that gas grilling does not impart the same blackened, authentic grilled appeal to the food.  Gas grill enthusiasts tout the instant gratification factor of simply pressing a button and the grill is ready to go.  Perhaps gas grillers are more ravenous and to wait the extra fifteen minutes could purge them into the throes of starvation.  Guess it hasn’t yet occurred to them that you do get to eat while the grill heats up too!  Brian and I always enjoy a homemade dip or a cheese platter or some other appetizer with a cool cocktail while waiting for the coals to glow.

The next topic of debate among barbecue chefs and grill masters alike surrounds the formula for perfect barbecue sauce, and it is a formula that might leave some chemists stumped.  First there is the decision of whether or not to create a tomato-based sauce, a mustard-based sauce, or an Asian glaze.  Then the actual ingredients for each come into the arena.  Even a mustard sauce spurns further discussion: do we want painfully hot mustard sauce or milder variation with sweet nuances of honey?   When it comes to traditional barbecue sauces, sweeteners can mean brown sugar, molasses, honey, maple syrup or the incorporation of fruit, as in peach preserves, blackberry jam or grape jelly.  Even beverages sometimes get poured into the mixing pot, including any of the following: beer, tequila, whiskey or bourbon and even coffee.

When barbecue originated, pork was primary meat used.  Southern traditions like barbecued ribs, pulled pork and pork chops all graced the menu.  Beef followed, hitting the grill in the form of hot dogs, burgers, steaks and brisket.  Today, no meat is excluded from the searing grill top.  Chicken, duck, fish and seafood all get their chance to shine.  Grilled vegetables are a healthy side dish alternative, from eggplant rounds to skewered cherry tomatoes to slices of zucchini.  Even fruits have earned a supporting role on the grill, from grilled peaches to garnish a pork chop to grilled pineapple served with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Just as within our kitchens, international flavors have been embraced in our outdoor cooking projects as we welcome the spices and marinades from every continent.  Moroccan spice rubs, Mexican salsas and Asian marinades have all transformed our grilled meats into flavorful entrees. 

The abundance of corn, which grew ideally in the humid southern climate, gave rise to corn bread as the favored accompaniment in the originating barbecue setting.   Today, the traditional outdoor cooking side dish of grilled corn on the cob, slathered with butter, remains a perpetual favorite.  Spiced butters can be mixed to lend the corn an added facet of flavor, tailored to echo the ethnic flavors of the entrée.  Try butter with finely grated lime zest and chili powder for a southwestern flare.

Potato salad, Cole slaw and macaroni salads are traditional outdoor menu standards.  While a basic potato salad containing hard boiled eggs, celery and onion is an old fashioned charm that promises to be satisfying and delicious, potato salads have evolved to include an infinite array of ingredients, from blue potatoes to blue cheese, bacon, nuts, green beans, etc.  For one example, try my recipe for this variation, a Smokey Potato Salad with Blue Cheese and Pecans

Cole slaw has been reinvented from the ubiquitous cabbage and carrot mixture to include a host of other ingredients as well.  One of my favorite side dishes for an Asian seasoned grilled meat entrée is an Asian slaw, made with long shreds of broccoli stems and carrots, plus bean sprouts, scallions, red pepper, an Asian sesame vinaigrette and a handful of peanuts, cashews or crunchy wasabi peas.  I have seen fall Cole slaws that contain shredded fennel and apples, plus walnuts and sometimes dried cranberries in addition to the cabbage and carrots.  The longer ingredient lists of most newer Cole slaw incarnations benefit from lighter, vinaigrette type dressings that won’t smother the flavorful salad.

Appetizers can be conjured on the grill.  Examples include bruschetta with prosciutto, peppers and mozzarella, grilled shrimp for plunging into cocktail sauce, and chicken satay served with the traditional Indonesian peanut sauce.

There have been some unexpected new surprises to come off the grill, one of them being pizza.  A couple of years ago I embarked on producing a pizza on the grill.  It was amazingly quick and so good.  Have a tray with all of the toppings ready grill side.  Toss the pizza crust dough on the grill, wait a minute, flip it.  Immediately and quickly arrange all of the toppings on the crust and close the lid of the grill.  The activity level during that thirty seconds of topping the pie is performed at a frenetic pace.  However, once your close the lid, wait one minute, open the lid and voila!  A perfect pizza ready to eat, dinner in THREE minutes!

Next time you fire up the grill, throw another shrimp on the barbie, grab yourself a good cold craft brew, and then whip up Brian’s simple barbecue sauce to paint over chicken, ribs or chops.  Serve that up hot with some grilled corn on the cob and that potato salad in the aforementioned link and you’ve got a winning barbecue dinner to feast off of.

                                       

Brian’s Smoke n Whiskey Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

2 12-ounce bottles chili sauce

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup white wine vinegar

2 6-ounce cans tomato paste

4 tablespoons Jack Daniels Whiskey

4 teaspoons liquid smoke

salt and pepper to taste

Hot Sauce to taste (we like it hot! Brian used about 6 tablespoons)

Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.  As soon as the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.  Makes 3 cups of barbecue sauce.

This sauce is so quick to make, very easy, no chopping involved.  It is the most basic sauce, containing the tomato factor (the chili sauce), the sweetener (brown sugar), the sour facet (the vinegar) and a thickener (tomato paste).  The flavor enhancements for this sauce come from the liquid smoke, whiskey and hot sauce.  This sauce is versatile, it will work on grilled ribs, chicken and pork chops.

Tools of the Trade

Just as a surgeon proudly picks up scalpels and hemostats and forceps from a surgical instrument tray in order to deftly carry out an operation, the devoted grill master welcomes the assist of a good set of barbecue tools.  There are entire sets available, packaged in tool cases of their own, or pieces can be purchased individually.  If you can splurge, it’s actually more beneficial to buy separate tools of better quality, piecing together your own set to suit your needs.  Stick to tools that are made exclusively from metal, they will be more durable in the elements of extreme heat and flame flare-ups.  The tools should be specifically designed for grill use; they will have extra long handles to keep a safer distance between your hands and the food that is being tended.  Basic necessities include a spatula, a meat fork, tongs and at least two brushes for sauces and seasoned oils – yes, there will be meals when you will need more than one.  Tongs should have teeth in the design in order to better grip the food that is being turned; otherwise your hovering and eager golden retriever will end up enjoying the rib that slipped off onto the ground (sorry, puppy, not good for you!).  When it comes to skewers, stick to flat variations so that the shrimp or cherry tomatoes don’t spin every time you go to flip the kebab.  Personally, I like those packages of long, disposable wooden skewers that can be found in most supermarkets in the seasonal section when grilling accessories are displayed.  You simply soak the skewers in a pan of water for the day, thread them with the food to be cooked, toss them away after dinner.  Soaking the skewers prevents creating an additional fire, and the non-slippery wood surface prevents the spinning foods that don’t end up cooking evenly.  If you like to sauté veggies or simmer sauces at the grill, a cast iron skillet and a small cast iron saucepan will also be valuable.