Archive for ‘Salads’

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April 24, 2011

Steak & Lentil Salad

My barbeque has been sitting downstairs for eons now, all brand new, stainless steel, a lovely beast it is, grazing on my basement floor, in pieces, waiting for some love. 

So I have to turn to my trusty stove and oven to make a good steak, which is good, but not as good a charbroiled steak from a barbeque grill.  Calgary is known for their beef.  I know my beef.  There are steakhouses here that I skip in favour of the old boy’s club downtown that still grills steak in a glass enclosed barbeque showcase.  You just can’t beat the flavour.

At home though, I’m not that snobby.

Or, I try not to be. Or, more like, I can’t be.  At home, I have to make do with what I have and do well with it, hence my trusty stove and oven.  There’s a simple method to making a good steak at home without a grill or barbeque and that is a pan-fried steak.  You can choose to finish it off in the oven but I, like Chris tells me, like my cow still moving, somewhat.  The oven isn’t always needed.  Today’s entry is about a New York strip, seared over a hot pan accompanied with some nice bark, which is cause for you take a few bites of the strip of fat that usually gets discarded.

NOTE:  Murphy’s Law took over in the photography and for some reason, all but one photo turned out crisp and clear.  I solidly promise though that the one picture that survived is going to at least make you imagine. J

Steak & Lentil Salad
Yields 2 servings (extra for the lentil salad)

Steak
2 New York Strip steaks, 5 – 6 oz
2 cups of rapini, washed, trimmed and cut in half cross wise
Salt
Pepper
Sunflower oil

Lentil Salad (Adapted from this original recipe)
2 cups of cooked lentils (or canned)
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp of mint, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
½ cup of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4 green onions, finely sliced
1 cup of light feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
Salt
Pepper

Pat steaks dry with paper towel.  Rub salt and pepper on both sides of the steak.  Set aside on a plate at room temperature.

In the meantime, make the lentil salad by whisking the oil and vinegar in a large bowl.  Season the dressing with salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust.  Add all ingredients except for the cheese.  Toss to coat.  Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper as needed (careful not to over salt the salad since the feta will be salty).  Set the salad aside to marinate at room temperature.

Heat a skillet over high heat.  Brush the steaks with sunflower oil on one side.  Once the skillet is hot sear the oiled side for 2 minutes.  While searing, brush the top side with oil as well.   After 2 minutes pass, flip the steaks to sear the other side for 2 minutes.  When finished, use a pair of tongs to sear the side fat until crispy (use the tongs to hold up the steaks one at a time).  Set the steaks on a cooling rack to rest.

NOTE:  If you want a medium to well done steak cook both sides for additional 2 – 3 minutes. 

Using the same pan, add a tablespoon of sunflower oil and sauté the rapini over high heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken broth and simmer until the broth is completely absorbed by the rapini.  Saute the rapini until they are bright green and tender.  Remove the pan from the heat.

Plate half a cup of lentil salad sprinkled with 1 – 2 tablespoons of feta.  Place the warm steak on top of the salad and top with half of the rapini.

Posted in Beef, Dinner, Entrees, Salads, Side Dishes | 2 Comments »

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March 27, 2011

West Coast Salad

Sometimes an item on a restaurant’s menu can suddenly disappear because somehow, not enough people order that dish.  I can see why though because sometimes the ingredients just sound odd together… blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and feta?   In a salad?  With a citrus vinaigrette?  And shrimp?  The first inkling would be, ew, what a weird combination.

Oh, but it was so delicious, this salad that I had at Earls last summer.  Sadly, they removed it and it is not to be.

That won’t stop me though.  I made my own version of it and I just love the savoury, briny, shrimpy and peppery citrus taste.  In the spirit of March, and given that it’s still snowing where I live, here’s to Spring, a rare occasion, and to trying something new and adapting to new fresh and healthy flavours.

West Coast Salad
Yields 2 servings (or 4 small servings)

20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cups of mixed baby greens
½ cup of walnuts
½ cup of light feta, crumbled
¼ cup of blueberries, washed
¼ cup of raspberries, washed
¼ cup of strawberries, trimmed and sliced (optional)
1 tbsp sunflower oil (or any light cooking oil)

Grapefruit Vinaigrette
2 tbsp fresh grapefruit juice
1 tsp grapefruit zest
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until emulsified.  Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired.  Careful with adding salt since the feta will be salty as well.  Set aside.

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towel.  Heat a non-stick skillet with the sunflower
oil until the oil just starts to smoke.  Add the shrimp to the pan and spread them out without overcrowding.  Sprinkly salt and pepper over the shrimp and sear them until lightly browned on both sides.  Transfer the shrimp to a bowl to let cool.

Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.  Heat the pan until hot.  Break up the walnuts into halves and add them to the pan.  Toast the walnuts until they start to brown.  Pour the walnuts into the vinaigrette.

Add the shrimp, greens, fruit and feta to the bowl.  Toss when ready to serve.

In my version I cheated and used a grapefruit infused olive oil instead of the homemade grapefruit vinaigrette.  Both methods yield a very tasty and robust salad that is both light and pleasing in all ways sweet and salty.   I learned a lot though through this one lovely salad and that while trying to stay healthy and in tip top shape, don’t knock new flavours that don’t seem all that normal at first.  For me, flavour has become an obsession after embarking on my lifestyle change.  This was a favourite for me while I was leaning up for the summer last year for my beach vacation.  I hope you enjoy it!

Posted in Appetizers, Dinner, Entrees, Fish, Fruit, Lunch, Salads | 2 Comments »

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July 2, 2010

Shrimp & Potato Salad with Roasted Corn

 

Hello Shrimp
Summer Dinner
Plating Salad

Mixing it Up
Roasted Corn

Today is a much deserved day off for me considering the long work week and that today is Canada Day.  To celebrate such a wonderful day, I slept in until late morning, woke up and lounged around while I had breakfast, watched a marathon of Bobby Flay shows, took my dose of Tony Horton, gardened and then cooked up some good summer food.

Tough life eh?

Too bad Chris had to work though.  The man works almost every holiday there is. That is the life of retail, which, in my opinion, is somewhat backwards despite how much I like to shop on weekends and holidays myself. Nevertheless, if I were told one day that shops would be closed every Sunday and statutory holiday, I would rejoice. It would mean a better lifestyle, don’t you think?  Perhaps the pretty summer days we’re having are making me delirious. The occasional thought of exiting this rat race is healthy though.  It’s an exercise that should be practiced to return to the centre of life… or if you’re like me, watching a slew of cooking shows is good enough therapy.

During my “therapy” a recipe screamed out at me. It was a lobster potato salad that Bobby was making on his show.  The thing that appealed most to me was the cilantro in the recipe. You don’t understand, I LOVE CILANTRO.  “You like cilantro in everything.” Chris said as he munched away at dinner.  Indeed, I do.

Shrimp & Potato Salad with Roasted Corn
Yields 4 servings.

5 – 6 cups small potatoes, halved
1 lb of shrimp, deveined, shell on
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
5 cups frozen corn
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp light cooking oil

Preheat the oven at 430 F.  Toss the potatoes in a roasting pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 50 minutes or until crispy and brown on the outside.  Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Spread the corn on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at the same temperature for 20 minutes until slightly browned.  Remove from heat and transfer to another bowl.

Arrange the shrimp on a baking sheet. Season with salt and roast in the oven at the same temperature for 10 – 15 minutes until done.  Watch the shrimp closely nearing 10 minutes to make sure you do not overcook them.  Remove them from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Peel the shrimp and transfer to the same bowl containing the potatoes.

Heat the light cooking oil in a skillet over high heat. Sautee the onions and garlic until they are soft and slight brown. Toss with the roasted corn and season with salt.

Whisk the remaining olive oil with the Dijon, whole grain mustard and white vinegar in a bowl.  Toss with the warm potatoes, shrimp and cilantro until coated.  Serve with the roasted corn.

There was one thing I missed in my recipe that I think I will have to try next time and that is honey.  Bobby’s recipe uses a bit of honey to round out the dressing for the potato salad where in mine, I missed this altogether while I jotted down the ingredients quickly during the show. Still, the salad turned out great and for once, Chris and I went back for seconds even though seconds isn’t common for us anymore. 

After dinner, while Chris went off to the first Stamps game of the season, I continued to celebrate my Canada Day at home with a glass of wine out on the warm deck and a good book.  The evening passed and The Stamps won 30 – 16 tonight. It’s been a great Canada Day.

Posted in Dinner, Fish, Salads | Leave a Comment »

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June 18, 2010

Celery Salad

Celery Salad
Celery Salad - Close up.
Done Eating My Salad


Oh, what to do with a boring vegetable like celery? Celery sticks and peanut butter? Celery sticks with cream cheese? Boring. There must be more excitement to celery given how cheap it is and the many stalks you get in one bunch.

Until I recently discovered the joys of making mirepoix as a base for my vegetable soups or just as a nice side or topping to a dish, celery always sat in my fridge, at the back, uneaten, ignored and wilting.  One might why I keep buying it and the answer to that is that I eat it raw to keep my girlish figure. Yes, ladies, you want a fat burning food? Celery is your vegetable.  Its health benefits are largely due to the amount of fibre it has.  Besides, you can always tell you’re eating a healthy vegetable when it inadvertently becomes the floss in your teeth no less.

But eating celery sticks so… blah.  What do you do with it then??

So I googled for “celery salad”.

To my surprise, there were a couple of amazing recipes that stood out! One recipe in particular was from Food & Wine that I found particularly appealing to my favourite section of the palette, savoury food.  I’ve never read any of the Food & Wine magazines but if it’s anything like Bon Appetit then I’m all ears. Nothing is more tantalizing than finding a recipe that could appear to be something you get in a restaurant but it’s easy as pie.

On my first crack at it I only used what I had in the pantry so I substituted other ingredients into the salad. It turned out so great every time that I decided to stick with my version instead of making the original.

I have to tell you, I have made this salad about 4 times now.  The taste of it is just heaven with the salty, creamy texture of cheese coupled with the sweet and nutty flavours of the dates and walnuts. All of the enhanced the taste of the celery even more so and made that taste even nuttier!  I’m telling you, make a HUGE bin of it to store in the fridge for the week. It only lasts that long too, by the way, or less if you have a husband like mine who actually likes his greens.  The longer you leave the salad to marinate, the better it gets because of the sweet dried dates slowly releasing their sugars into the salad as they soften over time. Oh, my need for celery has become a love for celery and frankly, I am in love and my joy is renewed for eating this vegetable.

Celery Salad
Yields 6 – 8 servings.

1 ¼ cup of walnuts, or almonds, or half of each
½ red onion, sliced thinly
2 tbsp of red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 cups of celery, thinly sliced on the bias, including the leaves
¾ cup of dried pitted dates, sliced on the bias
¾ cup of parmigiano reggiano or pecorino cheese, thinly shaved with a knife
Salt
Pepper

Toast the walnuts in a skillet over high heat until brown and fragrant.  Set aside and let cool.

In large bowl, whisk the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.  Taste the dressing to make sure it is seasoned well.  Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Add the onions, celery and dates to the bowl. Gently toss until coated. Taste and add more salt if needed. Toss the cheese into the salad and serve.

Since parmigiano reggiano and pecorino are such hard, robust cheeses they will stand up in the mix without the fear of disintegrating into some grainy, mushy mess in the salad.  You can be confident that the salad will look and taste just as good now and later.

Posted in Eat Cheap, Lunch, Salads, Side Dishes | Leave a Comment »

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