Lettuce Grill a Salad - Grilled Romaine in Caper Dressing

It is time, once again, to appeal to my Y chromosome and grill something. Especially since it has been so hot over the last week. The only problem with this thought process is that it's actually too hot to eat meat. It's just to heavy in this type of weather... So what do you grill instead of meat? You ask...

Salad... ;) That's right, I said Salad.

I have to shout out to another BakeSpace friend, Cweich - Cathy, for telling me about this. The original recipe can be found here at Epicurious.

Grilled Salad in Caper Dressing

1 1/2 TB Champagne Vinegar
1/2 tsp Grey Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Green Pepper
2 TB minced Shallots
1 TB Capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 TB Dijon mustard
optional -1/2 tsp Orange Blossom Honey
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise, core left intact
Shaved Manchego or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat barbecue (medium-high heat).
Mix vinegar and salt together to ensure it dissolves.

Add the next 6 ingredients in small processor

and blend until almost smooth.

Place romaine, cut side up.

Spray with romaine hearts with olive oil. (this is where I deviated from the recipe, you are suppose to toss the heads with 1/2 of the dressing)

Grill romaine until charred and slightly wilted on all sides, about 2 minutes.

Transfer 1 romaine spear to each of 4 plates.

Drizzle with dressing,

Sprinkle generously with shaved Manchego or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and serve.

Deliciously different and exciting..!! I will be making this many many more times this summer... Especially when I can actually use my grill. I'm sure you noticed that I was using a grill pan. It appears that I am the victim of yet another theft of my charcoal. That's 3 bags so far this year. grrrrrrr!! But, this salad is just as good in a grill pan.

Mangia!!
~~

To Russia With Love - Questing for Dressing

The apparent disappearance of "Russian Dressing" came to my attention whilst I was "Flexing my Reuben". Since then, I have been plagued by this thought. In fact, as a result I have been craving a quartered head of Iceberg lettuce that is slathered in the Russian Dressing of my youth. Which only proves my Culinary Insanity. Come on!! I don't even LIKE Iceberg lettuce!!

None the less, I have been haunted by dreams of the somewhat piquant and semi-creamy nature of the unattainable condiment. To the point of chasing a bottle of Seven Seas (that has legs no less) down a long hallway only to have it disappear around a corner. Leaving me all alone, with a talking head of Iceberg lettuce that is berating my for not being fast enough to catch a bottle of dressing. (sigh, I need help)

The plain and simple fact is, because I can't have it... I have been obsessing on the fact that I cannot have it. So, this evening, while I was waiting for my milk to curd up for the Mozzarella to "clean break". I decided to start perusing through my old-old-old cookbooks to see what I could find. Fannie Farmer Merrit from 1921, Mrs. Lincoln from 1989 (the pride and joy of my collection) and the 1953 version of The Joy of Cooking... They were all different. Not surprisingly, no two were the same on the net either.

Annoyed, I decided to take a scientific approach to the problem. I set all the cookbooks down, 1 in each corner of the living room. Then I returned to the center of the room. Using quantum probability can come in handy. I closed my eyes and spun... Once coming to a stop, while trying not to trip over the coffee table, I took a single step forward. The cookbook I was closest to would be the recipe I would use... Quantum Mechanics had spoken.

The original recipe called for Green pepper and Pimento to be finely chopped, this was not the case with the Russian dressing I remember so I pureed them instead. I also added Red Chili Paste and doubled the paprika.

Russian Dressing

Economical Cookery - Marion Harris Neil circa 1918.

2 Egg Yolks

1 tsp Mustard (I used Dijon)
2 TB Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Grey salt
1/4 tsp Paprika (mine is Smoked)
1 TB Green Bell Pepper; finely chopped (pureed)
1 Pimento pepper; finely chopped (pureed)
1/2 tsp Onion Juice
1 TB chili sauce (Tobasco, original)
1 cup Vegetable oil
My addition - 3 inches of Red pepper Paste and I doubled the Smoked Paprika

Please note that the wrong tube is in the photo, I grabbed my Tomato Paste instead of my Chili Paste.

OK, I remember my mom being able to buy onion juice when I was a kid, but I had to make my own... With a zester and a very uncooperative onion.

Puree the Paprika, Bell pepper, Pimento, Onion Juice, Chili Sauce and Red pepper Paste.

In a small bowl, beat egg yolks and mustard until pale.

While still whisking, add the lemon juice.

Begin adding the oil a little at a time, whisking constantly to create and emulsion.

When all the oil has been added and the mixture is really thick (Congratulations, by the way, You have made mayonnaise) add the Vegetable puree --

Whisk to combine.

Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.

Slice your head lettuce into eight wedges, place 2-4 wedges on a plate.

Apply chilled dressing and serve with a knife and a fork.

Still not what I was looking for... This was more like a Spicy French Dressing...
Incidentally, my Boston Cooking School cookbook form 1921 gave a "Russian" Salad Dressing that contained Ketchup and Sweet Pickle Relish with no chili powder or sauce. (Thousand Island anyone?)

My Search Continues.....

Stay Hungry~~

Ruby Red and Emerald Green

This sounded like an interesting salad to try, it was on my list of stuff, and I forgot to notate where I got the recipe from (I have a tendency to cut and past things into Word Document for later perusal).

Turns out that this is delicious with Moscato d'Asti. As strange as it may sound, the grapefruit brings the sweetness of the wine forward, but the ginger and cilantro spicy the sweetness up a bit. To top it off, it contains one of my favorite vegetables, that is cooked just the way I like it, bright green and crispy. This is a true "gem" of a salad.

Ruby and Emerald Salad

3 TB Toasted Sesame oil

1/4 cup Rice Vinegar

2 TB Cilantro; chopped

1 TB Key Lime Juice
1/2 tsp Lime zest or 1 thinly sliced makrut lime leaf lobe

1 1/4 tsp Fresh Ginger; minced

1 tsp Garlic; minced

1 TB Orange Blossom Honey

Salt & pepper to taste

1 lb Asparagus Spears; snap ends and cut to 2 inches

18 Ruby Red Grapefruit Segments (about 2 Grapefruits)

To prepare the Ginger Vinaigrette by combining the Rice Vinegar, Cilantro, Key Lime Juice, zest/Leaf, Ginger, Garlic, Honey in a bowl and whisking until combined.

Begin drizzling in the Sesame oil while continuing to whisk until an emulsion is formed.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste and set aside.

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a medium stock pot.

Meanwhile, peel and section a red grapefruit, place in a medium sized serving bowl.

Once the water is boiling, add salt and drop asparagus.

Cook 3 minutes (until bright green)

Remove asparagus with skimmer and plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking.

Pat asparagus dry and add to the bowl with the grapefruit and drizzle with Ginger vinaigrette .

Toss to coat.

Delicious!!

Mangia!!
~~

Salad of Champions

I am definitely an omnivore, I love meat. But I do have to admit that when the mercury begins to rise, I tend to eat a lot more cold foods. Yes, I am talking about what a lot of people refer to as "Rabbit Fodder". But this salad is sure to make even a hard core carnivore a happy camper. I sometimes jokingly refer to this as "MAN salad". Yes, it has that green stuff (arugula) but it's at least partially covered by grilled meat, cheese and nuts, so it can't be all bad. I THINK I originally found this recipe on the George Foreman grill site... However, like usual, I have taken a few liberties over time.

Maple Balsamic Grilled Pork Tenderloin Salad

3 TB Grade B Maple Syrup (Grade B has more flavor than Grade A Dark Amber)
1 1/2 TB Balsamic Vinegar (You can use the 2 leaf salad type)
1 1/2 TB Extra Virgin Olive oil1 1/2 TB very finely minced shallot
1 clove of garlic, crushed1 tsp Marjoram
1/2 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Oregano1/4 tsp Thyme
1/4 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Orange or Lemon Zest
1/2 Tsp Kosher salt
1/2 Tsp freshly ground Green or Black Peppercorns
1 Package of pork tenderloin (they are usually about 1 1/2 - 2 lbs and contain 2 tenderloins)Arugula
3 oz Gorgonzola Cheese3 oz Toasted Pine nuts

Add maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, oil, minced shallot, herbs, spice, zest, salt, and pepper in a zip lock freezer bag, seal it & shake the heck out of it until mixed.

Trim the silver skin and visible fat from tenderloin using sharp thin blade or boning knife. (That is the membrane that I am pulling aways from the meat)

Slice into 1/3 - 1/2-inch slices. (It is very important that all the slices be the same thickness).
Toss the pork slices in the maple balsamic marinade and let stand for 20 minutes.

While the pork marinates, preheat your Grill pan on medium high heat.

I you have an infrared thermometer, you're looking for about 400°.
When the grill is hot, remove pork slices from the marinade and arrange on the grill, turn after 3 1/2 - 4 minutes and grill for 3 more minutes.
If working in batches, make sure to foil tent your cooked slices, as this is best served warm.

Serve on a bed of Arugula or Mixed Baby greens sprinkled with a small amount of Crumbled Gorgonzola and toasted Pine nuts.

Mangia!!
~~

Finocchio (fennel) Redeux

Fennel Fascination continued.........
Summer heat combined with the fact that my apartment is on the second floor causes the ambient temperature of my abode to rise rather quickly when the "fire god of the kitchen", AKA: my gas range, is engaged in transforming raw food with the power of flame. Thus, during the summer months I tend to be more of an uncooked food eater. This puts salads at the top of the list of consumables. I was lucky enough, when I picked up my fennel bulb, to find some Belgian endive (on-deeve) as well. So I decided to stuff it with a chopped mixture, and while it makes a hearty salad for one, it also makes a great appetizer for many.

Enter the participants.

1 small Garlic Clove
1/2 tsp Sel Gris
1/2 TB Crème Fraîche
1 TB Lemon Juice
1 TB Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano; diced (About 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup Fennel bulb; finely diced
1/2 cup Pecans; lightly toasted and chopped
2 TB Flat Leaf Parsley; finely chopped
1 Belgian Endive; leaves separated

Toast pecans until fragrant. I usually do this in a pan on the stove, as it just seems easier to shake a pan on the stove over low heat than to heat up the oven to 350 and have to keep opening it to smell them. Set aside to cool slightly before chopping.

Place the salt and garlic clove in a mortar and grind into a paste with the pestle.
Add garlic paste, olive oil, lemon juice, and Crème Fraîche to a small bowl and whisk until well combined.

Dice Fennel and add to the dressing; toss to coat.

Dice Parmigiano-Reggiano and Parsley and add to the bowl; toss again.

Separate Endive leaves, then add the pecans to the salad and toss to combine.
Stuff about 1 1/2 TB into each leaf and place on a plate.
Serve as an appetizer or do what I do and grab a glass of chilled Frascati, a light white composed of malvasia and trebbiano grapes, and dig in.

Mangia!!
~~

Finocchio (Fennel) and Apple Salad

Fennel; Guilt By AssociationThis extremely misunderstood vegetable really gets a bad rap due to its seeds. People, who dislike the strong anise/licorice taste of fennel seed, often assume that the actual bulb tastes the same. This is not true; for fennel, as a vegetable, has only a very slight hit of the anise flavor of the seeds and a gentle sweetness as well as an appealing texture when either raw or braised. This delightful vegetable bulb is quite popular in Italy, after all, the edible cultivar of wild fennel, which is grown for the seeds and pollen, is more appropriately known as Florence fennel or Finocchio.
Fennel is delicious raw when tossed with extra virgin olive oil and citrus, however it does not blend well with vinegar, so ensure your vinaigrette is a citrus based one. Fennel also pairs well with Parmagiano-Reggiano as well as true Italian Fontina and walnuts. In addition, it also makes a great garnish for Prosciutto wrapped Pork loin when tossed with Orange and Cardamom.
Braised in a little white wine and chicken or vegetable stock, fennel, combined with grilled leeks, can play a superb accompaniment to your main dish, especially those with hints of citrus such as Duck a l'Orange or Chicken Piccata or Game hen with a browned butter and Meyer Lemon sauce.

This is my favorite late summer salad. Sweet thinly sliced fennel mixes well with the tartness of Granny Smith apple and a light tarragon/citrus vinaigrette. When garnished with a few pink peppercorns and some of the feathery fronds, this is quite appetizing dish.

Let me introduce to you the players in this medley of mandible-watering magnificence:

1 TB plus 2 tsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
2 tsp Tarragon; Chopped
2 TB Extra Virgin Olive oil
2 TB Orange infused Olive oil; you can substitute more Extra Virgin Olive oil or Macadamia nut oil plus 1/2 tsp fine orange zest
Salt and fresh ground Green Pepper to taste
12 oz Granny Smith apple after peeling, coring and thinly slicing
12 oz Fennel bulb after removing fronds and slicing extremely thin.
(optional) 1/2 tsp Pink Peppercorns (Which are not really Peppercorns, but that's another post)

Whisk the lemon juice, tarragon, olive oils and, if using, the orange zest together in a medium bowl until emulsified.
Add salt and green pepper to taste.

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples and immediately add them to the vinaigrette to toss - the lemon juice will keep the apples from turning brown.

Remove fronds from the fennel bulb, also remove any of the root that may still be attached (Reserve fronds for plate decor)
Slice fennel extremely thin and add to the bowl with the apples.

Toss to coat.
Add more salt and Green pepper to taste
Divide salad between 4 plates.

Top with reserved fennel fronds and sprinkle with pink peppercorns.

Mangia!!!