San Francisco Deli Salad

Years ago we were in downtown San Francisco with the girls.  It was lunchtime and we stopped in at a little little take-out deli (wish I could remember the name).  One bite of this salad and we were all in love.  The flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, tuna, pasta and capers all covered in tangy balsamic dressing were a winner. Poor Erin, she shared most of her lunch.  We all wished we had picked her salad.  As soon as we got home, I recreated it.  

It's not the most beautiful salad I've ever made but it's one of the most flavorful.  With just 5 or 6 ingredients it might be the simplest but don't let the easy preparation and number of ingredients fool you.  It's so good you'll want to make it again and again (we do).

It easily packs in a lunch bag or box and it only gets better after a day in the refrigerator.  Best of all, you probably have all of the ingredients already in your pantry and fridge.

I give you the San Francisco Deli Salad...by way of City Home/Country Home.  One of the best things we ever brought home from a vacation.

San Francisco Financial District Deli Salad

            Inspired by a take-out salad eaten while on vacation

1 pound of pasta, like rottini or penne

½ cup of  capers , drained, rinsed, and chopped

½ cup of  black olives, chopped (optional)

1 can of water packed albacore tuna, drained

¾ cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (if using oil marinated tomatoes, drain well)

1 recipe (or bottle) of balsamic vinegar salad dressing

Cook pasta and drain.  Toss the pasta in a salad bowl with the next four ingredients.  Pour dressing over the salad and toss to coat.  Use as much dressing as you need to flavor the pasta.  Let it marinate for several hours or overnight before serving.

Serve cold.

Colorful Coleslaw

Spring is starting to creep in here.  Just a day ago it was sunny, not warm mind you,but sunny.  My dinner ideas start to turn to fresh and light after the heavy comfort foods of winter.

I have to insert a disclaimer about now.  I AM NOT A FAN OF COLESLAW...except this recipe.  I really hate the mayonnaise based ones and let's not even talk about how dangerous mayonnaise based salads are if left out of the fridge on a hot summer day.

If my plate arrives in a restaurant with coleslaw on it it promptly get passed to my husband.  

But years ago (I won't say how many), when I was a young newlywed, we helped host a party for a large church group.  I was assigned coleslaw and happened upon a version of this recipe in the newspaper.

The original recipe called for green cabbage; I like red.  I added some carrot and a few spices.  It also called for plain old white vinegar.  I never make this with white vinegar.  In fact, it's a great venue to experiment with gourmet vinegars or your own homemade ones.

If you use green cabbage, add with some chopped green onions for color and maybe a fruity vinegar.  You're only limited by your imagination and cabbage is inexpensive.  Start your experimenting with a half-batch.  Of course, the recipe I've provided below is absolutely scrumptious the way it's written.

This salad needs to marinate in it's dressing for at least 12 hours; 24 is best.  It will retain it's crunch for several days so the leftovers are great.  I'm going to experiment with heating it up and see how I feel about that.

Best of all, it's good for you;  cabbage is packed with nutrients.  Most of the sugar is in the brine and drains off before serving.  

On a plate as a side salad or piled high on a pork sandwich, this slaw can't be beat.

Coleslaw

1 medium head of red or green cabbage (firm, not Chinese), julienned 

¼ cup of yellow onion, minced

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

Chopped scallions for garnish (optional)

Dressing:

1 ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt

1 teaspoon of dried celery seed

½ teaspoon of dried ground yellow mustard

¾ cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of vinegar (red wine, cider, balsamic, or white wine)

½ cup of canola oil (or any mild tasting oil)

Put the dressing ingredients, except for the oil, into a small saucepan and bring them to a rolling boil.  Stir to melt the sugar and mix in the spices.  After the sugar is dissolved take the mixture off the heat and slowly whisk the oil into the dressing. Set the dressing aside to cool slightly while you assemble the salad.

After the dressing is made, layer the cabbage, carrot, and onion into a large bowl.

Drizzle the warm dressing over the vegetables, tossing so that all of the vegetables are lightly covered.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Stir occasionally to redistribute the dressing.

This salad serves 8 to 10 people generously.

 

I love to make infused vinegars. They make great hostess gifts this time of year.  Or give them to your  neighbors and teachers for the holidays.  One of my favorite flavors of vinegar is Tarragon.  I make the most yummy chicken salad with it.  It's also an ingredient in Bearnaise sauce.  It has so many uses.

Tarragon is a perennial herb, with woody stems  (think rosemary or lavender) and long, soft leaves that taste a bit like licorice.  You consume the leaves only.  At the end of the season, I cut my plant back and dry the leaves and stems. Just lay them out in a single layer on a paper towel-lined tray and cover with another layer of paper towels. You could use a dehydrator but I find that air drying works well in this case.  When the tarragon is dry, I discard the stems after stripping the leaves. Store them in a jar in a dark cabinet.  And the price?  So much less expensive than the market.

Some of the stems go into big glass jars and get covered with white wine vinegar.
After pouring vinegar into the jar on the left, I had to leave to attend to some laundry. Ten minutes later, I came back to pour the vinegar over the jar on the right and the tarragon in the left jar had already lost it's bright green color.  It tastes lovely in vinaigrettes even with the softer color.

After a few weeks, I decant it into smaller bottles, and add a few soft pickled stems .  I cork them and seal the corks to the bottle with paraffin wax.  When I get time, I'll make little labels to tie around the neck and gift these to friends for the holidays.  It is nice to include a recipe or two so that they know how to use the vinegar. 

The very best part of this whole process?  THE PRICE!  The little herb plant cost me $2.00 three years ago, and it produces every year, so I consider my herbs FREE !  The vinegar is white wine vinegar from Costco and cost about $2.50 per gallon.  One gallon of vinegar at $2.50 cents compared with $7.00 for 16 oz. of tarragon vinegar at the market; well worth the small amount of time invested in making it.

Tarragon Vinegar

2 cups of packed tarragon stems, with leaves

1 gallon of white wine vinegar

A sterile, non-reactive container large enough to hold the vinegar and tarragon

     (I use glass refrigerator bottles)

Pack the tarragon stems into the container.

Heat the vinegar and pour it over the stems. Cool.

Seal the container and let the tarragon steep for 1-2 weeks.

Decant the vinegar into smaller containers. Include a few stems of the herb in the bottle if you like.

Cork and dip the cork and part of the bottle neck in hot paraffin wax for longer storage life.

Tie a label to the bottle and include a recipe that incorporates the vinegar.

Chicken Tarragon Salad

The perfect late summer salad.  It's hearty and sweet and just right for entertaining or a lunch with family.   One of my favorite salads of all time.

Tarragon Chicken Salad with Apples and Grapes

6 cups of shredded cooked chicken
3 ribs of celery, diagonally sliced
1 cup of red seedless grapes, cut in half
1 tart apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 ½ cups of Tarragon Mayonnaise (recipe follows)
3 Tablespoons of chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the chicken, celery, grapes, apple, mayonnaise and parsley in a large bowl and stir to mix. Seasonwith salt and pepper.
Arrange on a platter and garnish with parsley and celery leaves if desired.
Serve immediately or refrigerate.

This salad keeps well for several days. Add the apples and grapes just before serving.

Tarragon Mayonnaise
1 cup of good quality mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons of Tarragon Vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup of tarragon packed in vinegar
     or ¼ cup or dried tarragon soaked in the 3 Tablespoons of vinegar
     or ¾ cup of fresh tarragon leaves chopped finely
1 shallot, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice and tarragon leaves in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until well blended.

Add the shallot and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use or up to 1 week.

This is also good on sandwiches or sliced tomatoes.

What can you do with just 3 ears of fresh corn?  Make the best side dish/accompaniment to grilled meat.  The salad would be delicious with pork or chicken as well. This would be the perfect meal for a July 4th celebration because it's fast, can be prepared well ahead of grilling time and can be stretched to serve a lot of people.

The recipe comes from a Gourmet issue printed 12 years ago.  It had a blue ribbon next to it, meaning that it is one of their highest rated recipes.  Did it live up to the hype? 

YES!!! IT DID. 

B. loved it too.  This is one recipe that I will be making again and again.  I had most of the ingredients on hand.  It's great cold or reheated.  The perfect summertime recipe.

Oh, and the steak was good too.

Roasted Corn Salsa with Grilled Sirloin Steak

3 cups of fresh corn (sliced off the about 3ears)

4 scallions, white and green parts sliced and separated

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoon of ground cumin

1 teaspoon of chili powder

½ teaspoon of black pepper

2 plum tomatoes, finely diced

1 to 2 fresh jalapeńo chiles, finely diced

1 (2-lb.) trimmed boneless sirloin steak, about 1 ½ inches thick

¼ cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Corn Salsa:

Heat a dry large cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat until hot, then pan-roast the corn kernels, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the corn to a bowl.

Cook the white part of the scallions and the garlic in butter, along with ½ teaspoon of the chili powder, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper in the same skillet over moderate heat, until the scallions are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add to the corn. Add the tomatoes and jalapeńo and stir well.

Grill the steak:

Combine the remaining salt, cumin, chili powder and the black pepper and sprinkle on both sides of the steak. Let them set for a few minutes. Grill, turning once until the steak is done to your desired temperature.

Tranfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest covered loosely for 10 minutes before slicing.

While steak is resting, reheat the corn mixture, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cilantro and scallion greens. Spoon corn salsa over the top of the sliced steak, pouring any reserved meat juices over all.

Serve with lime wedges.

Garden to Salad...Butter Crunch Lettuce Cobb Salad

Pick one fresh butter crunch lettuce head (or buy lettuce at the market).  Rinse three times in clean water in a clean sink and spin dry.  Tear into bite-size pieces.
Cut up tomatoes, eggs, avocado, bacon, carrots, smoked chicken, cukes, snipped chives and snow peas.  Throw in a tiny bit of blue cheese and layer all with the lettuce.  Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Toss with Brown Derby Dressing.

Brown Derby Dressing

(from the original Brown Derby restaurant...the inventors of the Cobb salad)

½ cup of red-wine vinegar

1 ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar

1 ½ cup of mild tasting salad oil (canola)

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

½ teaspoon of dry mustard

1 clove of garlic, minced

Mix and refrigerate several hours before serving.

Tomato Zucchini Salad with Vinaigrette

This is a delicious and versatile salad.  It's dressed with a simple vinaigrette.  I made it with items I had in my pantry and garden.  You can adapt it to whatever you have growing in abundance; change up the herbs,or  substitute the squash.  Go crazy.  You don't like basil?  Leave it out.  Do you have another herb growing that you love.  Substitute that instead.

I'm taking this to a barbecue.  Hope there's some left when I go through the line.  This will be a standby in my house, as long as the produce keeps growing.

Tomato Zucchini Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing

Mixture of heirloom tomatoes (about 6 cups)

4 small zucchini, yellow and green

1 ¼ cup of good extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup of white wine or champagne vinegar

½ cup any combination of chives, scallions, or shallots, chopped

¼ cup of minced Italian parsley

3 Tablespoons of herbs, your choice, chopped (I used marjoram, basil, oregano and lemon balm)

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

3 teaspoons of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

Wash and dry the tomatoes and zucchini. Seed the tomatoes and chop into bite-size pieces. Slice the zucchini into thin ribbons (I used a mandoline). Put tomatoes and zucchini ribbons in a large bowl that will allow you to toss the salad. Set aside.

Make the vinaigrette dressing:

Put the vinegar, onions (whatever kind you use), herbs, garlic, salt and peppers into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Mix well by pulsing. Add the olive oil through the feed tube slowly and blend just until emulsified.

Pour the marinade over the salad and gently toss to cover.

Let the salad marinate at room temperature for 2 hours.

Taste for seasoning and adjust with more salt and pepper if necessary.

Arrange in a bowl and garnish with whole herbs and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.

Linked to These Chicks Cooked.

A Nice Surprise

This came in the mail today.  It was a nice surprise.

About a year ago a very nice man stopped by our house.  He had a book in progress about country homes from all across America, though only a few are from the Western US.  He and his wife came back and took some really nice pictures of our house and our outbuildings.

It's a lovely book and if you are interested you might want to take a look here....  All of the photos I have uploaded are of our home with the exception of the snow scene below.  I love this house.  It's just "up the road" to the North of us and the snow is so beautiful in this photo.  Doesn't the light in the windows look so welcoming?  It's like the house is saying, "Please come in and warm yourself by my fire".

We are pleased and flattered to be included in Tim's book.  These homes are absolutely beautiful, and to me this book is pure eye candy.  But then you are talking to a woman who never gets tired of looking at country properties.  I am still actively mourning the loss of Country Home magazine.  Anyone else sad that it's gone?

There are always "works in progress" at the Homestead.  We still have many unfinished decorating projects and particularly  some bare walls to fill with treasures, but it's fun to look back on these photos and see how much we have done in the last little while.  The bed wall  in our Granary Guest house below has changed so much in the last year.  Unfortunately, I'm still hand quilting the grain sack quilt.

I'm off to work on some weekend projects.  Hopefully I'll have something to show you next week.  Have a nice weekend!

Grapefruit and Quinoa Salad

Some of my family like quinoa; some don't.  I was hoping that this salad from the folks at the Food Network would be a hit with my family.  And it was good.   I really liked this salad.  It made a terrific side to cold chicken slices.  However, I altered the recipe after making it the first time. 


I thought that the grapefruit flavor overpowered the other ingredients just a bit, so I decreased (by half) the amount of peel that I steeped in the dressing.  Perfect!  I can't wait to try this with another type of citrus.  I think orange would be great.  Some shrimp would make this a main dish meal.  E suggested that I add something for crunch next time; a bit of chopped cucumber maybe?  Mmmmm...good idea.

Here is my slightly-altered version of the original recipe.
*Make sure you do not get any white pith on the grapefruit peel.  It will make your dressing bitter.

Quinoa and Grapefruit Salad

1 medium grapefruit, 1/2 of  the peel removed and reserved

8 thin slices of fresh ginger

¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup of quinoa

1 ½ cups of chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons of honey

1/2 -1 small Serrano or Jalapeno chile, minced

2 scallions (both white and green parts), minced

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Strip the peel (no pith) from ½ of the grapefruit. Warm the peel, ginger, and olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the oil starts to bubble, remove from the heat. Let the oil steep for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve the oil.

Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa and drain. Put it in a saucepan with the water and the ½ teaspoon of salt. Boil, then reduce heat and simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork. Cool.

Segment the grapefruit over a bowl, reserving the juice. Put the segments into another bowl and chill. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the grapefruit juice with the vinegar, and the honey. Salt to taste. Gradually whisk in the oil to make an emulsion. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste.

Toss the quinoa with the dressing, cilantro, chilies, and scallion. Season again to taste.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Linked to Around My Family Table

Chicken Tarragon Salad with Apples and Grapes

On the first Tuesday of June each year, the lovely Joan hosts the quilting group in her beautiful home and garden for brunch.  Her home looks like a feature in an upscale magazine.  I don't think I have ever seen more beautiful gardens.  So what is more fitting to bring to brunch in a lovely home/garden than this succulent, crunchy, fruity, herb-y, tangy, sweet, fresh, Chicken Tarragon Salad?  Absolutely nothing!!!!

Years ago I tasted a salad just like this in a local eatery and fell in love.  Lucky for me I soon purchased one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, Fosters Market, and found this recipe.  It was love at first bite and my family and friends have been loving it ever since. 

It might be just perfect for your July 4th celebration, or any other occasion or even no occasion at all.  It's perfect anytime, anywhere (in my humble opinion of course).  

Lemon Balm, Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, and Tarragon

Chicken Tarragon Salad with Apples and Grapes



6 cups of shredded chicken breasts
3 ribs of celery, sliced on the bias
1 cup of red seedless grapes, cut in half
1 tart apple of your choice, sliced thinly
1 ½ cups of Tarragon Mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh lemon balm (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Combine the chicken, celery, apple, grapes, mayonnaise, parsley, tarragon, and lemon balm in a blow and stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
This is better if made and allowed to marinate for at least 8 hours.


 
Tarragon Mayonnaise

1 cup of good quality mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of tarragon vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup of the tarragon that comes packed in the vinegar (drained with stems removed or ¼ cup of dried tarragon soaked in the 3 tablespoons of vinegar listed above)
1 shallot minced or 2 tablespoons of minced red onion or scallion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste




Place all of the ingredients except the shallots in a food processor and blend well. Add the shallots and pulse to blend.


Serve immediately or store for up to one week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Makes about 1 ¾ cups of mayonnaise.



*May also be used as a dip for vegetables, sliced tomatoes, or on a sandwich.


Cook’s notes:
I didn’t have a full lemon so I used the juice from ½ of a Clementine. To ramp up the lemon flavor I added about 1/3 cup of chopped, fresh lemon balm to the chicken salad. I did not like the taste or flavor of the vinegar soaked tarragon in the bottle of vinegar I had, so I omitted that and added 1 ½ cups of chopped fresh tarragon to the mayonnaise instead. The flavor was wonderful.



Dinner with Helen (Tartelette)

I was fortunate to be invited to dinner with some great fellow food bloggers last night.  The guest of honor was Helen Dujardin of Tartelette blog fame; all the way from South Carolina. She's here to speak at a conference in Park City.  That's Helen (on the left) with Becky.

What a treat to meet her!  I have followed her blog for a long time.  If you have never read it, you should; immediately.  She is a wonderful photographer.  Her blog is like eye candy. A trained, professional pastry chef, her tutorials and recipes are well-written and precise.The best thing is that she is a REAL person.  No pretense, no grandeur, just down to earth and very likable.  Humble and hard-working, she has truly earned any accolades which she has received.  It was so fun to talk with her and learn from her.  She was genuine and generous in sharing her knowledge.  Thanks for coming Helen.  It was such a pleasure to meet you!  I felt like we all were old friends before the evening was over.

There were many other accomplished women in attendance, as well. 

Back row:  Becky (Project Domestication), Barbara (Barbara Bakes), Maria (Two Peas and Their Pod), Helen (Tartelette), Brooke (Cheeky Kitchen), Holly and Baby Kayla (Phemomenon), Bonnie (City home / Country Home), and Dara (Cookin' Canuck).
Front Row:  Becky (Vintage Mixer) and Cristie (The Table Runner).  Jaime (Sophistimom) arrived after the photo.

Some new and a few old friends; all lovely people and great cooks.  You would expect that, of course, but you never know when you see a recipe on a blog if it really is good.  Well, these women were the genuine article, and they DO know how to cook, I wouldn't lie about that.  Click on their links above to visit their blogs and get their recipes. The event was held at Cristie's.  As you can see by the photos it was a beautiful setting and she went to a lot of work to make it a memorable evening.  She was a terrific hostess in every way. 

What would a food blog be without food photos?  We were asked to bring appetizers, salads, or a dessert.  I was thrilled to be included.  My girls asked, "How did you get invited to this group?"  I'm not sure, but I'm mighty grateful.  I mean really, how often do I get invited to meet a national food blogging celebrity?

My contribution was this arugula salad (before it was tossed).  Cristie brought her simple yet elegant vases over to hold some of the flowers from our backyard.

I hope you'll try this salad.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Arugula Salad with Grapes and Pecans

4 tsp. apricot jam

3 Tab. white wine vinegar

3 Tab. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small shallot, very finely minced (about 1 Tab.)

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ small fennel bulb, cored, trimmed of stalks and sliced very thin (about 1 C.), fronds chopped coarsely   (about ¼ C.)

5 oz. baby arugula (about 8 C.)

6 oz. red seedless grapes, each grape quartered lengthwise (about 1 C.)

4 oz. Gorgonzola, crumbled (about 1 C.)

½ C. chopped pecans, toasted in skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes

Whisk jam, vinegar, oil, shallot, ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper in medium bowl. Toss fennel and vinaigrette in large bowl; adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if necessary; let stand 15 minutes.

Toss arugula, fennel fronds, and grapes with vinaigrette mixture. Divide salad among individual plates; top each with portion of Gorgonzola and pecans. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 people.

Tired of the Same Old Salad?

It's still nippy out, but there are moments when I am convinced spring is here in spite of the still cool weather.  I am longing for lighter meal offerings.  We love salads at our house; or at least the women do.  He sometimes likes salads; especially if they are followed by an entree'.  For me, a salad with a crusty roll or piece of fruit is enough for a light supper. This lentil salad is a great spring meal.  It's hearty enough to still qualify as comfort food in my book, but is a bit lighter than the winter food we've been eating.

STOP RIGHT THERE!  I hear you whispering and maybe declaring loudly that your family wouldn't eat this.  Hear me out.