SUMMER SALADS

 SUMMER SALADS 

Summer meals can be a challenge. Meat is too heavy for the scorching days we are suffering through. So are hot pasta dishes, and most men are not thrilled with cold pasta as an entrée. A diet based solely on vegetables can become boring unless one is a dedicated vegetarian. And, the thought of hanging over a hot stove at the end of the day is downright unappealing, to say nothing of being confronted with cleaning the dishes afterwards. Even the barbecue is just one more physical exertion when one is heat-beat.

Salad to the Rescue! Prepare it all in advance so you can relax with the rest of the family. Make ice tea or fruit punch and have beer or wine well-chilled in the refrigerator. Get the greens crispy-cold by washing, drying completely, and then, chopping and setting into the refrigerator, uncovered or lightly covered with a dish towel, so they will not gather moisture associated with plastic wrap, foil, and even plastic containers.  Put together the accompaniments in separate covered containers to stay fresh and cold. Salad dressings should also be stored in the refrigerator to toss into the salad when the family is ready to eat. A dressing left at room temperature will warm the other ingredients.

Cold shrimp, either alone with a dipping sauce as an appetizer or with other ingredients to comprise a complete meal, are a favorite choice of this foodie. For the best flavor and texture, purchase raw shrimp with or without their shells, either 21-25 or 26-30 per pound. Most shrimp come to the stores frozen and have a tendency to remain soft and only semi-cooked with a bit of a “fishy” flavor, particularly those in sealed plastic packages found in the case containing frozen fish. I discovered a solution one day when I was too lazy to boil them in a pot. Defrost the shrimp to the very cold stage. Set them on a foil covered baking sheet. Brush them with extra virgin or regular olive oil. You can sprinkle pepper, garlic or spices over, but no salt. (Shrimp are naturally high in sodium - Three ounces yield 119 mg or higher after being processed) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake uncovered, until the shrimp become very pink and are firm to the touch, approximately 10 minutes. (Cut one in half or sample it to test). Do not overcook. For a rosy, grilled appearance, toss them with paprika before placing them into the oven.

Enjoy your salad with whole grain or French bread. Make an easy dipping sauce with extra virgin olive oil and a heavy grinding of Alessi® Dipping Spices with the built-in grater. Remember to serve the bread hot, wrapping the whole loaf in foil and heating at 200°F for 10 minutes or setting it on a plate, uncovered, to heat quickly in the microwave for no longer than 15 seconds. You might have to cut the loaf in half to fit.

           

Blue Cheese Dressing

Marie’s® Blue Cheese Dressing (displayed with cold dressings)

Crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese - Lots of it

Several drops Worcestershire sauce

A tablespoon or more minced red onion

1.      Combine ingredients with a fork, leaving the cheese chunky. Refrigerate. Chop cold iceberg lettuce or leave it in old fashioned wedges. Slice or dice a ripe beefsteak tomato and baby cucumbers purchased in one of our artisanal markets. Spoon dressing over to serve.

Sesame-Ginger Dressing

Yield: Approximately 1 cup dressing

Yield: Approximately 6 side salads or first course salads

Note the absence of salt and pepper. The combination of sesame, soy, garlic, and ginger offers ample flavor without the addition of salt and pepper.

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons julienned crystallized ginger (Economical at Renninger’s Twin Markets)

Lettuce: Romaine or a combination of lettuce of choice

1 carrot, peeled and stripped with a peeler

½ cup canned Mandarin oranges or fresh tangerine segments

Chopped scallion greens to top

Optional: Sliced water chestnuts, toasted pine nuts, toasted sesame seeds, black olives, cherry tomatoes.

1.      Mix together the oils, soy, vinegar and lime juice with the sugar and garlic.

2.      Slice the ginger and stir into the dressing. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

3.      Chop the lettuce into bite-size pieces. Toss with the carrot strips and oranges.

4.      Divide the lettuce mixture on the plates. Spoon some sauce over. Arrange the water chestnuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds, olives, and tomatoes on top to serve.

Veggie & Fruit Salad

Lettuce of choice or raw spinach 

Yellow crook neck squash or small green zucchini or both

Yellow grape tomatoes

Julienned bell pepper of choice

Dried cranberries (Craisins®)

Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette- fat-free dressing of choice

Feta cheese chunks

Fresh raspberries

Pine nuts*

1.      Toss the lettuce, squash, tomatoes, peppers and dried cranberries with the raspberry dressing. Top with feta cheese and raspberries. Sprinkle pine nuts over.

Note: Pine nuts are costly. They can be exchanged for chopped or slivered almonds.

Shrimp with Mango and Avocado

Yield: Approximately 2 servings - A complete dinner

This is a delicate and colorful combination of ingredients. It is  important to slice the avocado directly before serving so it does not have time to discolor.

16 raw shrimp, peeled. U26-30 to the pound

1 tablespoon olive oil or melted butter or a combination

Paprika

1 fresh ripe mango, peeled and diced (or peaches in season)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small purple onion, peeled and sliced very thin on the round

Chopped Romaine lettuce

Sesame-Ginger Dressing above (omit Mandarin oranges) or French Dressing recipe below.

Optional: Reduced balsamic vinegar to drizzle around edges of the plate*

2 ripe firm Hass avocados, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice

1.      Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the shrimp with paprika and oil and set them on a foil covered baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until firm. Do not overcook. Refrigerate.

2.      Chop the Romaine, reserving the green leafy tops.  Combine the peppers, onion and chopped Romaine in a bowl and toss with dressing. Refrigerate until very cold.

3.      Peel and slice the avocado and brush with lime juice so it will not discolor.

4.      Peel and dice the mango.

5.      Divide the salad for two or more servings, placing the green leafy tops around. Top with the avocado, mango and shrimp to serve.

*To reduce balsamic vinegar: 4 cups red balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon molasses. Bring to a full boil. Stir. Reduce heat just a notch so vinegar will not boil over. Boil continuously until reduced to 3 cups. Cool and fill a glass bottle. This will remain good indefinitely unrefrigerated.

French Dressing for Seafood Salads

Yield: Approximately 2 cups

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (Regina®)

1 tablespoon chopped purple onion

Optional: 1 clove garlic, sliced

¼ teaspoon dried tarragon or ½ teaspoon chopped leaves

¼ teaspoon dried thyme or ½ teaspoon chopped leaves

1 teaspoon (or more to taste) granulated sugar

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon cilantro leaves

Salt to taste

1.      Several hours in advance, combine ingredients in a blender and purée. Refrigerate.

 Insalata Caprese

Yield: Approximately 2 servings

(Salad from the island of Capri from the Italian region of Campania)

6 thick slices from fresh beefsteak tomatoes (Remember, if it smells like a tomato, it will taste like a tomato. The secret of this recipe is a quality tomato found in our farmers’ markets)

6 slices fresh mozzarella cheese (¼ inch thickness)

1 small purple onion, sliced thin on the round

Freshly ground black pepper

Sprinkling of salt over all

8 fresh basil leaves (no substitutes)

Red balsamic vinegar (the best quality you can afford) to drizzle

Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

1.      This Italian favorite never goes out of style. It is imperative that the ingredients be of the best quality.

2.      Slice the tomatoes, mozzarella and onion. Alternate 3 of each on individual plates, overlapping each other with a basil leaf in-between each. (If you are an onion aficionado, add a few extra slices) Grind fresh pepper over. Sprinkle with salt.

3.      Drizzle the balsamic over. Drizzle the olive oil over. The secret is frugality. If the tomatoes/cheese are swimming, the salad will be ruined.

4.      Place a basil leaf on top of each salad. Serve a pepper grinder and salt shaker on the side.

Tune in Comcast channel 22 & BrightHouse 199 to watch host, Valerie Hart, interview chefs in their kitchens "The Back of the House", or watch it live on your computer at www.lakefronttv.com. Follow her food page on Wednesdays in The Daily Commercial.