My daughter gave us, as part of our extravagant Christmas basket of goodies, the Balsamic vinegar flavoured with figs. The brand name is “Scarpone’s”. If you can find it, buy it…no, that’s wrong…buy lots. It is terrific and very surprising in taste.
For the simple salad serving 8, you will need:
- 1 small pkg of mixed spring greens
- 8 cups of seedless watermelon (red or yellow) cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 7 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tbsp. of this beautiful balsamic fig glaze.
If you are serving this ‘family style’, get out your prettiest platter, spread out the washed and spun dried mixed greens.
Scatter the watermelon over the top, and sprinkle the feta cheese over this.
Now, drizzle the beautiful balsamic fig glaze over all. Serve with warm rolls, fresh butter, glass of wine and forget the world…at least until the next course to be served.
Note: amounts to be adjusted accordingly, of course as needed.
Fingerling Potato Salad
This little delight will serve 4, so adjust when you have more around the table.
- 1 1/2 lbs fingerling potatoes
- 2 tbsp. capers
- 2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup dressing (below)
Boil potatoes until they are fork tender (about 12-15 minutes). Strain and cut in half, lengthwise.
Put in a bowl, add the remaining ingredients and make the dressing below.
Dressing
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp. grainy mustard
- 1 lemon, reserve juice and zest
- pinch each of salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Whisk these ingredients together and toss with the salad. Refrigerate any leftover dressing. The dressing will keep for no more than 10 days.
House-Made Caesar Salad, Sun-dried Tomatoes and….
Chef Gillespie from Hester Creek Winery served this Caesar Salad and everyone gobbled it up. All you could hear was ooooh and ahhhh. My husband had almost two helpings and I will explain later.
- 4 cloves minced garlic (without salt)
- 1 tbsp. capers
- 1 tbsp. diced anchovy
- 2 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp horseradish
- 3 egg yolks (then he added 2 more)- there was 11 of us
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- fresh lemon squeeze
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
- Parmigiano Reggiano, shaved for garnish
- Romaine Lettuce (washed and spun dry)
With your salad plates laid out on the counter, break off whole leaves of the lettuce (outside ones discarded of course), and lay a couple on the plate.
Mix the ingredients together and with a fork, drizzle over the lettuce leaves. Add a sprinkle of the sundried tomatoes and Parmigiano Shavings.
No croutons were used here.
Now, I couldn’t eat this, the amount of eggs were more than I could take. Don always uses a scoop of sour cream to lighten (whiten, if you will). No slam here, I have never been able to eat a Caesar Salad in an up-scale restaurant just for that same reason.
As I said, everone else loved it. I gave mine to Don and took his plate. Everyone was so into their own, no one noticed. Try it you will probably like it as well.
Marinated Veggie Salad
This recipe uses pretty much the same things, but with a twist. It is tasty and it depends how you plate it for a dramatic effect.
- 1/2 lb. broccoli, sliced into little broccoli stalks
- 1 cup cauliflower-ettes
- 1 MILD onion, thinly sliced and in rings
- 1 small green pepper, julienned
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
- 2 stalks of celery, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, all colours if available
- seasoned oil and vinegar dressing (store bought or your own version)
In a large bowl, place all the veggies except the dressing. Drizzle enough dressing to coat all the pieces well. Toss and cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
When ready to serve, drain the dressing off and plate attractively.
Fresh Melon and Proscuitto ‘Salad’
This is a delightful salad to put up
Serves 4- 6
- 1 small, seedless Watermelon, cut into wedges
- 1 cantaloupe, cut into wedges
- 1 package (50 g) of lean prosciutto (I use the metric measure here, as that is how we have to order it)
- 1 small head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
- Balsamic Vinegar
Cut the outer rind off the watermelon and cut into bite size wedges. Cut the cantaloupe in half, seeds removed and cut into bite size wedges.
In a fry pan, over medium heat, cook the prosciutto until crisp. Cover and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. On salad plates, arrange the wedges on top of shredded lettuce. Toast the pecans in a fry pan for a couple of minutes, turning often so they don’t burn, remove from heat and chop. This is not science, has been around for a very long time but it is good, refreshing and it is a little different. Drizzle a little Balsamic Vinegar over the salad.
Sun is shining, relaxing on the deck/patio, glass of chilled white wine and this!
Mireille’s Bocconcini Salad
My husband’s niece gave us this recipe. It is refreshing and will probably become one of your favourite offerings for family and friends.
Serves 2
- 1 English cucumber
- About 20 Grape tomatoes
- Small bocconcini cheese balls
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Julienned sweet basil
The ingredients shown will serve two people, so depending on how many portions you need, add (by eye) what you will need.
Toss with a little olive oil to coat, add salt and mix together gently. Before serving, sprinkle the sweet basil over top and serve.
Truly Italian and truly tasty and Mireille truly clucks!
You will love this salad….fresh tasting, clean for the palate, crisp in the blending of flavours.
Anjou Pear and Shaved Asiago Cheese Salad
Yup! It’s Spring and the lighter meals are unpon us. Yeah?
Serves 4
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra fine olive oil
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp powdered mustard
- 1 butter lettuce
- 2 ripe Anjou pears, cored and sliced
- 4 oz. shaved Asiago cheese
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans
Whisk together the first four ingredients and taste and adjust the taste, if necessary.
Put a couple of whole lettuce leaves on four chilled salad plates each, arrange the pears on top and sprinkle the shaved Asiago and pecans over .
Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Put extra dressing on the table in case more is wanted.
This is a very tasty salad and couldn’t be easier. Now….where did the wine opener go?
Another Spinach Salad
With summer coming, salads are in the forefront. This is another tasty, served cold, absolutely wonderful salad. Give it a try.
The ingredients are few and just may be in your pantry.
- 1 cup fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- Fresh orange slices from 1 large orange
- bag of spinach with stems removed, washed and spun dry,
- 1/2 cup each of mayo and sour cream
- couple sprigs of parsley, chopped fine,
- 1 clove garlic, minced,
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp. white vinegar
In a blender, combine mayo, sour cream, parsley, vinegar, lemon juice and garlic.
Toss the spinach with the mushrooms, orange slices and dressing. Plate and lay egg slices on top. On one side of the plate, put two or three crackers, but not saltines. Make it different.
Colourful Crab Salad
This is, truly, one of the top two salads I simply love….this looks special and even tastes better. Serves six starving or eight polite guests
- 1 celery stalk, peeled
- 1 each, red and yellow peppers
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 3/4 lb. imitation king crab
- 2 limes
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise, not salad dressing
- 1/2 tsp. Tabasco
- Pinch of salt
Do all the chopping first. Finely chop the celery, de-seed the peppers and chop fine, chop the cilantro and put all three in a large bowl. Add the peas. Coarsely chop the crab and add to the mixture.
In a small bowl, squeeze 2 tbsp. lime juice from one lime. Into this juice, add the mayonnaise, Tabasco sauce and salt. Drizzle this over the crab mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for no longer one hour before serving.
Now find your sexiest glasses and put the salad into each one. Place 3 crackers on the plate. Put a small wedge of lime on the side of the glass bowl.
Deck Chair Salad
Warm temperatures, light breeze, deck set up and company’s coming……this is a lovely appetizer.
Serves 4
The reason for the name is because it is perfect for sitting on the deck, relaxing, glass of chilled wine in hand…hmmm……
- 3 tomatoes, cut in thin wedges
- 1 papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into wedges
- 1/2 honey dew melon, peeled and cut in small wedges
- 1/2 sweet onion (if you must) cut into wedges
- If you, like me, don’t like onion, use 1/2 cup cantaloupe, cut in small wedges
- 1/4 cup raspberry vinaigrette (your brand)
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat. Put in a colourful bowl or over-sized decorator martini glass and pour a glass of chilled white wine, enjoy the beautiful day while waiting for the barbecue to heat up.
There seems to be a pattern here, salad, outdoors, chilled wine¦..doesn’t get much better than this.
Nectarine and Scallop Summer Salad
I love the summer months and certainly all the ways to make salads zing. This is a lovely salad and one not to miss trying.
Serves 4
Dressing
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest
- Pinch of chili powder
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Whisk juice, zest and chili powder together, slowly add oil, whisking briskly to incorporate.
Do this the day before. Put in the fridge overnight, but make sure it is room temperature the day of the party.
Ingredients for Salad
- 16 sea scallops, side muscles removed and pat dry
- 3 ripe but still firm, white nectarines, sliced into wedges
- Extra virgin olive oil for brushing
- 1/3 cup whole corn kernels
- 1 tomato chopped fine
- Julienned basil for decoration
Set bbq on med-high heat. Brush oil on scallops and nectarine wedges. Grill scallops until slightly charred but cooked (two minutes each side), grill nectarines about one minute each side (depends on thickness).
Arrange four scallops on each plate. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes in some of the dressing. Again, in another bowl, toss the corn kernels with some of the dressing. Spoon the corn kernels around the scallops, scatter tomatoes over the corn. Arrange the nectarine wedges in a decorative pattern. Now, lightly sprinkle the julienned basil over the top.
Note: If white nectarines are not available in your area, you can use the yellow nectarines.
Okay, who has the wine glasses?
Papaya and Shrimp Salad
This is, by far, the most favourite Appetizer I can serve. I love it…the flavours, textures are amazing. A real winner, I promise.
Serves 4-6
- 2 ripe papayas
- 2 heads butter lettuce
- 1 1/2 lbs. fresh, cooked shrimp (med to large)
- 1 cup mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
- 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. curry powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. honey (to taste)
Wash and spin dry the lettuce. Take one large or two small leaves and put on salad plates.
Next, peel, remove the seeds and slice the papaya, arranging on top of the lettuce leaves in a pretty pattern. Arrange the shrimp on top and drizzle the dressing over the salad, using it all.
This is so finger licking tasty, it is insane. Personally, I don’t much care for the taste of curry but this is so subtle. It is just fabulous.