Grilled polenta cakes over warm mixed greens salad

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On to the next (documented) vegetarian dish.  I am trying for a combination of textures as well as flavors.  This pairs a crunchy set of greens (celery, cabbage) with warm, wilted mustard greens and creamy polenta grilled and dressed with tomato vinaigrette - Italian style, or am I stretching here?  It brings some light, bright flavors and earthy tones from the tomato and polenta.

Mustard greens have a wonderfully bitter and peppery flavor and the slight wilting and combination of flavors mellows this as they pair well with the spiciness of the cilantro and crunch of the cabbage.

If you are not familiar with polenta, it is a slightly neutral flavor which takes on flavors easily and the grilling lends a bit of smokiness - so don't be afraid to season.

I am cheating tonight, and using a tube of pre-made polenta; if there is any interest on the part of my readers I will gladly post some polenta scratch recipes (or check the "recipes" label on any box of corn meal). 


THE RECIPE - GRILLED POLENTA AND GREENS SALAD
(One portion, as an entree)

POLENTA PREP
2 polenta rounds, approx. 1/2 in. thick
Pan release spray (Pam) or vegetable oil
Sea salt and ground pepper, dash of each

Heat a sautee or cast iron grill pan over medium high flame.  Spray with the pan release or oil; season and grill the polenta cakes, three to four minutes on each side.  Hold in a warm oven until service.

WARM GREENS SALAD

1T EV olive oil
1/5th head green cabbage, shredded thinly
1 small bunch mustard greens, large ribs removed and coarsely chopped
Leaves from 1/2 bunch celery, chopped
 1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 bunch cilantro leaves
1/2 t lemon juice
Sea salt and ground black pepper, 1/2 t of each

1 tomato, medium dice
1/2 cucumber, medium dice
1 scallion, green and bulb, sliced, for garnish

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TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

7T EV olive oil
4T red wine vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard
6 oz. tomato sauce
1 T dried basil leaves
1/2 t dried oregano leaves
(If using fresh leaves, double the amount)
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Blend in a food processor and chill until needed.  Make ahead if desired to meld flavors more strongly.  This yield is a bit heavy for a single portion, probably plenty for two; if you have extra use it on another salad or as a marinade.

PREPARATION

Over a medium high flame, heat a large saute pan, add oil, cabbage and celery leaves.  Flip and cook for one minute.  Season with salt and pepper and transfer to serving plate, arranging as a bottom layer.  Return pan to heat and add a touch more oil if needed.  Saute mustard greens for one minute; add cilantro.  Reduce heat and finish with lemon and garlic; season and saute for just about another minute.  The goal here is to just warm and wilt the greens; they will reduce drastically if overcooked.  Drain off any accumulated liquid. arrange these greens as a second layer.  Ring the salad with the tomato and cucumber dices and dress with the vinaigrette.  Place the polenta cakes on top of this, dress these, and garnish the plate with the scallion slices.
Enjoy!

I don't know if it would win Chopped, but here's my pantry!)

Marinated baby octopus salad

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This is another fusion / experiment / my-curiosity-got-the-best-of-me-and-I-had-to-finally-buy-this-when-I-saw-it-in-the-Asian-store recipe.  I was searching for some scallops for the Ceviche spring roll recipe I'd been tossing around (by the by, they apparently don't usually stock bay scallops in Asian supermarkets) and instead found myself in front of piles and piles of these slaughtered innocents - baby octopus.  Octopi.  Occies.

The baby octopus I found happened to be cleaned, but prepping them is similar to cleaning calamari - but rather than a mantle which can be cooked, the heads are usually discarded; your choice, they must at least be cleaned out by making a small slit, turning inside out and removing the internal organs.  Press the beak out from the inside and pluck it out as well.  Rinse the whole product.

I really, really wanted to go with a ceviche style recipe, but I found through research this is ill-advised as they will not "cook" by themselves in citrus juice and will not become tender through just this process.  The answer is to quickly steam them for just a few minutes, chill them and marinate.

So this interpretation is mostly Asian influenced, and similar to ceviche (but for the facet outlined above) or pulpo a la vinagreta, a Galician tapa.  It has both sweet and tart flavors, crisp and tender texture, crunch and a bold profile -- so much so that I found the marinade should be prepped a day ahead of the salad, and allowed to meld and mellow prior to adding the seafood.

IF you cannot picture yourself staring down the barrel of a dead octopus, then try shrimp, white fish or scallops in this prep.  I did not have any at the time, but this dish could benefit from some seaweed salad.

THE RECIPE


1# baby octopus (octopi), cleaned
steam the octopus for 3 - 4 minutes, being careful not to overcook; nip at one of the tentacles to gauge doneness.   Immediately drop them into ice water to chill them.  Once chilled, rinse and pat them dry.  Chop the octopus into small bite-sized segments.

For the marinade:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallion bulbs, thinly sliced
1/2 t grated ginger
2 T kecap manis (Indonesian soy condiment)
1 T black Chinese vinegar
1 T seasoned rice vinegar
1 T mirin
1 T lime juice
1 T light brown sugar
1 T olive oil
1/2 t fish sauce
1/4 t sesame oil
1/4 t Chinese five spice powder
1/4 t ground white pepper
pinch salt, to taste
pinch red chile flakes or 1/2 minced chili pepper

For the salad:
Julienned scallions or any other green you may prefer
dash mirin
dash lemon juice

Mix marinade ingredients thoroughly and keep refrigerated overnight - allow to come up to room temperature for an hour prior to final prep.  Add octopus and stir; marinate for at least 8 hours in refrigerator.

Final prep: lightly toss the greens and dressing ingredients and plate.  Top with the marinated octopus and enjoy.

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Mache and mixed greens salad with Champagne vinaigrette

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Mache (lamb's lettuce), radicchio and arugula are, in my humble opinion, the best salad greens ever.  I needed a quick, light salad to go with my fish dinner, so I hit up my go-to guys.  Mache also gives the salad height, as the fronds buoy up the other greens, and the whole lot stand up to the dressing very well.

OK, now I don't have too many rules for food, and I love breaking with tradition, but I don't in general care to have fruit or nuts in my meals -- these are for dessert.  With that in mind, most people might add dried cranberries, raisins, apricots, roasted walnuts or candied pecans.  I recommend it; I welcome it - I just won't put it on my salads.

THE RECIPE
(per portion)
 a mix of mache and baby salad greens
Sliced heirloom tomatoes
Sliced scallions

Sliced roasted red bell pepper, for garnish

THE DRESSING
2 T grape seed oil
2 T Champagne vinegar
1 t whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 t minced fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste (I used pink Himalayan finishing salt)

Compose the greens and other ingredients; blend dressing and drizzle over the salad.  Enjoy!

Savory shrimp slaw in a jumbo artichoke bowl

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This is a combination of some of my favorite ingredients.  In my humble opinion, thyme is the best seafood herb ever, and I've worked it in with spinach and a little basil.  You can substitute a can of tiny or broken shrimp as a time saver.  You can prepare the slaw ahead in order to meld the flavors a bit more if you have the time.

Oh, yes -- and this is one of very few dishes I've posted without beets or bleu cheese (though I may rework it!)

THE RECIPE (per salad portion)

1 jumbo artichoke, steamed or boiled in brine (recommended, recipe below)

Water to cover the artichoke(s)
4T sea salt
1T sugar
1t black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1t coriander seeds
1t mustard seed
1/2 t crushed red chili flakes
3oz. distilled white vinegar

Steam or boil the artichoke until tender when pierced with a fork (anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes).  Do not overcook.  Set aside and refrigerate to cool.  Meanwhile, prepare the slaw.

SHRIMP SLAW


3/4 pound shrimp, 26/30 size peeled, sand vein removed.  Steam for 2-3 minutes only; remove just as soon as they turn pink and white, DO NOT overcook.  Chill, split lengthwise, then cross cut in quarters for pea-sized pieces OR 1 can broken or tiny shrimp
Leaves from 2-3 sprigs thyme, chopped
6-8 basil leaves, finely chopped
1/8 head purple cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 cup spinach leaves, chiffonade sliced
White inner sections of the artichoke leaves closest to the "choke" and inner portion of the stem
1 clove garlic, grated
2/3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2/3 dashes Tabasco sauce
1T apple cider vinegar
1/2t white pepper
Sea salt, to taste
1 Dash lime juice

1/4 cup mayonnaise (adjust to volume of product)
1/4 cup sour cream (adjust to volume of product)
Stir together all ingredients up to the lime juice, then add mayo and sour cream; taste and adjust seasonings.  Chill at least 2 hours, or overnight.

When the artichokes have cooled enough to handle, trim the stem up to the base of the bulb so it will sit flat on a plate.  Remove any outer leaves which detract from the presentation.  Trim off the coarse outer portion of the stem and chop the inner portion.  Remove the innermost leaves and trim off the pure white inner segments; chop and add to the slaw along with the stem as described above.  Scoop out the "choke" with a teaspoon, and pull out any inner leaves needed to construct a bowl within the artichoke.

Portion the slaw into the artichoke, garnish with lime juice, spinach, cabbage or herbs and serve.  Cool tasty bliss on a warm (pseudo-) summer day!

Kale: it's not just a garnish!

I always eat my garnishes, whether at home or when I dine out; that's half the reason they're on the plate! Kale has been no exception, but all along it's been given a bad rep. I have been intrigued by recipes of eclectic Chefs I've read up on recently who have been putting this underutilized beauty onto the center of the plate in many presentations. I chose to try my hand at a marinated salad, which features a sweet / savory vinaigrette and my old friend, the beet.

OK, naysayers, I get it -- kale has a bitter quality; it looks weird, it's tough. But it has great nutritional value, and is high in antioxidants: See below.


http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Health-Benefits-of-Kale&id=136177

OK, it's on the internet, so it must be true, right? *sarcastic smirk*.

But seriously, the marinade cuts the bitter edge, softens the leaves, and imparts a bright, wonderful flavor. I used Lacinato, or Dinosaur, kale for this one, and some of the wonderful free Bristol Farms golden beets.

This is where my "cooking without recipes" technique comes into play. I am going to set out some basics, and you just have to adjust based on taste, volume of the kale, and how many portions you prepare. Play with it, and see what works for you.

THE RECIPE

1 bunch Lacinato kale, washed, center ribs removed, chopped into 2in. strips
2-3T good quality EV olive oil
1t white truffle oil
2-3T Champagne or white wine vinegar
2T fruit juice, orange or grapefruit
dash lemon juice
1 medium shallot, minced
1 clove garlic
Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme, roughly chopped
dash white pepper
gray Fleur de Sel or sea salt to taste

Toss kale and oils to coat leaves, then mix remaining ingredients in a bowl; adjust liquid and seasonings to taste. Keep in refrigerator for 2-4 hours, tossing on the half hour.

Meanwhile, trim beet(s), being careful not to nick the root end. Boil in lightly salted water until tender; cool and peel. Slice as you wish to top the salad. Slice one Roma / heirloom tomato as well. I did a really stripped-down salad this time, but be creative - add whatever other vegetables / croutons you want.

When kale has become tender, drain and plate. Top with beet and tomato. Voila!

Salade Rouge

More beets...this was a few months back. I found some great produce in the Julian area and decided on this salad for a starter to that night's dinner. I like composed salads, and this presentation came together nicely. Simple, just a few ingredients and farm-fresh goodness.



THE RECIPE

(Per salad)

1 large beet
1 medium tomato
6-8 basil leaves
3-4 thin Bermuda onion slices
1 slice chevre
1-2T EV olive oil
2t red wine vinegar, divided
Sea salt, cracked pepper to taste

Pour 1t red wine vinegar over the onion slices; set aside and turn over after half an hour. Trim the beets, being careful not to nick the root end. Boil until tender in lightly salted water. Cool and peel the beets. Slice beets and tomatoes approximately 1/4 inch thick. Layer slices of beet, tomato, onion and a basil leaf; drizzle with a few drops of olive oil. Top with the chevre slice. Drizzle the balance of the red wine vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!