This week is Administrative Assistant's Week and thanks to the organization skills of Donna Z, we attorneys put together a Really Nice Lunch. Donna asked if I could do a side dish to go with the pizzas, and that gave me the idea of bringing in some cold salads.
My first choice was Muffuletta Salad, which is similar to an Italian antipasto salad, and therefore would sing in the same key as the pizza. I've made the olive salad to go on a Muffaletta Sandwich and I've also made Muffuletta Salad from a Rachael Ray recipe. Working from both, and throwing in my own twists and turns, I developed a new Muffuletta Salad which was to die for.
Just this past January, I was right across the street from Central Grocery, drinking chicory coffee and eating beignets at Cafe' DuMonde. Unfortunately, it was like 31 degrees and 8:00 in the morning, we were on our way back out on the road, and there was no way we were going to be able to sample the original muffuletta, or even buy a jar of their olive salad. Bummer!! It seems whenever we are in New Orleans it is either too hot or too cold. Of the two, I'll take too cold, because the restaurants and bars there just park their trash out front, and you can only imagine what the summer heat does to it.
Back to the Muffuletta Salad - You can eat it as is, or put it over chopped romaine lettuce, or even combine it with cooked macaroni for a great pasta salad. I take my Muffuletta straight:
1 - 3 oz. bottle of stuffed green manzanilla olives, drained
same amount of black pitted olives (eyeball the amount), drained
1 - 16 oz. jar of Italian mix giardineira, drained (I use Mezzetta brand, and I halve any really large pieces of cauliflower and carrot slices)
1 - 12 oz. jar of quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained (I use Vigo brand)
2 large ribs of celery, chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, patted dry and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped/*-
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, patted dry and diced
1 tablespoon capers, rough chop
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
handful of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
8 - 12 oz. total Italian-style meats or sausage, diced small. You should include some pepperoni, Genoa salami and/or Italian dry salami. Also use some ham. I happened to have a couple of ounces of capocollo, so I threw that in as well
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, uncut
season with kosher salt, black pepper, and about 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1 - 8 oz. bottle of Ken's Steakhouse Dressing, Italian with Garlic and Asiago (Chef's Reserve)
Combine everything is a very large mixing bowl, and gently stir to coat with the dressing. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Next I decided on a Shrimp and Macaroni Salad. As I mentioned on the "regular" blog, I was inspired to make this after hearing about it from one of my cyber friends up north, who had made it for her family's enormous Easter buffet (they are Italian. There was a LOT of food. She posted a picture, and I wanted to dive through the screen.) So after some research, I landed on this recipe which I found interesting because of the addition of horseradish and ketchup. Here's my adaptation - it makes about 4 pounds (pints?) of salad, and was so good, almost all of it went at our luncheon.
3 cups of uncooked medium shell pasta, cooked according to package directions to the lower range of time, drained and doused with cold water. I prefer Ronzoni brand for this,
1/2 medium sweet onion, finely diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 large stalks of celery, finely chopped
2 cups Hellman's mayonnaise (Best Foods, west of the Rockies)
3/4 cup sweet pickle relish (I use Vlasic Brand)
1/3 cup Heinz ketchup
2 tablespoons juice from the pickle relish (if you get some more pieces of relish in there, that's fine)
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (I use Gold's, and for this, I use the one with beet juice added)
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
ground black pepper to taste
4 cups of frozen salad shrimp (I prefer Publix brand. It comes in a 24 oz. bag and the shrimp are perfect for this salad), defrosted according to package directions
Make sure that the pasta and the shrimp are well-drained. Use paper towels to pat dry if necessary.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the shrimp and the pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add the shrimp, and then fold the pasta into the mixture. There will be plenty of dressing to coat the shrimp and the pasta. Cover and chill at least 3 hours before serving.
Finally, the Stuffed Pork Chops Braised in Apricot Nectar. This is surprisingly easy, and the pork stays very moist and tender:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
kosher salt, ground black pepper, sweet Hungarian paprika, a pinch of sugar
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
1 medium McIntosh apple, peeled and diced
1-2.5 oz. can Hidden Valley Salad Crispins
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1 tablespoon Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled sausage (mild or spicy, your choice) I happened to use Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked Sausage Crumbles. Worked very nicely.
3/4 cup extra sharp cheddar, shredded
4-5 pork loin chops, 1 inch thick ( I buy a bone-in loin and cut it myself. Takes 5 minutes and saves $1.20 a pound)
Cajun-style seasoning of your choice. Emeril's Essence works well. I used Big Kevin's Bayou Blend.
1-9.6 oz. can apricot nectar
1-15.25 oz. can apricot halves, drained
Prepare the stuffing: Saute the onion in the olive oil and butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Add the apple, and when it is slightly soft (not mushy) and fragrant, pour in the chicken stock to deglaze. In a medium bowl, combine the contents of the salad crispins container with the onion and apple mixture, and mix gently to moisten all of the croutons. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, add the sage, parsley, sausage and the cheese and stir to combine. Then with a sharp knife (I like a boning knife for this) carefully cut a deep pocket into each chop. Divide the stuffing among the chops, and gently press close. I don't bother closing the pocket with toothpicks, but you may like to do so. Sprinkle both sides of each chop with the seasoning, and brown in additional olive oil in a medium-high pan. As the chops are done, remove them to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Pour the apricot nectar over and around the chops, and then tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pan, uncover, and add the apricot halves. Cover and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove the pan one more time, uncover, and baste the chops. Return the pan uncovered for another 15 minutes, then remove and check the internal temperature of the chop. If it hits 160 degrees, you're done. Don't overcook pork. It becomes dry, stringy, and tasteless.
To degrease the sauce, remove the chops and apricot halves to another pan or serving dish, and place the pan with the sauce in the refrigerator. When the fat has risen to the top and solidified, carefully remove it and discard. Return the apricots to the sauce (I mash them slightly) and reheat the sauce. Pour the hot sauce over the chops and serve.
Cook like there's nobody watching, and eat like it's heaven on earth.
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