Beef-Sauced Hot Lettuce Salad

From Beyond the Great Wall, another of the wonderful books by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. This is an unusual dish — a warm salad from Inner Mongolia — which the authors posit may be a fusion dish of some kind, possibly with a Russian influence. The sauce is literally a ground beef dressing which is delicious.

I turned it into a main dish by doubling it — which worked well — and the simple expediency of serving it with rice. Oh, so very good ... and it looked just like the picture in the book. It will not only make your taste buds sit up and sing but will be easy on the budget as well.

Beef-Sauced Hot Lettuce Salad

About 4 packed cups coarsely torn romaine lettuce

Dressing
1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 pound (1 packed cup) ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
1 tablespoon Jinjiang (black rice) vinegar, or to taste
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil

Place the lettuce in a wide salad bowl or serving dish and set aside.

Place a wok or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. toss in the garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add the ginger. Stir-fry over medium-high to medium heat until slightly softened and starting to turn color. 

Add the meat and use your spatula to break it up so there are no lumps at all, then add the salt and stir-fry until most of the meat has changed color. Drain fat. 

Add the soy sauce and vinegar and stir to blend. Add the warm water and stir to blend. (The dressing can be prepared ahead to this point and set aside for up to 20 minutes. When you are ready to proceed, bring to a boil.)

While the dressing mixture is coming to a boil, place the cornstarch in a small cup or bowl and stir in the cold water to make a smooth paste. Once the liquid is bubbling in the pan, give the cornstarch mixture a final stir, add to the pan, and stir for about 1 minute, the liquid will thicken and become smoother. Taste for salt, and add a little salt or soy sauce if you wish. 

Add the sesame oil and stir once, then pour onto the lettuce. Immediately toss the salad to expose all the greens to the hot dressing. Serve immediately (or see Note).

Serves 4 as a salad or side dish.

Author's note on texture: If you use romaine lettuce, the salad will have good crunch as well as some wilted softer textures when you first serve it. We love the contrast. If you prefer a softer texture, either let the salad stand for 5 minutes before serving it, to give the greens more time to soften in the warm dressing, or use leaf lettuce instead of romaine.

Summer Corn Salad

My mother got this from somewhere on the internet but I can't track it down. However, I share it here as a good, different summer salad.


Summer Corn Salad

Step 1
6 ears of corn, cooked as Corn Off the Cob

Drain and cool.

Step 2
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves

Toss the kernels in a medium bowl with the red onions, tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Creamy Italian Dressing

I've never cared one way or the other about Italian Dressing which probably only goes to show that we didn't have it when I was growing up. My husband, however, did and when I tried out this Cook's Country recipe he was delighted. I, too, was delighted despite lack of previous experience. It is a delicious salad dressing.

I pass it along to you in case you are similarly delighted.

Note: I didn't care about a smooth texture and did care about not having to wash my food processor (have I mentioned lately how long it's been since my dishwasher has worked?). So I skipped that part and just whisked instead. Whatever you choose will be just fine.

Also, don't worry if you've let the dressing sit more than 4 days. Magazines have to put those warnings. Be realistic. Take a sniff, stir it up ... if it looks ok, it most probably is.

Creamy Italian Dressing

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Whisk vinegar, Parmesan, shallot, garlic, oregano and pepper flakes in small bowl. Microwave until cheese is melted (vinegar will look cloudy) and mixture is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Let cool.

Process mayo, sour cream, basil, and vinegar mixture in food processor until smooth. With motor running, slowly add oil until incorporated, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. (Dressing can be refrigerated in airtight container for 4 days.)

Summertime and Corn Salad is Easy

Full disclosure: I haven't made this recipe.

However, my mother did and everyone she shared it with is complimenting it to high heaven. Her palate (not to mention all those others) is good enough for me. I will be making this one soon.

Mom really liked the unusual cooking method for the corn and highly recommends it. She also shocked the corn in ice water after cooking, and used whole tomatoes which she blanched, peeled and chopped.
This is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe which I somehow have not encountered before but definitely will be exploring, especially since I came across this Mexican Tomato and Corn Salad which looks like something I'm definitely going to try also (mmm, cilantro!).

Summer Corn Salad
Serves 4

6 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 tablespoons cider or red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned* fresh basil leaves

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add one tablespoon sugar and one tablespoon vinegar. Add the cobs of corn to the pot of water and bring to a rolling boil. Cover the pot, remove from the heat and let the corn sit for 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the pot. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

Toss the kernels in a medium bowl with the red onions, tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Serve cold or at room temperature.

*Note: To julienne the fresh basil, stack 4-5 basil leaves on top of each other and roll them up to make a long tube of basil. Slice every 1/8-inch down the length of the basil roll and as the basil unfurls, it will be sliced into thin long strips. The corn could also be grilled to turn this simple salad into a grilled version. This salad is very adaptable - you can increase the corn, add a few cloves of finely minced garlic, flat leaf parsley, and/or julienned baby spinach (in place of the basil). Go crazy!

Spicy Cucumber Salad with Peanuts

From Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2002. This is a Thai-ish dish that gets rave reviews even from cucumber haters. It went perfectly with the grilled salmon and the Creamy Horseradish Potato Salad on Labor Day. Even if you find yourself without peanuts as I did the last time I made it, it is sweet and spicy and ... crunchilicious!

Spicy Cucumber Salad with Peanuts

1-1/2 pounds cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced (about 4 cups
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped dry-roasted peanuts

1. Place cucumber slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt. Toss well. Drain 1 hour. Place cucumber slices on several layers of paper towels, cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Rinse and pat dry.

2. Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and red pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove vinegar reduction from heat; cool. Stir in onion. Combine cucumbers and vinegar reduction in a medium bowl. Toss well. Sprinkle with peanuts. Yield 4 servings.

Creamy Horseradish Potato Salad

From the pages of last year's June Gourmet, which I don't buy that often but yielded this tangy, delicious, and simple potato salad. It went perfectly with the grilled salmon we had yesterday. Mmmm, I love horseradish!

I used Yukon Gold medium sized potatoes, peeled after they were cooked and sliced them thickly.

I actually bought chives to put in this but would have been just as happy with chopped green onions or red onion.

Creamy Horseradish Potato Salad
Serves 6.

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons bottled white horseradish, not drained
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
3 pounds cooked small (2-inch) boiling potatoes, cooled to room temperature and quartered

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Stir in chives and potatoes to coat.

Creamy Garlic Dressing

I believe I got this from the Cook's Illustrated Family Cookbook which I checked out of the library a while back. It was served over a salad of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, crumbled bacon, and diced avocadoes. Mmmmmmmm. Of course it also works on any less carefully constructed salad that you have thrown together with whatever happens to be in the fridge also.

3/4 c. olive oil
6 tablespoons sour cream or mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lemons juice
4 teaspoons Dijon
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt.
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Whisk all together. Makes 1-1/2 cups dressing.

Pace Chicken Vegetable Salad

My mother picked this up either from a Pace Picante label or from their website. Either way, it is absolutely simple and simply delicious. It is especially nice to grill extra chicken on the weekend and then make this salad during the week.

Step 1:
1 pound chicken breasts, grilled, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 medium zucchini, quartered, sliced
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup green onions

Combine all ingredients.

Step 2:
1/2 cup Pace picante
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
1/2 teaspoons cumin

Make Dressing: Combine all. Add to salad. Let set an hour, chilling. Serves 4.

This is infinitely adaptable … try black beans, grilled steak, etc.

Mom's Tortellini Salad

Looking through here I seriously cannot believe that I haven't put this recipe out there for everyone to try. It is a consistent favorite with everyone who tries it. My mother came across it long ago in a restaurant magazine. Naturally, it was provided with quantities for buffet brunch servings so she had to tinker with it to get it just right for family portions.

Step 1:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup yogurt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon oil
½ bunch parsley

Process all ingredients in food processor until well mixed.

Step 2:
1 pound frozen cheese tortellini

Cook tortellini until tender. Cool quickly and toss with dressing. It will seem as if there is too much dressing but don't worry, it thickens up. Cool overnight.

What Will You Be Having For July 4?

We'll be having grilled chicken, watermelon, deviled eggs, apple pie and potato salad.

I love potato salad but very rarely like one that isn't homemade. There are three in my repetoire that get chosen at random, my mom's potato salad (which I think came from Gourmet magazine long ago) which is full of onions and nicely tart, Nanny's potato salad (not my Nanny, but that of my friend Angie) which is full of olives, and this one which came from Cook's Illustrated.

My mother says that this potato salad reminds her of the one that her mother used to make. Occasionally her mother would substitute chopped dill pickles instead of using sweet as is mentioned below. It is a nice variation and one that I make sometimes just depending on my mood. Also I will sometimes use red onion instead of the scallions.

American Potato Salad
2 pounds Red Bliss or new potatoes, boiled, peeled, in 3/4" cubes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 hard boiled eggs, in small dice
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced (app. 1/2 cup)
1 small celery stalk, in small dice (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup sweet pickle (not relish) cut into small dice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Layer warm potato cubes in medium bowl; sprinkle with vinegar, salt and pepper as you go. Refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients.

Mix in remaining ingredients; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tags:Food

Middle Eastern Chopped Salad

Shamelessly stolen from Love and Cooking. This wakes up your mouth! I almost didn't have enough to put on the dinner table (as if I had any room for dinner by that time). Just couldn't quit tasting a spoonful here and a spoonful there. Easy, delicious, lasts for a few days ... what are you waiting for? Go make it!

Middle Eastern Chopped Salad
from Ranee Mueller

1-2 regular cucumbers (peeled and seeded) or 1 small English cuke (peeled, seeding optional)
3-4 roma tomatoes
1 sweet bell pepper (I like yellow for color contrast but red is ok)
About 1/2 pound feta cheese
About 1/2 pound drained weight good quality pitted Kalamata olives
Chopped Italian parsley - at least 1/2 cup volume
Juice of one lemon

Chop veggies into usefully small bits (no larger than thumbnail is good) and toss in a bowl. Chop olives roughly and crumble cheese. Toss crumbled cheese, olives, and parsley in. Add salt/pepper/lemon to taste. If you hold this salad it will throw off liquid, but it keeps for a while in the fridge.

Hill Country Broccoli Salad

How about something really green for Saint Patrick's Day? Even better, let's make it really simple too so that you can toss it together after having a couple of green beers.

This is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Texas Home Cooking by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. This a crowd pleaser and couldn't be easier. I recently took a double batch of this salad to a CRHP retreat where we were providing lunch and it disappeared in no time.

I use broccoli flowerets and stems in this. I just peel the stems and dice them up. For the olives I have used everything from pimiento-stuffed to fancy olive mixes. It is really flexible. You might not think this looks like enough dressing but it is not supposed to be really creamy. Just be sure to add some salt to pop the flavor.

Serves 4

3 cups (about 1/2 pound) chopped fresh broccoli
1/3 - 1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, toss together all the ingredients, including a generous grind of black pepper. Refrigerate the salad, covered, for a couple of hours. Serve the salad chilld. The salad keeps for 2 days.

Olive Salad

Here's the olive salad that I use on muffalettas. Though to be truthful I will admit that I can just eat it straight out of the bowl. James Beard’s Sicilian Salad 4 cups stuffed olives, sliced 1 cup finely chopped celery 1/2 cup capers 1 medium onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 6 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup vinegar 1 teaspoon pepper Combine and let marinate, refrigerated, at least one hour.

A Favorite Coleslaw

In line with finding out about the effects of chopping cabbage, here is our family's favorite, quintessential American coleslaw, which is only proper as it comes from James Beard's American Cookery. This is the Sweet and Sour Slaw variation of the basic recipe. I make only half the amount of dressing for the same amount of cabbage and use all mayonnaise.

1 cabbage, 2-3 pounds, finely shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco

Crisp the cabbage in cold water for an hour. Drain well and combine with the mayonnaise, sour cream, and seasonings. Toss well and let stand 30 minutes, or even longer if you like a rather wilted slaw. Correct the seasoning before serving.