An Inspired Antipasto Salad

It's interesting how ideas come together for a meal.

We had a huge dinner last night at our favorite Serbian restaurant called Three Brothers with a group of friends.  I ate a delicious Serbian salad and also shared spinach burek for the firest course, had a combination plate of stuffed grape leaves, Sarma with pickled cabbage, Chevapchichi and apple strudel for dessert - oh my happy but aching tummy! Today, I knew that dinner would have to be early and on the lighter side but the taste of those wonderful Serbian Chevapchichi sausages still lingered in my mind and on my taste buds.

This morning, I was looking at an email of the weekly specials from my favorite grocery store and saw that their homemade Italian sausages with provolone, parsley and peppers were on sale...which made me think that they could be mighty tasty in an antipasto salad and also satisfy my continued craving for the Chevapchichi I had last night.

After looking over several antipasto salad recipes, I combined the parts that I liked best from each and came up with my own version of antipasto salad.

Even though it was chilly and rainy outside, it was the perfect end to my weekend!


Antipasto Salad 
Loosely Adapted from Food and Wine and Giada deLaurentis
Printable Recipe

Serves 2 for a main course salad or 4 as a starter salad

1 small head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 small head of Boston lettuce (or the lettuces or your choice), same prep as above
1 can of cannelini beans, rinsed and drained on paper toweling
4 Italian sausages with provolone and peppers, grilled, cooled and sliced on the diagonal (or any Italian cured deli meat such as salami cut into bite-sized pieces)
4-6 ounces of Provolone cheese, cubed
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe below

Red Wine Vinaigrette

¼ cup good red wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 heaping teaspoon chopped shallot
Pinch of dried red pepper flakes
Pinch of dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Mix the vinegar, honey, shallot, red pepper flakes and oregano and whisk. Gradually blend in the oil until emulsified. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper, to taste.

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl, add enough red wine vinaigrette to coat lightly, toss and serve.

Enjoy!

Another Irish Round Up of Recipes for St. Patrick's Day!

Boiled Eggs and Dippies*
Darina Allen – Traditional Irish Cooking“

"Mothers all over Ireland cup up fingers of toast for children to dip into soft boiled eggs".

2 fresh eggs
salt and freshly ground pepper
a few pats of butter
1 slice of fresh bread, toasted

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and gently slide in the eggs. Bring the water back to a boil and simer gently for 4 to 6 minutes, according to your taste. A four-minte egg will be still quite soft. Five minutes will almost set the white while the yolk will still be runny, and six minutes will produce a boiled egg with a soft yolk and solid white.
Meanwhile, toast the bread, cut off the crusts an spread with butter. Cut in fingers. As soon as theegs are cooked, pop them into egg cups, put the dippies on the sie and serve with salt, pepper and butter on the side.

*Pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems should not eat partially cooked eggs unless they are pasturized!

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Dublin Bay Prawn Bisque
Adapted from Elegant Irish Cooking by Noel Cullen

"Dublin Bay prawns, sometimes known as "Norway Lobster," were often found n the nets of fishing boats looking for other fish. They were sold locally on the Dublin markets. Today, they are scarce and much prized."

4 pounds whole prawns or shrimp (I used shrimp)
1 rib celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
4 sprigs tarragon
4 sprigs parsley
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound tomatoes, diced
½ cup brandy
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400F. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a stock pot. Add the chopped celery, carrots, onion, herbs and wine and sauté until tender. Add 2 quarts of cold water and bring to a boil.

Using a strainer, immerse the prawns in the boiling liquid for 40-50 seconds. Bring liquid back to a boil and then remove the blanched prawns. Allow to cool, shell, and remove the flesh from the prawns. Reserve.

Place the prawn shells on a baking sheet and bake the shells in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

In another saucepan, melt butter. Add the flour and cook gently for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously, being careful not to brown the flour.

Add tomato paste, garlic, tomatoes, baking prawn shells, warm stock and vegetables. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Add brandy and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain into another large saucepan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cream. Add a little bisque liquid to the egg mixture to temper it. When light and fluffy, incorporate into the soup. Bring to a gentle simmer. Do not allow the soup to reboil after the addition lf the cream and egg. The bisque should thicken slightly.

To serve, arrane the prawns in soup boals and ladle the bisque over them.

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Doyle's Dublin Coddle
Adapted from Full On Irish by Kevin Dundon

Serves 4

"This is my twist on a dish that has been around since the eighteenth century".

8 oz streaky bacon, cut into lardons
1 potato, diced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish
1-2/3 cups vegetable stock
4 large butcher-style pork sausages (I substituted turkey sausage to cut down on fat)
For the Potato Puree:

1 lb potatoes, well scrubbed
3-3/4 tablespoons milk
¼ stick butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cover the potatoes with cold water in a pan and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until completely tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and then peel while they are still hot. Push through a potato ricer or sieve using a spatula. Quickly heat the milk in a pan. Beat the butter into the warm mashed potatoes and then add enough milk to make a smooth but firm puree. Season to taste.

For the Bacon/vegetable mixture:

Heat a pan and sate the bacon in the pan for 2-3 minutes until it has begun to release its fat. Add the potato, leek, carrot and thyme and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes until softened but not colored.

Pour the vegetable stock into the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the liquid has slightly reduced and the vegetables are completely tender.

Heat a griddle pan and cook the sausages for 10-15 minutes until cooked through and well marked.

To serve, using two large spoons, shape the potato puree into quenelles and arrange two in each warmed wide-rimmed serving bowl. Spoon the bacon and vegetable mixture around the sides. Cut the sausages on the diagonal and arrange on top. Scatter over the thyme leaves to garnish.

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Jameson Chocolate-Walnut-Caramel Tart
-By Margaret Johnson

Serves 8

Crust
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Caramel Sauce
¼ cup unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter
½ cup sugar
¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream

Filling
1 cup walnuts, chopped
½ cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
¾ cup light corn syrup
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter, cut into pieces
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons Jameson Irish whiskey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

“The combination of whiskey and chocolate is especially delicious, and when nuts and caramel are added, the results are superb”.

To make the crust: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse 8 to 12 times, or until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons of the water and process for 15 to 20 seconds, or until the dough comes together. Add the remaining water if necessary and pulse again. Dust a work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, form it into a ball, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling.

Butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Dust a work surface with flour. Roll out the dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to the prepared pan, fold in the excess dough, and press with your fingers o form thick sides. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork. Line the crust with foil, fill with pie weights or dry beans, and cover with a pie shield or foil. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the weights, foil and shield and bake for 12 to 15 minutes more, or until the crust is browned all over. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Maintain the oven temperature.

To make the caramel sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Continue cooking, without stirring, until the mixture turns golden brown. Remove from heat and whisk in the cream. Pour the caramel mixture into the tart crust, spread evenly over the bottom, and freeze for 15 minutes or until set.

To make the filling: Sprinkle half of the walnuts and all of the chocolate pieces over the caramel. In a large bowl, combine the corn syrup, brown sugars, butter, eggs, whiskey, vanilla and salt. With an electric mixer, beat until smooth. Pour over the chocolate and walnuts. Sprinkles the remaining half of the walnuts over the top. Bake the tart for about 50 minutes, or until the pie filling is nearly set in the center. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Release the side of the pan. Slice the tart and serve warm.

I hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!  Click here for a few interesting facts about this day.

Mussels with Chorizo and Red Peppers

Last night, our gourmet group got together. We are a group of five couples, all of whom love to cook and entertain. The host and hostess research and set the menu and assign each couple one recipe to make. The host couple always provides the main course and wine to suit the meal. Our assigned recipe was this wonderful mussel appetizer dish. From an issue of Coastal Living, my hostess found this recipe while browsing through the magazine on a plane flying home from Hilton Head Island earlier this month. Rarely has an appetizer been so popular with every member of our group! I could have it again for dinner tonight :)

Chorizo sausage, julienned red peppers, onions and garlic with white wine was prepared late in the afternoon and brought to our host couple's home:


All I had to do to finish the recipe was bring the above to a boil and add the lovely black mussels and then sprinkle with chopped cilantro:


Steaming hot and plated, several lime wedges were added as garnish afterward:


Declared a keeper! Since there were 10 of us, I used 6 pounds of mussels and doubled or tripled the sausage and vegetables. I used one whole bottle of white wine. Also, since I'm not a huge fan of cilantro I used half parsley and half cilantro.

Mussels with Red Pepper and Chorizo
http://www.coastalliving.com/food/dinner-in-a-breeze/mussels-red-pepper-chorizo-00400000007989/

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3½-ounce) cured chorizo sausage, casing removed, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin, short strips
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups dry white wine
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon salt
2 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add chorizo, and saute 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and saute 5 minutes. Add wine, paprika, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Increase heat to medium-high, and add mussels. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes or until mussels open. Discard any that do not open. Stir in cilantro. Spoon mussels, sauce, and vegetables into 4 shallow serving bowls. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

Makes 4 servings.

Savory Breakfast Strata - A Holiday Tradition

This has been a holiday tradition of mine for quite a few years. It is a lovely way to start the day and the nicest thing about it is you make it the day before so you can just pop it in the oven the morning of Christmas or New Years' Day.

I have adapted this recipe from one I found in Stop and Smell the Rosemary by the Junior League of Houston. With a little wonderful bacon, some fruit and a Mimosa and you're ready to welcome a New Year in savory style.

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Savory Breakfast Strata

Savory Breakfast Strata

Adapted from Stop and Smell the Rosemary (Junior League of Houston)

Printable Recipe

Serves 6-8

5 cups cubed day-old bread (I bought a large French boule which I sliced and cut into large cubes)
4 links Italian turkey sausage, casings removed, browned, and crumbled.
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, oil-reserved
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
4 to 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 to 1-1/2 cups)
6 large eggs (I prefer Eggland's Best eggs)
1-1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle bread cubes in casserole. Sprinkle cooked sausage evenly over bread cubes. Pour 1 tablespoon reserved sun-dried tomato oil into skillet. Add onions and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes and rosemary, stirring until blended. Place onion mixture over sausage. Cover with cheese. Whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper, dry mustard, and nutmeg in a medium bowl until well blended. Pour egg mixture over casserole. Cover (hint - spray aluminum foil with non-stick spray first). Refrigerate 8 to 10 hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover casserole. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until set.

Note: I increased the recipe by 1/2 and used a 9-1/2 by 13 inch casserole dish.