ROQUEFORT CREAM
This mousse can be used as a salad or hors d'oeuvres.
3/4 cup water
1/2 to 3/4 lb. Roquefort cheese
2 T. plain gelatin
3/4 cups dry white wine
1/2 pint of whipping cream, whipped OR 16 oz. silk tofu
Mash cheese with wine, soften gelatin in 1/4 cup of
water, boil remaining water and dissolve gelatin. While
still hot, add to cheese mixture and beat until smooth.
Whip cream or run tofu through the blender, add other
ingredients in the cheese mixture. Spoon into an oiled 6
cup mold and chill until set. Serve on lettuce with crackers
or French bread.
Bleu cheese can be substituted for the Roquefort
although the mousse isn't as festive somehow. Proportions
on this can vary widely.
ARTICHOKE ASPIC
1 cup of artichoke puree
(from canned, frozen, or fresh cooked)
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup of cottage cheese
2 T. unflavored gelatin
3/4 cups of water
Salt to taste
Soften gelatin in lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water.
Boil remaining water and dissolve gelatin. Put cottage
cheese through blender or food processor, add artichokes,
& gelatin mixture (if you are using canned artichokes,
rinse and drain well.) Spoon into oiled individual molds
or a 4 or 5 cup mold. If more artichokes are available,
increase to 2 cups in all and use a 6 cup mold; this
produces a more intense, but also a more expensive, aspic.
Just before serving, sprinkle the top with olive oil.
Serve on a bed of lettuce with crackers and lemon
mayonnaise: a few drops of lemon extract beaten into plain
mayonnaise.
MARINATED MUSHROOMS
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup scallions, sliced
4 T. olive oil
1 t. fines herbs
2 T. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and marinade several hours.
The vegetables may be "zapped" in the microwave with the
rest of the ingredients (2 minutes) to speed the process.
Chill. Serve on shredded romaine with tomato slices.
MUSHROOMS MEXICANA:
substitute 1 T. salsa for
fine herbs and omit vinegar. Thicken with 1 T. bread
crumbs and use as filling in pita bread along with chopped
tomatoes and lettuce.
MARINATED VEGETABLES
ITALIANO
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1 cup cooked chick peas
(garbanzo beans)
3 stalks of celery, sliced
2 green peppers, julienne
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 (barely) cooked potato,
cubed
1 clove of garlic, put
through a press
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
6 T. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
Combine all ingredients and chill several hours.
Serve
over lettuce.
THREE BEAN SALAD
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 can of cut green beans
1 can of small red beans
no-oil dressing
very thinly sliced onion
small can of sliced ripe
olives
Drain and rinse beans, toss with onion, no-oil dressing
to taste, add small can of sliced ripe olives. I usually zap
the cut onion for about a minute.
COLD RICE SALAD
2 cups of cold, cooked
rice
1/2 cup of scallions,
sliced
1/2 cup of green pepper,
julienne
2 tablespoons of stuffed
olives, green
2 T. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
3 T. fresh herbs or parsley,
chopped
Combine all ingredients and serve over lettuce or use
as a stuffing for avocado or tomato cases.
ALTERNATIVE METHOD: Toss hot rice in 1/2 cup
Italian dressing or no-oil dressing. Chill. Add chopped
vegetables and serve.
ANTIPASTO
Use as many or as few of the following items as you
wish, remembering to contrast textures, flavors, and
colors:
Anchovies
Sardines
Olives
Pickled Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Scallions
Cheeses
Chick peas
Artichoke Hearts
Pimentos
Bell Peppers
Stuffed Eggs
Lettuce
Green Beans
Celery or finocchio
Salami
Italian Ham
Tuna Fish
Radishes
Etc.
Arrange on large platter.
Serve with Bread Sticks.
MEDITERRANEAN SALAD
This is basically chilled Ratatouille:
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 lb. tomatoes, skinned
and quartered
2 zucchini, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. oregano
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, pressed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 T olive oil &
1 T butter
Saute onions, pepper, then zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes
and herbs in olive oil and butter. Simmer (or bake in 350
oven) for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve over rice as Ratatouille
(I usually top it with Parmesan cheese) or chill and serve
over lettuce as salad.
GREEK SALAD
2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes in wedges
3 T. feta cheese
1 T. minced scallions
12 Greek or black olives
Combine all ingredients
and dress with lemon and
oil, or no-oil dressing.
GREEK VINAIGRETTE
4 T. olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Black pepper to taste
Crush garlic clove slightly and add other ingredients.
Just before serving, discard garlic.
DRESSINGS FOR FRUIT SALADS:
MINT DRESSING:
4 T. mint jelly, melted
and cooled
3/4 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel
(optional) Mix together all ingredients and serve over
fresh fruits
and berries, with or without cottage cheese.
APPLE DRESSING
1/2 cup of apple kefir
1/2 cup of yogurt or
3 T. mayonnaise
Grating of nutmeg
Mix together all ingredients and top with fresh grating
of nutmeg. Good on fruit salad with walnuts.
GINGER DRESSING
Grate about 1/4 cup of ginger root onto a kitchen towel,
wring out juice into a cupful of flavored yogurt or plain
yogurt sweetened with honey. Or put ginger through garlic
press to extract juice, discard pulp.
SALADS FOR CHINESE DINNERS
I CHING SALAD
This salad varies so much that I named it after the
Book
of Changes.
Chopped Bok Choy
Shredded Napa
Sliced Daikon
Whatever else is Oriental
and available
Combine all ingredients and serve with soy dressing
SOY DRESSING
3 T. peanut oil
1/4 t. MSG
1 T. sherry
2 T. soy sauce
Use mushroom soy if it is available. Combine all
ingredients and shake again just before serving. A slice of
ginger may be placed in the dressing and removed before
serving. Likewise a clove of garlic.
To make an egg garnish for Chinese salads, beat 2 eggs
with 1 T. sherry and cook in oiled omelette or crepe pan
over low heat. When almost set, sprinkle the top with
chopped chives, if desired. Finish cooking, cool, turn out
onto board and slice in thin strips. Decorate salads with a
few of these strips. A favorite homestyle Chinese salad:
TURNIP SALAD
2 turnips
4 scallions, sliced
Salt
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Slice the turnips very thinly, salt heavily, then rinse.
Add the scallions, including part of the green tops and soy
sauce to taste. Chill. Just before serving, sprinkle with
warm sesame oil if desired.
SNOW PEA SALAD
1 pk. frozen snow peas
or 8 oz. fresh if available
1/4 cup ham, cut julienne
Egg garnish
2 cups young fresh spinach
leaves Pour boiling water on defrosted or washed snow
peas,
drain and chill. Mix snow peas and greens and top with a
garnish of eggs and ham.
Use soy dressing, bottled sweet and sour dressing,
or
sesame oil.
MIDNIGHT SUN SALAD
1 or 2 hard boiled eggs per person
Mayonnaise
Lemon extract
Cucumber Peel, seed, chop and salt cucumber. Set aside and
drain. Mix 2 or 3 drops of lemon extract with 1 cup of
mayonnaise. Cut boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Reserve
some of the yolk and mash the rest, add drained
cucumbers. Place egg whites on lettuce and spoon yolk
mixture into and over them. Crumble up reserved yolk on
top and sprinkle with dill, if desired.
SPINACH-MUSHROOM
When I worked in a restaurant, we called this
spin-mush. It is a simple salad, but still one of the best.
To tender, well washed leaves of spinach, add very
fresh sliced raw mushrooms and fresh basil. Toss with
olive oil and wine vinegar or with basil dressing.
#BASIL DRESSING
1 cup combined olive and corn oil
1/3 cup of red wine vinegar
1 t. powdered garlic
2 t. dried basil
3/4 t. black pepper
1 t. salt
Whir in blender for about 30 seconds. Store in
sealed glass jar.
Serves 8
SHRIMP LOUIS
A good summer luncheon:
2 lbs of cold boiled
shrimp
8 ripe tomatoes
4 Avocados dipped in
lemon juice
4 green peppers
8 hard boiled eggs
Lettuce
Louis Dressing
On a bed of lettuce, arrange tomato wedges, egg
quarters, avocado slices, and green pepper strips. Place
shrimp in the middle. Cover with Louis Dressing. Top
with two or three more shrimp and parsley. Garnish with
lemon wedges.
SEAFOOD LOUIS:
Use mixed seafood: crab, lobster,
scallops, and shrimp.
LOUIS DRESSING
1/4 cup bottled chili
sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped green
pepper
Mix chili sauce and mayonnaise, whip cream and fold
in. For a lighter dressing, substitute plain yogurt for the
cream.
SEAFOOD DRESSING
FOR GREEN SALAD
Mix 1/4 cup chili sauce with 3/4 cup mayonnaise, add
1/2 cup chopped green pepper, one seeded and chopped
tomato, one chopped hard boiled egg, and cup of small
cooked shrimp. Serve chilled over green salad.
SOUTH
COAST SALAD
Avocado
Grapefruit
Bib lettuce
Oranges
Sliced, toasted almonds
On a bed of lettuce, place alternate slices of avocado,
fresh grapefruit sections, and slices of orange. Serve with
lemon-honey dressing. Sprinkle with almonds.
LEMON-HONEY DRESSING
Juice of one lemon
3 T. oil
2 T. honey
1/2 t. ground cardamon seeds
1 t. poppy seeds
Whisk together lemon, oil, honey, and spices. If the
color is too pale, add about 1 T. French dressing or 1/2 t.
tomato paste.
SUMMER PALACE
SALAD Very hefty:
1 cup of cold steak or other cooked beef
2 cups of cold, cooked potatoes
1/2 cup of pickled beets
2 hard boiled eggs
2 T. horseradish (or to taste)
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
Salt & pepper to taste
Combine horseradish and sour cream and toss with
potatoes and cubed beef, put in lettuce lined bowl and
garnish with a little more sour cream, beets and eggs. The
beets will "bleed," so add them right before serving.
BANANA RAITA
Raita is
a yogurt-based salad popular in Indian cooking.
1 cup yogurt, plain and/or flavored
1/2 cup coconut
1 banana
1 orange, sectioned
Mix all ingredients except the bananas and chill. Just
before serving, add the sliced banana. Honey is good added
to plain yogurt for this salad.
Almost any ripe fruit, in almost any proportion, may
be
added to yogurt for a raita. Good flavored with guava jelly,
kiwi jam, gooseberry preserves or with fresh chopped mint
and/or mint jelly (melt in microwave to blend more
easily). Also good with liquid from fresh ginger root
mashed in garlic press.
In India,they pop mustard seeds in oil and add them
to
the raitas. To do so, heat one tablespoon of oil in small
pan and drop in two teaspoons of black mustard seeds.
Cover quickly for they pop all over the place. It sounds
and smells like popcorn popping but takes little more than
a minute. In India, when a deal reaches a critical point,
they say, "I hear the mustard seeds popping."
VEGETABLE RAITA
Add chopped vegetables and herbs to plain yogurt:
tomatoes with basil or coriander; cucumbers (salted and
drained) with dill; cubed cooked potatoes with parsley;
cooked, cubed yams with molasses (or jalepeno peppers);
etc.
CLUB HOUSE CHICKEN
SALAD
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon peel
1 cup green seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 to 3/4 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup cashews
Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice and peel, combine
and chill other ingredients. Top with nuts just before
serving.
Best when homemade mayonnaise is used:
MAYONNAISE
1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. salt
1 t. powdered mustard
pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 cup of oil
Combine all ingredients except oil in blender. Whirr
at
low speed, pour in oil in a fine stream. Store in
refrigerator.