Mod Meals on Mendenhall

With Spring upon us and winter hibernation concluding, the days are brighter longer but time seems to be stretched more and more. Most of my time at home seems to be consumed with Spring cleaning and backyard upkeep. Although getting out my weed wacker and sinus medication didnt come with much whining as I was pleased to enjoy sometime outside (my pale pale legs were grateful too).

With all the time spent in the garden, I’ve been looking for really easy, simple and fresh recipes for weeknight meals. I was particularly inspired by a post on What Katie Ate for a Poached Salmon Salad with Chick Peas and Fried Capers – but wanted to make the recipe easier by skipping the poaching and frying. Red radishes are in season and were irresistible at the store so I through them in for crunch and color. This salad was refreshing and a good healthy and hearty mid-week dinner. I enjoyed it with a glass of white wine while I caught up on all my favorite cooking and design blogs. The leftovers kept up well overnight too.

Salmon Salad with Capers, Chick Peas, Radishes and Arugula adapted from What Katie Ate

• 1 small piece of wild salmon
• 4 radishes, sliced thin
• 1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 3 teaspoons capers
• several handfuls arugula
• feta cheese, crumbled
• lemon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. In a hot pan, with a small drizzle of olive oil, sear the salmon on both sides until cooked through. Allow to cool off. While salmon is cooling, whisk together the juice of one lemon, a pinch of salt and pepper to taste (sometimes I add a pinch of natural sugar too). Whisk in olive oil until desired consistancy. Toss radishes, check peas, arugula and capers together. Plate and top with salmon and feta.

When it comes to my range of cooking skills across regions and cuisines, I consider myself quite the novice the further east I go. And while generally I have a hard time sticking with measurements when cooking – I usually try to be more exact when I’m less familiar with flavors. For this recipe, I was exact with the ingredients in the dressing and played with the components of the salad. Ironically, I looked West to the Pioneer Woman’s blog to find this fantastic recipe for Asian Noodle Salad. The recipe has certainly been adapted by a Western woman but still takes advantage of really wonderful (yet basic) ingredients used in the East.

I took advantage of the Super G Mart on West Market Street in Greensboro, NC to pick up all the veggies for this recipe. I added Thai Basil because I couldn’t resist buying a bundle and it has a really amazing aroma. This recipe makes enough to feed an army – so don’t make my mistake of cooking it for one and assuming that you won’t be sick of it after eating it for days upon days. I considered setting up a stand on Mendenhall and selling boxes of it – but I was too tired from all the chopping.

Asian Noodle Salad adapted from the Pioneer Women Cooks

• 1 package Linguine Noodles
• ½ head Sliced Napa Cabbage
• ½ head Sliced Purple Cabbage
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 2 handful Bean Sprouts
• Chopped Cilantro
• Chopped Thai Basil
• 1 whole English Cucumber, Sliced
• 1 handful roasted and salted peanuts

Dressing:

• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
• ⅓ cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
• 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped
• Chopped Cilantro

Mix all ingredients together for the salad dressing. Meanwhile cook the noodles and chop ALL the veggies for the salad. Once the pasta is cooked and slightly cooked – pour half the dressing on the noodles (they will soak up the dressing while warm). When the pasta is completely cooled, add them to the veggies and top with the remainder of the dressing. Enjoy!

For Christmas Day Lunch, my sister and Dad planned a meal focused on highlighting local Gulf Coast Seafood. I signed up to make the salad and bread so I could get out of the kitchen and spend more time with my family. I made both the salad and bread in advance and relaxed for the remainder of the meal. I recommend this strategy highly.

While the idea of proving to the world that Gulf Coast Seafood is still safe to eat and delicious – I don’t believe in a Christmas without bacon…or any holiday for that matter. So, I opted for a salad that included thick cuts of Italian pancetta. Pancetta is similar to bacon – yet not smoked and cured with spices like nutmeg, fennel and garlic. You can find it at pretty much any deli counter these days – ask for it cut thick. Roasted with fresh fennel, this salad can be served as a main course alone – or even added to a pasta. I ate much of it standing in the kitchen while assembling for others.

Roasted Fennel and Pancetta Salad inspired by Giada De Laurnentiis

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients:

• 2 large fennel bulbs, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
• 10 thick slices of pancetta, cut in halves
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 small pinch of salt
• 1 small pinch of pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 bags of baby arugula
• lemon or red wine vinaigrette
• parmesan, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a large baking sheet (or two), scatter the fennel wedges and pancetta together. Top with brown sugar, salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix well – so that each piece is equally coated. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the pancetta is crispy and fennel is tender. Depending on how your oven works, you may want to stir occasionally. Once complete, allow to cool and toss with arugula and lemon vinaigrette.

I’ve made this Fennel and Granny Smith Apple Salad about three times and have failed to photograph it (you can slightly see it in the photo below!). This salad is a great compliment for a rich main dish. I’ve served it with heavy dishes like French Onion Soup and Cheese Fondue. I like it because it is far from ordinary yet doesn’t steal the show. I’ve added sweet and savory pecans and goat cheese and my sister, Maggie, made it for guests in Denver and added pomegranate seeds. It certainly doesn’t need any additions but please don’t hold back any creativity!

Fresh Fennel and Granny Smith Apple Salad

• 1 medium-sized fennel bulb, julianned
• 1 large granny smith apple, julianned
• 1 large container mix baby greens
• lemon vinaigrette
• pecans, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese (optional)

Using a mandolin, slice the fennel and apple into 1/4 inch slices. Then slice thinning into even julianned pieces (if you can figure this full julianne technique out with the mandolin - more power to you). Add to your favorite lemon vinaigrette (mine is salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice and olive oil) to prevent from browning. When ready to serve, toss with fresh baby greens.

There is no doubt that the star of this salad was the candied pecans that topped it (literally and figuratively). I’ll post that recipe tomorrow. This is simple salad yet showcases a great hidden gem of vegetables – the radish! We used baby arugula instead of mache and a somewhat stinky goat cheese instead of blue cheese. If you make this, certainly stick with the radishes and sweet pecans – the bitter and sweet balance tremendously!

Mache , Radish and Candied Pecan Salad adapted from Williams Sonoma Entertaining with the Seasons

• Mache (we used Baby Arugula)
• Radishes (8 or so)
• Blue cheese, crumbled (we used a goat cheese)
• Candied Pecans (recipe tomorrow)

Vinaigrette

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper