Italian Feast For 50

There is a LOT of catching up I need to do....For starters, I recently turned 26 and made a giant vegetarian feast for my close friends but it didn't seem right to publish that post without paying tribute to my 25th rotation around the sun when I had a big, fat, Italian-style birthday party.  I created a menu weeks in advance and started prepping over 7 days out. It was the largest cooking prodcution I've ever done and required extensive advance planning. I had about 45 RSVP's but I really struggle with knowing how much food to prepare for large groups and I never want people to leave hungry. So I probably cooked enough for 80-100 people. We had leftovers for a solid week following my birthday. I invited people over just to help eat the leftovers!

Mini asparagus and mushroom frittatas. 

My Grandma's beautiful Native American painting with a table full of 

homemade bread and local cheese.

Antipasta California style: Mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and avocado.

Faro salad with marinated peppers and zucchini.

The display.

Marinated & roasted eggplant salad with olives, bread chunks and pecorino cheese.

Marinated roasted mushrooms

Green bean salad with roasted walnuts

Josh Tal enjoying (I hope!)

Meat tray

Dessert buffet! Desserts provided by Erica, Bernardo, Nichole and my Mom :)

Summer Arugula Salad

For my Mom's 60th birthday I wanted to make a special dinner at home. The menu included a ricotta strawberry dip, summer arugula salad, roasted summer squash with bacon in pasta, seared halibut with lemon, capers and Shiitake mushrooms and a delicious chocolate cake for dessert.  My mom told me one of her favorite salads is arugula, fennel and Parmesan. I made a slightly modified Birthday version  of this to showcase some of the fabulous produce in season. The Friday, Heart of the City Farmer's Market just opened and is wonderful. The prices are loads better than the Saturday Ferry Building Farmer's market. I picked up these delicious peaches that tasted like mangoes! This salad is light and delicious and packs well for parties. Be sure to choose peaches that are a little on the firmer side so they hold well in the salad.

Summer Arugula Salad

Ingredients:

Arugula

Firm yellow peaches

Walnuts

Fennel bulbs

Shaved Parmesan

Balsamic dressing:

- olive oil

- balsamic vinegar

- honey

- lemon juice

- mustard

- red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Slice the peaches into evenly sized cubes.

2. Toast the walnuts for 5-7 minutes

3. Slice the fennel bulbs into thin even slices

4. Toss the arugula, fennel and peaches. Sprinkle on the toasted walnuts and shaved Parmesan.

5. Make the dressing by adding the ingredients in order from most used to least used. Shake the dressing and taste to see what you should adjust. I usually allow people to dress their own salads since everyone has a different dressing preference. 

Left to Right: Jessica & Mary Farman, MOM, me, Nadine Farman

Seasonal Salad from Heirloom Organic Gardens

Finally it's raining! I've been hearing from the folks at Heirloom Organic Gardens & Eatwell Farms that the lack of rain has hindered their crops and they haven't been able to grow full heads of cabbage - which require a lot of rain. It's been raining for a solid 3 days now which is GREAT! Looking forward to all the spring vegetables coming our way. In anticipation here is a tip of the hat to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market, Heirloom Organic Gardens, & Gordon Clark....

The greens pictured above are curly kale and a type of arugula from Heirloom Organic Gardens. Below is a mix of greens selected from the farmer's market to go our salad as part of Create a Farmer's Market Feast

Delicious salad made with seasonal greens, fennel, hard boiled egg, grated beet, radishes and sliced onion.

Gordon Clark's Special Salad Dressing:
Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a spicy type of mustard
The dressing is so good that I thought there were some additional secret ingredients, but not it really is just that simple. So what's the trick? Put it all in a Tupperware container and mix with some elbow grease.

YUM!

Enjoy.....

Summer Salad with Grilled Shrimp

As main course at our Farmer's Market Feast we had a delicious summer salad of all local ingredients and juicy grilled shrimp. This was as simple and delicious meal that definitely tied all the pieces together. Here is a photo of the gang with our meal sitting on our deck:

For this salad the mixed greens were from Heirloom Organic Farms in Hollister. We met with David from the farm who was very knowledgeable about all the different types of greens and shared samples with us of various flowers and furry greens. The large summer tomatoes and crisp cucumbers in our salad were from Capay Farms, our avocados were from the kind Will of Brokaw Nursey in Ventura County. The shrimp was from San Francisco Fish Company at the Ferry Building. We had a simple tangy lime and sesame dressing to tie together the shrimp and bitter greens.

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2.5 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and divined

2 ears corn
3 small tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
2/3 large cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 large avocado, thinly sliced
8 cups loosely packed mixed greens

2 tablespoons mint leaves
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground pepper
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Directions:
1. Mix the chili garlic sauce, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add in the shrimp and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Heat olive oil on medium high heat on a skillet. Add half the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes or until done. Use tongs and transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the corn ears in the water for 5 minutes then run under cold water. Remove the kernels from the ears with a sharp knife.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and pepper.
5. In a large salad bowl, place the mixed greens, corn, tomato wedges, avocado, cucumber and mint. Place a few pieces of grilled shrimp on top and drizzle the dressing over the salad. Enjoy!

Summer Slaw

I needed some inspiration for a salad to make for a little evening dinner so I went to Whole Foods to browse their salad bar and their combinations are always delicious. I saw  few different types of slaw so I decided to give it shot and make my own. The flavors and textures were really delicious and the sweetness of the cranberries and apples is a great addition. The key for a good slaw is to make every vegetable or fruit piece as close to the same size as possible. A fork full of evenly chopped items is really lovely. I used a honey and lemon based dressing for this slaw to keep the apples from browning and add some sweetness to the bitterness of some of the vegetables. This dish keeps well too so you can enjoy leftovers for lunch or dinner.

Summer Slaw

Ingredients:
3 broccoli stalks, finely sliced into matchsticks
3 carrots, finely sliced into matchsticks
1/2 head green cabbage, finely sliced into matchsticks
1 red apple, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 white wine
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1. Place all the fruits and vegetables in a large bowl and mix to incorporate.
2. In a small glass, mix the ingredients for the dressing until you have an even consistency. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve. At least for 15 min.

Fennel and Cabbage Salad with Dried Cranberries and Apples

One of my top 2 favorite salads of all time is the Chinese Chicken Salad served at Comfort's in Sausalito. The crispness and freshness of the ingredients mixed with a hearty roll is truly the best meal. I wanted to create something similar in terms of crisp and fresh but with different ingredieants. A good friend from out of town, John, came to the city last weekend for work and he came over for dinner on Friday evening. I went to the Union Square Green Market after work and got some inspiration for a meal. One of the vendors had huge bulbs of fennel so I picked up two fennel roots and went on my way. Another vendor had large beautiful rolls of whole wheat bread and since it was already 6pm, all the bread was half off, so I picked up a large roll to go with the salad. I enjoy the strong licorice taste to fennel seeds so I treated this salad in much the same way - complimenting it with some sweet ingredients to offset the licorice flavor. This recipe is based off of Alison's Lunch. This salad also tastes great the next day! Just remember to slice your fennel super thin!

Fennel and Cabbage Salad with Dired Cranberries and Apples
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 large bulb fennel, roots trimmed and very thinly sliced
1/2 small head of green cabbage, very thinly sliced
1 apple, unpeeled, cored and cut into matchsticks
A generous 1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions:
1. Combine the fennel, cabbage, apple and cranberries in a large salad bowl.
2. In a small glass, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, fennel sees and ground pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until incorporated. Refrigerate for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

The first time I ever had warm goat cheese was also the first time I ever really started enjoying cheese. I can't remember where I was, but I know I was with my cousin Megan and it was part of a salad and it was in 2008 I think. Since then, I haven't had warm goat cheese. With Megan and Sarah coming for dinner I though it was the perfect opportunity to try and make a warm goat cheese salad. This was last Saturday and to make less work for the evening meal, I decided to do all the prep work for the goat cheese rounds in the morning. This definitely helped because it made the cheese firm with the crust so that it was easier to fry. I served these warm rounds with fresh strawberries, mixed greens and almond slices. The salad was fresh, and the creaminess of the goat cheese was the perfect compliment.

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
12 ounces goat cheese, in roll form
2 egg whites - beaten until frothy
Olive oil
Mixed greens
Strawberries, sliced
Sliced almonds

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the panko crumbs, thyme, parsley, basil and ground pepper.
2. Slice the goat cheese and use your hands to make rounds. Beat the eggs whites in a separate bowl until they are frothy. Dip the goat cheese rounds into the egg white mixture, then the panko mixture and place on a plate. Cover and chill for at least one hour, up to 8 hours.
3. Prepare the salad of mixed greens, strawberries and sliced almonds in a large bowl.
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Place the goat cheese rounds on the skillet and let sizzle for about 3 minutes on each side. You want the crust to turn a nice golden brown. Serve warm with salad.
5. For a dressing, mix and taste olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, and lemon juice.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

My good friend and I decided to make gyros for dinner. I peaked into a falafel shop to see what toppings they were serving with their shawarma and I saw this lovely looking carrot salad. I have heard of Moroccan carrot salads before, but I had yet to make one. The ginger in this salad is what really brought the whole thing together. Also, I recommend making this few hours before you plan to eat it because it really tastes much better after the ingredients have set for a few hours. Carrots used raw in salads is a relatively new addition to our culinary history. Europeans would eat carrot cooked in stews however it was primarily in Northwestern Africa that raw carrots became a feature of salads. Since then the raw carrot salad has spread east to Israel and it is now a typical Rosh Hashanah dish. Also, I found that raw carrot salads were frequently served as accompaniments to at Israeli restaurants with bread, pickles, hummus and cabbage salad. There are a number of different ways to make this salad and had I had some harissa (a northwest African chili paste) I certainly would have used that! I used basil in this carrot salad because I didn't have any fresh mint, however feel free to swap the basil and mint. Other options for ingredients that would taste good in this include orange juice, orange blossom water, or a little bit of plain yogurt. Enjoy your leftovers for lunch or with couscous! Here is a picture of the carrot salad with the other gyro accompaniments:

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 small green chilies, minced

Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to two days.
2. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Tuna Melt Stuffed Bell Peppers: Refuel from a 9 Mile Hike Over 6 Ridges

 Sunday morning I woke up at 7:00 am, met a group of adventurous city folk and drove 1 hour to go on a 9 mile hike over 6 ridges. Returning to my apartment at 7ish, I had a good friend coming for a last minute dinner. I needed to make something easy, healthy, filling and nice because it was Easter on Sunday and so far my friend had just had pizza all day. With aching legs and still slightly dizzy head I was craving a tuna melt but didn't want to put shoes on again or walk anywhere to get the bread! So I decided to take the tuna melt concept and make it fly with pasta - oh yeah, and stuff bell peppers with it! If it's not obvious, I had bell peppers sitting in my fridge and wanted to use them. While I felt like I had just been beat to a pulp after the hike, I'm happy I pulled this meal together because it ended up tasting great! First, here is a picture of the lake we went to towards the end of the hike: (note, picture does not do it justice)

                                

Tuna Melt Stuffed Bell Peppers
(Makes three bell peppers with enough pasta salad left over for lunch and dinner the next day)

Ingredients:
3 bell peppers
4 servings whole wheat shell pasta
1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/3 cup corn kernels
2 cans canned tuna
1/3 cup grated cheddar
1/3 cup grated soy mozzarella
1/4 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup juice from jar of marinated artichoke hearts

Directions:
1. Bring two pots of water to a boil. Slice the tops off of the bell peppers and place them in one of the pots of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Then let drain upside down over a rack. In the other pot of water, cook the pasta.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. When pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Place in a bowl and mix in chopped tomatoes, chopped celery, corn, and tuna. Drizzle the juice from the marinated artichoke jar and mix gently until all the ingredients are incorporated.
4. Stuff the bell peppers with a spoonful of the pasta salad, then a layer of chopped avocado, then one more spoonful of the pasta salad and then a generous layer of the cheese. Place stuffed bell peppers on a glass baking dish and bake for about 6-7 minutes, until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Tangy Potato Salad

A new take on your standard potato salad makes for a slightly tangy, and a little crunchier version. Simple, quick easy and satisfying the leftovers even taste great! Combined with a meal of deviled eggs, flaky cheddar biscuits and tomato soup, this was the perfect fresh dish. I used equal parts mayonnaise and  grainy Dijon mustard which added to the tangy punch. I don't think I have ever used tarragon in a recipe but after doing some potato salad research, I learned that it's a pretty standard herb to use.

Tangy Potato Salad

Ingredients:

3/4 lb mini Russet potatoes

3/4 lb mini Yukon potatoes

1 cup heirloom tomatoes, chopped

3 large celery stalks, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 handful fresh parsley

 2 teaspoons dried tarragon

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Ground pepper

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add potatoes, cover and reduce the heat to bring the water to a simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Drain and run with cold water to prevent potatoes from cooking more.

2. While potatoes are simmering, chop and mix the tomatoes, celery, green onions and parsley. In a separate smaller bowl make the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, tarragon and pepper.

3. When potatoes have cooled, chop and mix in with the tomato mixture. Add dressing and lightly toss just until it is evenly incorporated.

Chicken Salad

My first time having chicken salad, other than Chinese chicken salad in California, was at my boyfriend's grandmother, Bess's, home. She prepared a delicious lunch for us of chicken salad, biscuits and vegetable beef soup. On most Sunday afternoons, we still crave this meal. This was very much the inspiration for our Valentine's dinner but we changed it up a bit and swaped the vegetable beef soup for mushroom barley soup. This chicken salad is very easy to prepare and has a lovely contrast of sweet and salty with the grapes and pickles. Combined with the dill biscuits, we had fantastic chicken salad sandwiches with grainy mustard and crisp lettuce.

                          

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

7 chicken breast tenderloins

1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes, halved

3 celery stalks, chopped

6 crunchy kosher pickles, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 heaping tablespoon tarragon

Olive oil

Thyme

Ground pepper

Garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the chicken breast tenderloins on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme, ground pepper and garlic powder. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

3. When chicken has cooled, shred the meat from the bones into thick chunks. Place chicken in a bowl with grapes, celery, and pickles. Add mayonnaise and mix with forks to incorporate. Add tarragon and mix until it is evenly distributed.

Assembling Chicken Salad Biscuit Sandwiches:

1. Slice biscuit in half and remove some of the flaky parts in the center. This part is delicious to eat on its own.

                      

2. Add grainy mustard on each half of the biscuit.

                       

3. Pile with chicken salad, lettuce and any other accompaniments.