La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

I can't believe I've never posted a lentil salad recipe here. I have two in my arsenal, and one I just modified from that fantastic cookbook/pastry shop Once Upon A Tart. I also happen to have a Zjirushi rice cooker from Japan that makes excellent lentils in a hurry. If you don't have a rice cooker, you can always cook the lentils over the stove top, ration is 1:3 (lentils:water). Rules of rice cooking apply: bring to a rapid boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 min - 1 hour. No peeking!

You will need:
- 4 c cooked French Lentils (dark green)
- 1/2 small red onion finely diced
- 4 carrots, shredded on the cheese grater

For the dressing:

- 7 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp masala curry powder
- juice of 1 lemon or lime
- large handful of Italian Parsley, chopped
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, freshly grated
- salt to taste

Step One: Clean lentils (pick out rocks and rinse); cook in rice cooker or over the stovetop. Ration is 1:3, boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 min - 1 hour or until lentils are soft but not mushy. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Step Two: Place all ingredients for dressing in a bowl, minus the olive oil. While using a wire whisk, slowly drizzle in olive oil until fully incorporated. Toss in lentils, onion, and carrots.

Step Three: You can eat these warm, cold, whatever - they are fantastic. I ate them as a main course with a side of asparagus. Mmm. Soooo good.

Labels: carrots, lentils, salad, spices

So you've used the beet greens, I hope, and are now wondering how to salvage those naked little bulbs in your veggie bin before they rot. Now, before you decide to abandon them to a moldy fate, I implore you to give them this one chance to redeem themselves as a wonderful salad.

Beets have a very "rooty" taste and when cooked, the texture is nothing like a potato but more like . . . well, I can't really say there is anything like a cooked beet. If you've ever had beets from a can, fresh beets are slightly more crunchy and have more of that characteristic minerally taste to them. I used my "leftover" beet bulbs to create a quick shredded salad. You can be as creative as you'd like to be and add it to a regular green salad, or cubed rather than shredded tossed with cooked, chilled asparagus. The possibilities are endless.

You will need:

- 5-8 beets, stems removed, washed
- 1 can of small mandarin oranges
- 4 tbsp of red or white wine vinegar
- 6 tbsp of olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp of sugar

Step One: In a pot of water (about4 cups), place the beets and cook over medium-high heat for about 35-45 minutes or until very tender. Remove from heat, drain, and plunge into an ice bath.

Step Two: After the beets are chilled, peel them and shred the bulbs on a cheese grater or cube up for tossed salad. Mix the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a separate bowl. Drizzle over the beets and toss with small mandarin oranges.

You can eat the beets like this, or take these beets and sprinkle them over a salad. If you have a good beet recipe, please share. I am also trying to find a recipe for creamed beets to make with latkes. Mmmm.

Labels: beets, oranges, salad

After attending a garden party recently, I just couldn't resist asking the host for her cauliflower salad recipe. Cauliflower, that beautiful creamy floret, was bathed in a lemon parsley pesto and then dotted with sicilian green olives. While my host gave me the ingredients, I didn't ask for the exact portions, so I made them up (as usual). Feel free to tinker with this dish, serving it warm or cold, and adding different herbs if you have them.

You will need:
- 1 head of cauliflower, washed and cut into small pieces
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 chile piquin
- 1/2 bunch of Italian parsley
- 1 shallot or 1/4 white onion
- 8 large green olives for the pesto and 10 for the salad roughly chopped (I used green sicilian olives, but you can use kalamata too)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 c of olive oil

Step One: Place the cauliflower florets in a heated stock pot with 1/2 c of water and a pinch of salt. Cover the pan and cook over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes until cauliflower softens. The texture you are looking for should be slightly crunchy as this is a salad, not a soup mush.
Remove, drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.

Step Two: In a blender, combine the parsley, garlic, chile, onion, 8 olives, and lemon juice. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until totally incorporated.

Step Three: Bathe the cauliflower in the pesto and add the remaining olives to them. Serve warm or cold with a side of pasta or good bread and a salad.

Labels: cauliflower, Italian parsley, lemon, olives, salad

I can't seem to the put the Jaime Oliver essential family cookbook down lately. This is the latest creation of his that I tried and absolutely loved--especially now in the summer time with the World Cup game in play. While I prepared this dish with goat cheese (soft chevre) I recommend a hard feta unless you don't mind the creamy goat cheese giving way to the liquid of the salad. The output of this recipe is very small, so feel free to double it if you want leftovers for lunch.

You will need:
- 1 can of chickpeas, drained
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1 vine ripened tomato, diced
- juice of one lemon
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- handful of chopped fresh mint
- handful of chopped fresh basil
- large handful of crumbled feta
- chile piquin for spice, salt and pepper to taste

Just combine all of the ingredients above in a mixing bowl and let rest for 10 minutes before eating. I served these over a bed of organic lettuces. He recommends actually heaitng the chick peas in a pan and mushing about 10% of them up for a creamy texture. I didn't want a warm salad, so I decided to just toss the ingredients around like a loose salad. The result: a light, protein rich summer salad, perfect with a glass of white wine and a side of rustic french bread.

Labels: garbanzo beans, goat cheese, herbs, salad

What can you use that leftover salmon or trout for? I suggest taking leftover fish and turning it into this light potato salad. I used pomme de terre or golden table potatoes, but new potatoes work just as well. Also, I suggest using green onions or chives in this recipe, but white or red onions work for this dish as well. Finally, this dish uses dairy, so beware my fellow lactose intolerant friends. Substitute a fresh aioli, mayo, or nayonaise if you wish.

You will need:
- 1/2 lb of cooked salmon (I used leftovers from the salmon dinner), cut into pieces
- 4 small golden table potatoes, boiled and quartered
- 4 tbsp of sour cream (or substitute)
- 1/4 white onion, or 4 sprigs of green onions finely sliced
- handful of chopped flat leafed Italian parsley
- 3 tsp of horseradish (not horseradish cream!)
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 clove of minced garlic
- zest and juice of one lemon
- salt & pepper to taste

Step One: Boil potatoes for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and quarter. Set aside.

Step Two: In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, lemon zest & juice, onions, clove of minced garlic, parsley, olive oil, and horseradish. Mix until well blended. Add in cooked salmon and potatoes, toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a wedge of iceberg lettuce or romaine with a side of bread.

My main complaint about this salad is that it doesn't keep well overnight, so eat it up for dinner because the horseraddish really looses its flavor the next day. I also suggest adding 1 tbsp of dijon mustard, and 1 tbsp of red or white wine vinegar to this dish to bring out the horseradish flavor (or in lieu thereof).

Labels: fish, lemon, potato, salad, salmon

These little french green beans were so tasty looking, I threw them into the cart without a single thought about how I'd cook and eat them. For the umpteenth time, Jamie Oliver gave me inspiration beyond my expectations. The best part, is that this dish is very portable for a pinic or lunch the next day.

You will need:
- 4 handfuls of fresh green beans, stalk ends removed
- 3 tsp of French mustard
- 4 tbsp of red or white wine vinegar
- 7 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1 tbsp of capers
- handful of chopped fresh italian parsley or chervil

Step One: Bring a pot of water to a fast boil and drop in the beans. Cook for 5 minutes; drain immediately.

Step Two: While beans cook, combine mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt & pepper in a large bowl. While whisking this mixture, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Add capers and herbs at last. Add in cooked beans and toss until coated. Serve beans as a side with whipped potatoes, pasta, or bread.

Labels: green beans, salad

Lydia Bastianich is the genius behind Felidia restaurant in NYC and a host of fabulous cookbooks. Surprisingly, she is nowhere to be found on the Food Network. No, this lily in the bog of faster food television is dedicated to a cooking philosophy that appreciates the act of cooking as a medium for love, nourishment, and even seduction.

Lydia often cooks with her toddler grandchildren crawling all over her, stirring pots of hot tomato sauce and managing not to overcook her homemade pasta in the process. Watching her PBS cooking show, you see this Italian grandmother graciously floating around her very modest kitchen dolling out dishes you swear you can smell in your living room. Well, one lazy afternoon while visiting with my mama, we happened to catch an episode of Lydia's home kitchen while she made the most simple calabasa salad with summer squash out of her garden. I replicated this dish for a light supper with a hearty bread and crab apple butter and couldn't have been happier. I hope all this talk of Lydia will inspire you to try some of her other delicious recipes from her various cookbooks, and discover (as I have) the exquisite simplicity of her many creations (i.e. gnocchi).

You will need:
- 3 yellow squash (medium or small)
- 3 zucchini
- 1/2 red onion finely sliced
- 7 tbsp of red wine vinegar
- 5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- handful of chopped Italian Parsley
- fresh cracked pepper and sea salt

Step One: In a stock pot, bring water to a boil and add your squash and zucchini in WHOLE. Lydia warns that cutting of the stems or cutting these in half will result in soggy squash. Cook for about 7 minutes.

Step Two: Remove squash from the water and place in an ice bath to cool. When chilled, cut the stems off the squash and cut into small pieces; set aside.

Step Three: In a large bowl, pour in the vinegar and while whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until well incorporated. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste. Add onions, Italian parsley, and squash. Toss thoroughly so squash is coated well.

Serve this salad with bread, or even as a side for grilled fish.

Labels: onion, salad, yellow squash, zucchini

This dish reminds me a lot of my sister Raquel. She hated bell peppers more than any other vegetable, and for that I dedicate this dish to her memory (even though she would totally gross out).

You will need:
- 2 bell peppers,
- 1 1/2 c of green lentils,
- 2 sprigs of green onion diced (may substitute with white onion),
- handful of grated paremsan,
- 1/3 c of diced or crumbled feta cheese,
- handful of chopped flat leafed italian parsley,
- 3 tblsp of olive oil,
- pinch of oregano (optional),
- 2 minced garlic cloves,
- spring greens

Step One: After picking through the lentils and removing rocks and rinsing, place them in a medium pot with 3 1/2 c of water. Cook on medium high with a lid on until soft. Like rice, this takes about 20-25 minutes to cook. Test for tenderness - if they need more water, add it 1/4 c at a time until soft but not mushy. Set aside.

Step Two: cut the bell peppers in half, remove the core, and place in pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and place in a bowl of ice water. Color should be bright green - not yucky avocado green.

Step Three: combine your cheeses, olive oil, onion, parsley, and oregano in a bowl, stirring so all ingredients are mixed in.

Step Four: Spread greens on a plate, place lentil mixture inside of the bell peppers and serve a grated parmesan on top.

Oh so yummy.

Labels: bell pepper, lentils, salad

This is a bastardized version of a delicious Peruvian dinner I had a coworker's house last year. I took the basic idea of a potato salad and combined it with some of the ingredients I had at this delectible supper. To Ms. Cave - I thank you for this inspiration of purple passion.

You will need: 4 purple potatoes boiled and chopped into large pretty pieces, head of bib lettuce, 1 avocado cut into pieces, 3 hardboiled eggs peeled and quartered, cheese, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon.

Step One: Boil the potatoes whole for 10 minutes, drain and plunge into a cold water bath. Quarter these.

Step Two: Boil the eggs (add eggs after water boils) for 10 minutes. Plunge into a cold bath of water. Peel and quarter.

Step Three: Tear of large pieces of lettuce and arrange on plate. Cut avocado and place half on each plate. Slice your favorite cheese for this dish. I recommend goat cheese or queso fresco. Place potatoes and eggs on plate, drizzle everything with olive oil and red white wine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze a small piece of lemon over avocado.

Serve cold.

Labels: avocado, eggs, potato, salad