Summer Salad with Roasted Corn & Avocado

This house has always smelled the same, and smells most like itself in the summertime. The high, hot sun bakes itself deep into the asphalt shingles and that slow creeping heat slides down through the walls, the floors, so much so that even the basement tiles become less chilly. With that warmth, comes a cache of memories, hanging, gallery-style in the warm air. I have known seventeen summers with this house. I’ve seen it’s lilac hedges fill in, watched the night sky from it’s front stoop, slept and wept and dreamt in its rooms. It would be impossible to count the number of family dinners around its table, and more impossible to forget the family who have sat there, sharing a meal and a laugh, some who will never return.

The dining room table stands at the house’s heart. It is wide and round, a great, old oak relic, a memory from the farmhouse of my childhood, resurrected in the city of my youth. At any chance, without prompting, my grandfather, now nearly ninety, will tell you the story of how he bought that table at auction in 1952 (or was it ’47?) for eight dollars. He’ll tell you that it’s solid oak, and run his hand over the tabletop and remark that it needs refinishing.

When the whole troop is here the table spreads and seats almost everyone, but it wasn’t always that way. By the time there were enough kids old enough to feed themselves and fill the card table in the living room, I was too old to join them. I’ve always slipped in to a seat at this table, preferably by the wall, at the window. This is an especially pleasant vantage point in the summer months when the evening sun is too low and still too hot to eat in the yard, and that old oak table fills up. With your back to the west wall you can catch the breeze from the window in your hair and stave off the heat as you sit elbow to elbow, proverbially breaking bread.

You could cover my eyes and spin me until I couldn’t stand and then lead me into this house and I would know precisely where I was. It’s not the colour on the walls, or the corner cabinet full of Granny’s pheasant-patterned china that makes it so familiar. It’s not the birds nest on the mantle or even that weathered old table, it’s the smell. Like a fingerprint on glass, it is clear and unique and wholly recognizable. But like a fingerprint, it is mysterious in its specificity. Without a particular quality to describe, I cannot quite articulate it for you. I only know that the summer heat brings it out like no other time of year, amplifying the magic and silence of this house. Its what makes the space feel known, what prompts the stories and memories. It is a part of the quiet moments and the raucous laughter. For me the smell of this house in summer is the shimmering thread in this family’s tapestry, woven over nearly two decades, so much of which we have spent simply chatting around an old table, pouring more wine and serving up summer salads.

Summer Salad with Roasted Corn & Avocado

The roasted corn in this salad is most efficiently achieved on the barbecue, but a couple of careful minutes on a hot griddle pan or under the broiler will do the trick. Aim to cook the starchiness from the corn as well as achieving a flavourful partial char which is both pretty and delicious. 

2 ears of corn, shucked, roasted and cut from the cob

1 large red bell pepper

1 large yellow bell pepper

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 tomato, chopped with seeds removed

1/2 cup chopped scallions, green parts only

Juice of 1 lime

pinch of red pepper flakes

sea salt and pepper to taste

Stir together the corn, peppers and scallions. Season with lime, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Add avocado and stir gently before serving. Garnish with lime wedges for extra zing.

Serves 4-6

Guest Post: this time I’m the guest!

I’m pleased to have a recipe featured today as a guest post on Ups and Downs of a Yoga Mom. Author Beth is off on vacation and needed a little help with her regular Meatless Monday post.  Check out my recipe here and join me in wishing Beth a great vacation!

Quinoa with Brown Mushrooms and Fiddleheads

I apologize in advance for not having a photo of the finished dish or any step-by-step photos like usual.  I made this dish to take to dinner at my brother’s house and I was in a bit of rush to get things finished and get out the door. I’m happy to say that the end product was delicious and everyone enjoyed it. I’m also happy to have nabbed some pictures of the fiddle-heads themselves, like the one shown here.

I confess: this was the first time I had ever had fiddle-heads! We came across them at the vegetable market; a vibrant emerald pile of tightly coiled spirals in a tray of cool water. If you have never had them, try them! Who knew that these little coils of fern frond would be so delicious. They have a very “green” taste to them, not unlike broccoli, but more delicate. They are not as “unique” tasting as asparagus, but they definitely have their own personality.

If you are familiar with the concept of terroir then the related saying “If it grows together, it goes together” shouldn’t seem like a stretch. In this case, I’m referring to the combination of mushrooms and fiddle-heads. Admittedly I was not, in this case, as committed or as organized as I could have been, sourcing local wild mushrooms to go with the local fiddle-heads but from the point of view of complimentary flavours, these forest floor dwellers go very nicely together. Enjoy!

Quinoa with Brown Mushrooms and Fiddleheads

1 1/2 cups of quinoa

1tablespoon of olive oil

1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh fiddle-heads*, trimmed of the tough stalk (about 30)

1 lb brown cremini mushrooms (or a mix of your favourite mushrooms – wild ones would be nice!)

3 scallions, finely chopped

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

3 fresh sage leaves, minced

1 bay leaf

pinch of salt

squirt of lemon juice

zest of 1/4 of a lemon

Cook the quinoa is cooking in 2 1/2 cups of water until fully cooked. Move from the cooking pot to a large bowl, stirring to cool the quinoa and spreading it up the sides of the bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Saute the fiddleheads and mushrooms with the thyme and sage and the bay leaf. Toss over medium heat until the mushrooms are cooked and the fiddle-heads are tender when poked with a fork or sharp knife. Discard the bay leaf, add the scallions. Add the salt, lemon zest and juice, tossing to combine. Stir the vegetables into the cooled quinoa. Serve immediately or chill and serve. Enjoy!

* if you can’t find fiddle-heads, asparagus or even broccoli, in very small florets would be a nice substitute.

Spring Salad with Curried Chicken and Spiced Nuts

Homer Simpson sang “You don’t win friends with salad.” but not all salads are created equal. In our house we frequently have dinner salads whereby the meal is the salad. This is not because we are health food nuts. It’s because salad provides a nutritious, colourful and interesting backdrop to any number of other things and the options are endless.

In the case of this salad there are 4 parts: the salad itself, the curry sauce, the spiced nuts and the chicken. Now, don’t go getting overwhelmed. The chicken and nuts can easily be made ahead and then the whole deal can just be assembled. Or, as I did the other night for dinner, make the nuts and assemble the salad, allowing both to cool while the chicken is cooking and then add it warm.

The quantities below made 6 generous “dinner sized” portions — of course, scale it up or down as you see fit.

For the chicken:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

enough water or stock to cover the chicken in one layer in the pot of your choosing

3 cloves of garlic, whole but peeled

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon black pepper corns

1 dried chili or 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes

Place the chicken in a pot, making sure it is all in one layer. Cover with water or stock. Add the aromatics. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Poach the chicken for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

While the chicken cooks, prepare the curry sauce.

Curry Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 garlic clove, grated

1-1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

juice of 1/2 an orange (or 1/4 cup of prepared orange juice)

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl, large enough to toss the chicken in.

Once cooked through, remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and allow to cool before cutting into small bite sized pieces. Toss in the Curry Sauce. Set aside to cool as you prepare the salad and nuts.

For the salad

2 large handfuls of lettuce, arugula, spinach or mixed greens per person

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

2 carrots, grated

5 radishes, grated

1 cup peas (fresh or if frozen, defrosted in warm water)

1/2 a cup of chopped green onion

a handful of chopped parsley and or cilantro

1 head of raddichio, coarsely shredded

For the Nuts

1 cup raw whole walnuts or pecans

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as sriracha)

1 teaspoon of maple syrup or honey

salt and pepper

Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat until they begin to get fragrant. Drizzle in the oil, hot sauce and maple syrup/honey. Cook, tossing and stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes more until the nuts have developed some colour and are very fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly before adding to the salad. These will also keep in a sealed container for several days at room temperature.

Assembly:

With all components of the salad ready, top the vegetables with the chicken (the curry sauce will lightly dress the greens) and top with the spiced nuts. Hot chicken and nuts will lightly wilt the greens, which is delicious as well, but won’t give you the same texture as if all the components are cool. Enjoy!

 

* The croutons in the picture are nothing more than a day old baguette, cut thinly on the diagonal, drizzled with a bit of olive oil and baked at 350 for 12-15 mins. While they are still hot from the oven, rub each one with a clove of garlic to impart a gentle savory garlic flavour. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Quinoa Salad

I won’t tell you how disappointed I was when I learned that “quinoa” is not pronounced phonetically, but is pronounced ‘keen-WAH’ . Saying ‘quin-OH-ah’ sounds so much more elegant, almost more apt for such a small, delicate grain. But what quinoa lacks in size it more than makes up for in nutrition. It is a powerhouse! Tons of protein and fibre can be found in this ancient grain and it adds some interest to the plate since it changes things up a bit as a nice alternative to rice when served hot. Here it stands in for cous cous in a cold tabuleh-style salad. This is great on its own as a light meal but would also go well with meats or fish.

Quinoa Salad

1 cup of uncooked quinoa

1 cup of raw edamame

1 cup of chopped cucumber

1 cup of raw zucchini

1 cup of toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

For the Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, sliced

4 tbsp. olive oil

Cook the quinoa in 1-1/2 cups of water, as you would rice. .

While it cooks, chop the vegetables and walnuts and set them aside. Make the vinaigrette in a large bowl by combining all the ingredients and whisking until it is emulsified.

If your edamame are frozen, like mine were, let them stand in hot water (hot from the tap) for a few minutes. This will not cook them, but will defrost them rather quickly.

Once the quinoa is cooked, dump it into the dressing and stir well. Allow the quinoa to cool and absorb the dressing.

Once it’s room temperature, add the vegetables, walnuts and parsley. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Toss well and refrigerate for atl east 30 minutes so it is nice and cold.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

This little salad couldn’t be simpler and is as good on its own as it is counter-balancing another dish. It pairs well with meats (grilled in the summer time or braised in the wintertime) and provides a cool, crunchy tartness that offsets more robust foods very well. It’s a breeze to make and can be tweaked to suit your tastes or what you have on hand. I like it alongside the cabbage rolls that I’ll be posting about this week.

 

2 English cucumbers, finely sliced into rounds (using a mandolin makes very short work of this, if you have one)

For the dressing:

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yoghurt (low fat/no fat is fine)

the juice of a lemon

1 clove of garlic, finely grated

1 generous pinch of dried dill

4 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper to tase

finely chopped parsley for garnish

Mix the dressing ingredients well, whisking quickly to incorporate and emulsify the olive oil. Drizzle over the sliced cucumbers. If you pre mix the dressing with the cucumbers they will sort of marinate and the whole thing will have a deeper flavour. That said, globbing it on at the last minute is fine too.

Radicchio Salad

Spring is just around the corner! This hearty salad should help hold you over until all the tender lettuces emerge in the markets. The crunchy combination of the sweet broccoli stems and bitter radicchio is punctuated with a sharp, onion-y vinaigrette guaranteed to wake up your taste-buds and the colour and texture of this salad makes it a pleasure to eat and fancy enough for a Sunday dinner. I took the easy route and bought a bag of broccoli slaw because I love its long skinny shreds of broccoli, but you could make this from scratch by grating your own broccoli and carrots. If you are in a real rush, you don’t need to bother supreme-ing the orange, but removing all of the pith and membrane does make for a more pure orange flavour.

For the Salad:

4-5 broccoli stems, shredded

2 carrots, shredded

1 large head of radicchio, halved, cored and sliced into thin strips

the green ends of 2 green onions, sliced into very thin strips (on the diagonal)

1 large navel orange, supremed*

For the vinaigrette:

the white bulbs of the green onions, finely sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 dash of Worcestershire sauce

a pinch of sugar

a pinch of salt

a pinch of black pepper

4 tablespoons of olive oil

3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar

Allow all the ingredients to sit about 30 minutes in a tightly closed jar. Check for seasoning and shake vigorously to emulsify before dressing the salad.

 

* to supreme an orange: Slice off the top and bottom of the orange so that it stands stable on your cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, cut down along the height of the orange from top to bottom, removing the rind and white pith taking care to cut away a minimal amount of the orange flesh. Trim any remaining pith so that the fruit is fully exposed. Cut into the orange, making slices between each membrane, extracting crescents of fruit without any attached membrane. Remove all the sections of the orange this way. If you like, squeeze the remaining membrane of all it’s juice and add it to the above salad dressing.