Insalata Di Caprese (Italy)

      The Italians have a salad that makes me think purely of summer. It is called 'Insalata Di Caprese', or as we many of you might know it 'Tomato Caprese Salad'. It is a simple three ingredient recipe from the island of Capri where tomatoes from the new world came in contact with Italian mozzarella and olive oil making a tarantella of flavor.

      When I have given recipes to beginning cooks, I have them make a Caprese salad. It is a great way to practice good knife skills and teaches the importance of not overdressing a salad. The main ingredients should always be a good soft mozzarella cheese, extra virgin olive oil, tomato slices, and basil leaves to give it an extra boost of flavor.

       Now this version of Carpese that I have provided does not use tomato. Instead, the red is from a red pepper which is roasted over an open fire till charred and then rinsed under cold water to reveal the brilliant red underneath. Warning: in door roasting only works if you have a gas range, so if your range is electric you will need to use a grill.



Insalata di Caprese

3 red peppers

2 balls of fresh mozzarella 3 ounces each

10 large basil leaves (must be fresh)

6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste


Turn 1 burner of your stove to high heat, or prepare your grill. Place the red peppers 1 at a time and allow the skin to become completely blackened. When skin has become completely charred, rinse under cold water removing the blackened skin.

Slice the mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices. Remove the top and bottoms of the peppers remove and discard the seeds and stems. Slice down the middle of the red pepper; unroll the pepper like a scroll. Slice the Peppers into 2 inch pieces.

To plate the salad, Begin with a mozzarella slice, then top with a red pepper, then a basil leave. Repeat the process once more; drizzle with the balsamic vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 5

Arroz Con Gandules (Puerto Rico)

      A very comedic joke between my grandmother and myself, is that of all of her grandchildren I portray my Puerto Rican heritage the most.  It is just a shame that I don't look the part.  This joke is primarily because of my love for cooking, when all of the other boys wanted to play outside I wanted to stay in the kitchen and watch as my grandmother, mother, and aunts cooked up an island feast for everyone to enjoy.
      This was a common occurrence with my mother and her sisters, as it was just a simple way to have everyone together, where they could get some calm in their life. While we kids chased eachother around like a bunch of maniacs. 
      The two main ingredients in any Arroz Con Gandules recipe is of course Arroz (which if you took any sort of Spanish class you should know means rice) and Gandules beans (in America they are called pigeon peas which is strange because they are not related to peas at all).  You flavor the rice with sofrito (a tomato cooking base common in many Caribbean kitchens and available at most supermarkets) Achiote oil (Annoto seeds in English which can either be added to olive oil with garlic or bought in a powder form that is commonly known as Sazon).  The beans are then added to the rice with chopped onion and chorizo sausage, covered in water and then left to cook.  The secret to preventing your rice from becoming to crunchy is to not open the lid until the rice has had time to cook.  In other words "No Peaking".

(My abuelitta was one of the women who taught me how to cook, and was my primary education in cooking Puerto Rican cuisine.)

Arroz Con Gandules

4 cups long grain rice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup sofrito (recipe available in the blog of the same name)

1/2 cup Achiote oil

1 cup onion, chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup tomato paste

1 1/2 cup chopped chorizo

1 can (15 ounces) gandules beans

5 cups water

Begin by washing the 4 cups of rice to remove any dirt or grit that may be on the grains.  In a large Caldero (puerto rican cast iron pot, if you do not posses on a dutch oven will work just fine), combine the olive oil, sofrito, achiote oil, onion, garlic, and tomato paste.  Allow the ingredients to come to a lite simmer then add in the chorizo, gandules, and washed rice. 

Stir the ingredients together then pour in the water to cover.  Cover the Caldero (or dutch oven) with its lid and allow the rice to cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes (time varies depending on the thickness of the caldero and the amount of heat if rice is still cooking cover quickly and allow to finish). 

When the water has evaporated, and the rice has become soft give the rice one final mix and serve.  Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a separate container. 

Serves 8-10 (depending on portion size.) 

(When my family members come together, we always have rice and beans, whether we are making breakfast, lunch or dinner.  You might try reheating the leftovers and pairing it with some fried eggs.)

Coconut and Cilantro Soup (South Korea & other Southeastern Asian Countries)

      Something to know about me, is that I work in a theatre as a Master Electrician and Assistant Lighting Designer.  And one question that I always get asked is how I thought that culinary and work as a stage hand actually went together.  My usual response is two words, "Dinner Theatre". 
       But the connection between fine dining and theatre is much deeper then this, you would be surprised how many touring companies have two or three foodies lurking in their numbers using part of their take home pay to experience culinary excellence while they go from city to city. 
        One such foodie I met when the Peking Acrobats came to my theatre on their tour through the United States.  Her name was Sue and she was one of the few English speakers within the company.  So being unfamiliar with the different dialects spoken in China I immediately attached myself to her.  They were only with us for two days but in that time Sue and I had become great friends, mostly because we both had a secret obsession with, surprise, food.  When the event ended we exchanged emails and recipes, I gave shared with her my secret to making Coq Au Vin and she gave me her recipe for Coconut and Cilantro Soup. 
       The soup itself is from the southeastern part of Asia, though according to Sue it originated in South Korea.  The creamy citrus flavor of the coconut milk mingles with the zing from the cilantro to make a soup that is actually really refreshing.  In the recipe that follows Sue breaks a bit from the tradition and adds the protein of shrimp to make it slightly more filling.

Coconut and Cilantro Soup with Shrimp

4 cups coconut milk

1 1/2 cups water

1 lemon grass stem, cut into inch thin slices (must be fresh)

4 Kaffir lime leaves, quartered

2 Tai chilies, halved

1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and devined.  (Instructions available in the blog on Shrimp Provencal)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

4 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup lime juice

5 tablespoons cilantro, rinsed and finely chopped

In a medium saucepan combine the milk and water.  Over medium heat bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and add in the lemon grass, chilies, limes leaves and 3 tablespoons cilantro.  Allow the mixture to continue to cook on low heat, giving a few light stirs so that that flavors can meld.  Add in the soy, fish sauce, honey and lime juice. 

Using and immersion blender puree the ingredients (if you do not posses one then pour the ingredients into a food processor or blender and puree).  Add in the shrimp and cook until the shrimp have turned a light pink.  Pour into five separate bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro.  Serve immediately

Serves 5

Waldorf Salad (United States)

      No one knows how Waldorf Hotel head waiter Oscar Tschirky came up with the dish we now know as Waldorf Salad.  Maybe the kitchen staff was on strike that day (it could have happened in 1890); or maybe he accidentally allowed a bowl of cucumber salad to spill into a fruit cocktail; or maybe, just maybe, he was secretly a culinary genius who wanted a chance to show off his culinary skills.  Well which ever scenario it might have been launched Mr Tschirky into the history books as the man who made mayonnaise and apples taste good.
      This simple delicacy has become a featured dish in many salad bars across the United States, the flavors of tart apple mixing with mayonnaise and a bit of sugar to create a flavor that has no equal.  Over the years many additions have been put into the recipe, but the tradition dictates that the ingredients be tart apples, mayonnaise, walnuts, and celery.  However, I am a notorious rule breaker, especially in the kitchen where you can safely change ingredients without worry.  The dish is best served in the spring and summer when you want something both light and refreshing. 
     

Sweet Waldorf Salad

6 green apples, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

3/4 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons sour cream

1/4 cup mint, finely chopped

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons lime zest

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups thinly sliced celery root

2 cups seedless red grapes, halved

1 1/2 cup walnut halves

1/8 teaspoon salt

In a 350 degree oven place the walnuts on a cookie sheet and allow them to toast for no more then five minutes.

Meanwhile in a medium sized bowl whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, mint, lime juice & zest, sugar and salt.  In a large bowl place the apples, grapes halves, celery root and walnuts and give a gentle toss.  Pour the dressing over the fruit mixture and toss again.

Refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld, make sure that the salad stays cool while serving.

Serves 5

Cobb Salad (United States)

     The history of gastronomy (the science of cooking) is divided into two different schools.  Either the origin of a specific dish is highly debated making the truth unattainable, or we know the everything from name of the cook to the day in which it was invented.  When it comes to Cobb salad it is easy to see that is in the second school of gastronomic history, mostly because it bares the name of the man who invented it.
      While working in a very popular Los Angeles restaurant in 1937 a line cook by the name of Robert H. Cobb decided to make himself a late night snack.  Intending to make a sandwich Cobb ransacked the fridge and slicing the ingredients.  Chicken, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, cheese, and (for reasons unknown to this writer) four different types of lettuce.
      It was not until after he had chopped his ingredients up that he realized there was no bread left, and the delivery wouldn't be until the next morning.  Unable to bring himself to throw away the ingredients Cobb simply made a vinaigrette and placed the ingredients on top of the lettuce, and called it a salad.  Well Cobb must have really liked his concoction, because the next day it appeared on the menu with the name "Cobb Salad".  The rest is a very long history of the dish spreading throughout the United States appearing as the new house salad in restaurants from Massachusetts to Washington.
      The recipe featured below is my own adaptation from a salad I enjoyed while having lunch with a friend in the West Village of New York City.  Eating at Cafe Condesa was as my friend told me, a experience that no one should be without.  The food there was a bit of an enigma, as if classic American cuisine and Latin flair had an illegitimate child that became a supermodel.  When I got home I immediately tried to mimic what I had eaten at the establishment.  The salad was easy to replicated, after all, the ingredients are listed out for you on a plate.  But the vinaigrette was a bit hard. Now, after about a dozen failed attempts, I think I have finally gotten it down. 
     

Cobb Salad

4 boneless skinless split chicken breasts, roasted

1/2 pound bacon, cooked with the drippings removed

1 cup avocado, chopped

1 1/2 cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled

3 pint sized containers of cherry tomatoes, washed and sliced in half

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, torn finely

1 12 ounce bag of spinach, washed and dried

2 hearts of romaine, washed and torn into bite size pieces

2 heads of iceberg lettuce, washed and torn into bite size pieces

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

3 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons green onion, minced

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sized bowl combine the garlic, vinegar, olive oil, and mustard.  Whisk the mixture until it has reached a very smooth consistency.  Add in the cilantro, lemon, onion and give the mixture another quick whisk.  Season with salt and pepper as your personal taste dictates and place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill.

Meanwhile mix the spinach, romaine, and iceberg lettuce and place on a large serving platter, or on each individual plate.  Place each of the ingredients across the salad making defined lines for each of the ingredients.  Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with the vinaigrette on the side. 

Serves 4-6 depending on portions sizes.