Roasted Shrimp & Orzo salad

I was instantly addicted to this salad the first time I ate it, and ever since then it never fails to disappoint every time I make it.  The recipe comes from Ina Garten and it introduces a few genius techniques that make it extra delicious.  The first is to drench the hot, freshly cooked orzo in the lemon vinaigrette, causing it to soak up the flavor instantly.  The second is to roast the shrimp in olive oil, salt, and pepper.  This is by far the easiest way to cook a perfect shrimp and they taste amazing.  I had a hard time saving enough to toss into the salad.  The remaining ingredients- a combination of herbs, veggies, and feta cheese really make the dish come together.  We took this to a 4th of July cook-out this year and it was a huge hit.  I only changed a few slight things from Ina's recipe, and I assure you it turns out just as delicious!  The end result is a light and refreshing dish that could be served as a side dish or a main course.  

Ingredients:

• 1 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (should take about 3 lemons)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
• 1 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and medium-diced
• 1/2 cup small-diced red onion
• 1/2 pound block of feta cheese, medium-diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for about 1 minute less than the recommended lowest number of minutes.  (If the box says 9-11 minutes cook them for 8) This will help you avoid over-cooking the pasta, considering it will keep cooking a bit more sitting in the pot.  While the orzo is cooking, whisk together the lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. When the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot.  Immediately pour the lemon juice mixture over the hot pasta and stir well.  Keep orzo in the pot off heat to let it cool down while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

To cook the shrimp, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place the shrimp on a foil-covered sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for about 4 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. You can tell once they start turning pink and have a somewhat firm touch to them that they are done.  Always err on the side of under- you can cook them for a minute longer if needed but you can't undo it once they are overcooked.  Try not to eat them all straight out from the oven!!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 1 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss well and taste for more salt.  Add the feta and stir carefully. 

Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, bring back to room temperature before serving.

Green Goddess Salad with Poached Shrimp

One thing we don't eat enough of is salad, and we're making an effort to change that this summer.  I came across this recipe by Guy Fieri while watching an episode of Guy's Big Bite and made a mental note of it because the dressing looked so good, and I loved the idea of adding flavorful poached shrimp.  We like making our own salad dressings, but we usually stick with vinaigrette.  This green goddess dressing is creamy, tangy, and full of flavor.  I also loved how the shrimp tasted after poaching in a mixture of water, lime, peppercorns, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes.  Overall this was a simple recipe, but super delicious and different than our usual salad.  And if you eat a big bowl, it's a full meal!

Ingredients:

• Shrimp:
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 5 to 6 black peppercorns
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 lime, cut into slices
  • 1 small bunch fresh parsley
  • 2 pounds medium raw de-veined shrimp in the shells (I think I used less than this, but the more shrimp the better!)  Usually the E-Z peel shrimp come de-veined and that's what I buy.

• Dressing: 
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream (could sub non-fat Greek yogurt)
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste (or 2-3 whole canned anchovies)
• 1 small clove garlic
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Salad:
  
  • 2 heads romaine
  • 1 head Bibb lettuce or bag of mixed greens
  • 1 hothouse cucumber, sliced
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1/2 cup drained and sliced pepperoncinis (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 orange bell pepper, diced

Directions:
To poach the shrimp,  combine 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) water with the salt, red pepper flakes, black peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, lime and parsley in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and allow the liquid to cool for a few minutes.  

Drop the shrimp into the hot (but not boiling) water and let them sit in the liquid, covered, for about 5 minutes. Keeping the shells on the shrimp during this step enhances their flavor.  After 5 minutes, the shrimp should be cooked through and completely pink. Use a slotted spoon to remove the shrimp and drain well. Refrigerate until cool, and then peel and discard the shells before serving with the salad.

To make the dressing, combine the mayo, sour cream, basil, parsley, green onions, lemon juice, anchovy paste and garlic in a food processor and puree.  Thin the mixture with water as required, using only 2 tablespoons at a time.  It should be a thick dressing, but thin enough that you can pour it over your salad.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

For the salad, wash the lettuces and roughly chop the romaine hearts and put into a big bowl. Tear the other lettuce leaves into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Toss the lettuce together with the cucumber, red onion, pepperoncinis, green onions, and bell pepper. Top with the shrimp. Dress lightly with the dressing, and serve!  Add more dressing on individual servings as needed.  Or, if you aren't planning to eat it all at once, dress only after serving so that the salad will keep better in the fridge.

Celery Root and Apple Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

After experimenting with cooked celery root in our beef pot pie, I've started noticing it in a variety of uncooked dishes, such as this salad.  While some similar root vegetables can't be eaten raw (or wouldn't taste good if they were) celery root was pleasantly tasty as a raw ingredient in this salad.   Not to mention, it has many health benefits- low calories, high potassium, rich in vitamins, and many more.  It has a earthy, almost nutty taste which paired well with the sweet acidity from the apples. The texture reminds me of a carrot- crunchy but not starchy.  The blue cheese and walnuts added some additional flavor and texture to the dish, and the tangy vinaigrette was the perfect thing to tie it all together.  This is a light and refreshing salad, that is surprisingly filling at the same time.  Thanks to Food & Wine for the recipe!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon
1/4 of a red onion, minced (or one shallot)
salt and pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 large granny smith apples, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large celery root (or two small- should be about the same amount as the apples) peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped or halved (I bought mine pre-roasted, but you can do that step yourself if yours are raw.  It definitely makes a difference!)

*As a note, this recipe makes A LOT.  But the leftovers save well and the salad tastes even better after a day or two.  However, you can cut the recipe in half to make a smaller amount.

Peeled celery root

Directions:
Make the dressing by combining the vinegar, mustard, onion or shallot, about 1/2 teaspoon salt and some freshly cracked black pepper. Let it stand for 10 minutes, and then whisk in the olive oil and 1/4 cup blue cheese.  

Combine the chopped celery root and apple in a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over top, and add the remaining blue cheese and walnuts.  Mix thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to serve!  

Curried Chicken and Pasta Salad

We had tons of leftover cooked chicken after I roasted two whole chickens a few days ago.  There were many chicken dishes created in the days following including enchiladas and chicken soup.  With the last bit we decided to make a chicken salad, but didn't have quite enough to make a decent sized batch.  So we cooked some pasta to mix in, and it ended up tasting quite delicious with the curry-mayo dressing.  The raisins add sweetness and I threw some carrots in there for an extra crunch.  The recipe itself came from Ina Garten- I only made a few minor changes.  This is a great dish to make ahead for a potluck or to pack and take for lunch.

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
3 cups elbow pasta cooked in salted water (about 1 1/2 cup dry- though I didn't measure mine)
2 large stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 3)
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup mayonaisse (homemade always good!)
1 tablespoon madras curry powder (if you use a less powerful curry powder you may want to use more)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chutney (I used something closer to a sweet relish because it was all I had on hand)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1/4 cup roasted salted cashews

Directions:
Combine chicken, green onion, celery, raisins,and carrot in a large bowl.  Place pasta in a separate bowl.  Set aside.  

To make sauce, combine mayonaisse, curry powder, wine, chutney, cayenne, and at least 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Stir until well combined.  

Pour a couple large spoonfuls over the pasta and stir until all of the noodles have been coated.  Add the chicken and vegetable mixture and spoon additional sauce into the mixture.  Stir, and continue to add more sauce if it looks too dry.  My carrots were an afterthought as you can see they were mixed in later.

You may not end up needing all of the sauce, so don't add it all at once.  Taste and add black pepper and more salt to taste.  Sprinkle in cashews before serving.

Ginger Apricot Lotus Salad

Whenever I stop at our local Japanese grocery store I can't help but pick up a few unique items that I've never cooked with before.  For a store smaller than our tiny apartment, they have an amazing variety of Japanese and Asian goods.  I once bought every supply needed to make sushi at this store, including the rolling mats!  This time I picked up a package of sliced lotus root, mainly because I love the way it looks.   When sliced, lotus root looks like a flower or lace doily and makes any dish look fancier.  

I decided to go for a simple flavorful salad since this was my first time making a dish with lotus root.  I sliced thin cucumber rounds for freshness, which happened to be about the same size as the lotus rounds.  The sliced apricot wedges added a burst of tart juiciness that was amazing with the rather tame flavor of the lotus.  And when I say rather tame, I mean literally flavorless.  The taste of the root definitely doesn't match up to it's appearance.  But it added some crunch to the salad to say the least, and absorbed some flavor from the potent ginger-garlic sauce.  This is a great fresh tasting salad perfect for these hot summer days.

Ingredients:

• thinly sliced lotus root (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups) 
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3 apricots sliced into thin wedges - I like them a little hard so they are sour more than sweet
• 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 inch fresh ginger root
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt to taste

Directions:

To try and bring out flavor from the lotus root, I placed it in a bowl with the juice from one lime, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and sugar, mixed, and let it sit for about 10 minutes while I prepared the other ingredients.  

Grate the ginger and garlic with a microplane which will give you a very fine paste.  You won't be able to get the entire clove grated, but that's okay because garlic has such a strong flavor when raw.

 In a bowl, combine the paste with the vinegar, other half of lime juice, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, olive oil, and honey. Whisk.  

In a bowl, mix together the cucumber and apricot slices.  Drain the lotus root, and add it to the mix.  Stir in the sauce and let sit for at least 15 minutes, chilled, until ready to serve.  

This is also great the next day when more of the flavors have absorbed into one another.  It keeps for several days, in an air tight container in the fridge.  Enjoy!