No-one wants to spend hours in the kitchen on Valentine’s day, so don’t! You can whip this up in no time.
Tag: Salads & salad dressings
Pickled Vegetables
Apart from adding health benefits and improving the flavour and appearance of cold food, the bright colours, sweet and sour taste and crispy texture compliments almost any summer’s meal.
Poor Man’s Caviar (Pickled Mustard Seeds)
Pickled mustard seeds are also known as Poor Man’s Caviar due to its texture which is similar to that of caviar. It is a tongue in the cheek expression for having a rich man’s taste but a poor man’s budget. See Poor Man’s Caviar (Aubergine Pate) for a paté recipe that looks similar to caviar, but does not have the same price tag.
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
½ cup whole yellow mustard seeds
- In a saucepan, bring everything but the mustard seeds to a boil.
- Add the mustard seeds and simmer for 5 minutes, until the seeds bloom (or roughly double in size).
- Remove from heat and let cool. Store the seeds in the liquid in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Eggless Caesar Dressing
Caesar dressing, whether store-bought or homemade, is a glorious thing. Its garlicky, cheesy, and with the unmistakable anchovy flavor and creamy texture it is the key to one of the best classic salads around. But if it’s so good, why limit it to only salad? In fact, why not use it to make a variety of other dishes infinitely better?
1. Use it as a marinade for meat. Toss chicken in Caesar dressing and let it refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Then grill or roast to your heart’s content. All the garlicky goodness of the rich dressing soaks into the meat while tenderizing it and making it ridiculously moist.
2. Toss it with vegetables before roasting. Pick your veggies — broccoli, cauliflower, root vegetables, and potatoes all work well — and then toss them with dressing instead of olive oil and roast until they’re extra-caramelized and crispy.
3. Use it as a dip for crudité. Just like crisp lettuce loves Caesar dressing, so does just about any other raw vegetable. Pour it in a little bowl and get dunking.
4. As a dressing for pasta or potato salad. If you’re making pasta or potato salad, ditch your usual dressing and use Caesar instead. It’s thick enough that it will coat every inch of your ingredients and instantly boost the flavor.
5. Spread it on a burger bun or sandwich bread before assembling. Forget plain ol’ condiments like mustard or ketchup and slather Caesar dressing on your burger bun instead. Or spread it on your bread before making pretty much any sandwich — it plays well with turkey, ham, roast beef, and any mix of veggies.
6. Use it instead of mayo for tuna or chicken salad. Caesar dressing makes for a much more interesting tuna or chicken salad. Replace the mayo in any recipe with it and it will be one you actually want to eat.
7. Make a better coleslaw. Just like for pasta or potato salad, using Caesar dressing for coleslaw is a win. It adds instant flavor and brings that touch of richness that coleslaw desires. Try it instead of mayonnaise or buttermilk next time and you won’t be disappointed.
8. Spread it on fish before baking. Use Caesar dressing as a quick and flavorful sauce for fish fillets like salmon or cod. Just spread some evenly over the top of each piece and bake as usual.
9. Drizzle it over corn on the cob. Corn on the cob is wonderful with nothing more than a little butter and salt, but try switching up your routine next time by drizzling a little Caesar dressing over the cooked ear.
250 ml mayonnaise
30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
2.5 ml teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 olive-oil-packed anchovy fillet, patted dry and minced
30 ml freshly grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
15 ml fresh lemon juice
5 ml Worcestershire sauce
- Combine all the ingredrients in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Recipe from the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe.
Tartar Sauce
Tartar sauce is based on either mayonnaise (made from egg yolk, mustard or vinegar, oil) or aioli (made from egg yolk, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice), with certain other ingredients added. In the UK, ingredients such as capers, gherkins, lemon juice and dill are added. US recipes may include chopped pickles, capers, chives and fresh parsley. Chopped hard-boiled eggs or olives are sometimes added, as may be Dijon mustard and cocktail onions. The sauce can be served with Batter-fried Calamari Rings, Best-ever Batter-fried Fish, Prawn Tempura (Batter-fried Prawns), Tuna Fish Cakes, etc.
125 ml mayonnaise
15 ml fresh parsley, finely chopped
15 ml onion or spring onion, finely chopped
15 ml chives, finely chopped
15 ml gherkins, finely chopped
15 ml capers, finely chopped (optional)
5 ml salt
- Combine the ingredients for the tartar sauce in a mixing bowl.
- Transfer the sauce to a serving dish, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Green Vinaigrette Dressing
This dressing is tremendously versatile and can be used as a dressing, dip or a marinade. Be sure to try the recipe for Rare Roast Lamb With Green Vinaigrette.
125 ml parsley, finely chopped
125 ml spring onion, finely chopped
125 ml celery, finely chopped
15 ml capers, finely chopped
25 ml lemon juice
5 ml prepared mustard
2.5 ml mixed dried herbs
2.5 ml dried rosemary
10 ml sugar
5 ml salt
50 ml sunflower oil
50 ml olive oil
- Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a mixing jug, mix well and pour over the meat.
- Toss, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours before serving.
Blended White Vinegar
This mixture features in many recipes in Carolié de Koster’s Art of Cooking Recipe Book. Combining different vinegars and diluting the mixture slightly with water creates a pleasant, less acidic and more flavourful product for general use. Blended white vinegar is used whenever plain white vinegar is needed and is most simple to prepare with only three ingredients.
Muffuletta Sandwich
The Muffaletta (moof-fuh-LEHT-tuh) also know simply as “muff”, is a classic New Orleans sandwich. It is the ultimate make-ahead sandwich and is super easy and convenient to make. Hollowed-out bread (authentic round muffaletta loaf or other Italian round bread) is filled with generous amounts of olive salad and a variety of cold cuts of meat, cheese and vegetables. A true Muffuletta Sandwich must always be served at room temperature.
An Italian immigrant, Signor Lupo Salvatore, owner of the Central Grocery & Deli in the French Quarter of New Orleans, claims to have invented this sandwich in 1906. He apparently started making the sandwiches for the men who worked at the nearby produce stalls of the French Market. The sign over the covered sidewalk proudly proclaims, home of “The Original Muffuletta.” The Central Grocery & Deli not only sells the Muffuletta sandwiches as take-out or eat-in, they also sell the ingredients of the Muffuletta – including olive salad by the jar – for people who want to make the sandwich at home.
Muffuletta Bread or 1 round country loaf (25 cm in diameter)
Olive Salad (see recipe below)
50 g Italian salami, thinly sliced
50 g Italian ham, thinly sliced
50 g Provolone cheese, thinly sliced
50 g Fontina cheese, thinly sliced
a handful or two of small sweet red peppers (pimiento) or Peppadews, halved
rocket leaves
Olive Salad (this should be made the day before for flavours to infuse)
200 g green olives, drained, pitted and coarsely-chopped
200 g Kalamata olives, drained, pitted and coarsely-chopped
10 ml crushed garlic
1 anchovy fillet, mashed
15 ml capers, drained and rinsed
15 ml red wine vinegar
15 ml fresh lemon juice
60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
60 ml parsley, finely-chopped
freshly ground black pepper
- To make the olive salad, combine all the ingredients and then allow the flavors to infuse.
- Store covered in the fridge for at least 1 hour but preferably overnight.
- To assemble the muffaletta, remove the insides of the bread and reserve for another use, e.g. make bread crumbs to be used in Meatballs, etc.
- Spread some of the olive salad over the cut side of bottom half of bread.
- Layer the salami, ham, cheese, pimiento and rocket with a tablespoon or two of olive salad between every other layer.
- Place the top half of the bread on top like a lid and wrap the sandwich in cling film.
- Weigh the sandwich down with a cast-iron pan or tinned vegetables and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the sandwich from refrigerator, cut into wedges, and serve.
Based on Martha Stewart’s Muffuletta recipe.
Photo from www.MarthaStewart.com
Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)
Panzanella is a Tuscan salad consisting of chunks of soaked stale bread and tomatoes, sometimes also onions and basil, dressed with olive oil and vinegar. Making Panzanella salad is a terrific way to use up stale or leftover bread.
500 g stale bread (fresh bread will work too!)
100 ml garlic infused olive oil
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
16 black olives, pitted
a handful fresh basil, leaves removed from the stalks
30 ml balsamic vinegar
25 g Parmesan cheese, grated
freshly ground black pepper
salt
- Preheat the oven to 200°C when the bread is almost risen.
- Slice the bread into 1 cm thick slices. Then dice the slices up into even cubes.
- Transfer the diced bread to a baking tray lined with a Wizbake baking sheet and spread it evenly over the surface.
- Drizzle the oil evenly over the diced bread and stir well to make sure the bread has evenly absorbed the oil.
- Bake the bread until golden brown and crispy.
- In the meantime, add the cherry tomatoes and olives to the pan and stir-fry gently over a moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Season with pepper and salt.
- Add the fresh basil leaves, balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil to the pan and mix well.
- Transfer the salad to a bowl, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste by adding extra pepper, salt or balsamic vinegar.
- Transfer the salad to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese and serve.
4 servings.
Olive Salad
Olive Salad is one of the key ingredients in the Muffaletta sandwich, a make-ahead sandwich that consists of a round loaf of broad which is filled with cold cuts of meat, cheese, vegetables and olive salad. It tastes just as great served as a relish with braaied meat, etc.
200 g green olives, drained, pitted and coarsely-chopped
200 g Kalamata olives, drained, pitted and coarsely-chopped
10 ml crushed garlic
1 anchovy fillet, mashed
15 ml capers, drained and rinsed
15 ml red wine vinegar
15 ml fresh lemon juice
60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
60 ml parsley, finely-chopped
freshly ground black pepper
- To make the olive salad, combine all the ingredients and then allow the flavors to mingle for at least 1 hour prior to serving.
- Store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use as one of the fillings of the Muffaletta sandwich.
Potato Salad With Olive Oil, Olives, Lemon & Parsley
This recipe is a new and refreshing take on traditional potato salad. The potatoes are left unpeeled, which not only saves time, but adds fibre to the salad. It can be served hot, chilled or at room temperature.
750 g new potatoes
45 ml olive oil
2 anchovies, chopped
15 ml capers, rinsed and finely chopped (optional)
zest and juice of a lemon
60 ml parsley, finely chopped
100 ml olives, pitted and chopped
- Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, mix together the olives, olive oil, anchovies, capers, lemon zest and juice and parsley.
- Add the warm potatoes and mix well.
- Season to taste, mix well and serve.
Mixed Mexican Salad
The typical crisp and colourful salad that accompanies many Mexican style dishes. Use all or as many of the ingredients as is available to prepare this side salad which is excellent as garnishing or with light meals. It can also be used as a filling, garnish or side dish when making Mexican tostada‘s, enchilada‘s or taco‘s.
± 250 ml finely shredded lettuce
± 250 ml finely shredded cabbage
± 250 ml coarsely grated carrot
± 125 ml thinly sliced or finely diced radish
± 250 ml thinly sliced or finely diced mixed green, red and yellow peppers
± 100 ml finely chopped spring onion
± 250 ml finely diced cucumber
- Toss and keep refrigerated in an airtight container until required or for a day or two.
- Sprinkle any favourite salad dressing lightly over the salad just before serving to prevent the salad from becoming soggy.
About 1,5 litre salad or 10 – 12 servings.
Notes
Refrigerate up to 2 days in a sealed container – without dressing.
Recipe by Carolié de Koster from the Art of Cooking Recipe Book p. 455.
Mexican Corn Salad
This colourful salad is sure to be a hit with your guests. Serve it as a topping for Mexican dishes such as Quesadillas or Enchiladas or as a side dish at a braai. It is equally delicious served hot, cold, or at room temperature.
500 ml/600 g fresh or frozen corn kernels
30 ml olive oil
125 ml red onion or spring onion, finely sliced
250 ml red or yellow sweet pepper, diced
125 ml flat-leaf parsley or coriander, finely chopped
generous pinch of chili powder or cayenne pepper (optional)
200 g Danish feta or goat’s cheese, crumbled (optional)
juice of 1 lime
salt
To serve
lettuce of your choice, e.g. butter lettuce
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Serve as part of a Mexican-themed feast or as an accompaniment to braaied meat.
Recipe adapted from original recipe by David Lebotvitz. Photo by David Lebovitz.
Gaucamole Chicken Salad Platter
Shredded chicken dressed with a delightful and tangy avocado, tomato and soured cream sauce, arranged on a bed of Mexican salad. This salad can also be used as a filling for Mexican taco’s.
Avocado Dressing/Gaucamole
2 medium ripe avocado’s, peeled and stoned
30 ml sour cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 ml salt
1 ml sugar
30 ml chopped onion
10 ml lemon juice
drops tabasco sauce
Salad Ingredients
Mixed varieties of lettuce, washed and drained
Mixed Mexican Salad
Chicken Mixture
400 g cooked chicken meat, shredded
15 ml sunflower or olive oil
5 ml vinegar
drops tabasco sauce
2.5 ml lemon juice
1 spring onion, finely sliced
- Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor and blend until quite smooth.
- Cover and refrigerate until required.
- Line a suitable serving platter or individual plates with lettuce and sprinkle with Mixed Mexican Salad.
- Place the chicken into a bowl, add the oil, vinegar, tabasco sauce, lemon juice and spring onion and toss together gently.
- Spoon onto the platter or plates and drizzle the dressing over.
Recipe by Carolié de Koster from the Art of Cooking Recipe Book p. 467.
Fattoush Salad With Sumac Vinaigrette
Fattoush is a Lebanese version of a bread salad that includes toasted and crumbled pita bread chips. Fattoush means “crumbled bread” in Arabic. It is similar to Panzanella, the Italian bread salad. The Italians use ciabatta croutons instead of pita bread.
Salad Ingredients
1 English cucumber, seeds removed and diced
250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 green sweet pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
125 ml spring onions, sliced thinly
1 to 2 cooked chicken breasts, bones and skin removed and cut into thin strips (optional)
1 x 400 g chickpeas, drained and rinsed (optional)
a handfull romaine lettuce, watercress, butter lettuce, etc.
80 ml coriander, finely chopped
80 ml parsley, finely chopped
15 ml mint leaves, finely chopped
Sumac Vinaigrette
60 ml olive oil
30 ml lemon juice
15 ml sumac
2.5 ml crushed garlic
pinch sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pita Bread Chips (see photo below)
4 large pita bread rounds, each cut into 8 triangles
60 ml olive oil
5 ml crushed garlic
2 ml sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
- Place all the salad ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
- Combine the ingredients for the dressing and add to the bowl. Toss all together lightly and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To make the pita bread chips, pre-heat the oven to 190°C.
- Cut the pita breads into triangles and arrange in a single layer on two large baking trays lined with Wizbake baking sheets.
- Combine the olive oil, garlic, sea salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl.
- Using a silicon brush and coat both sides of the pita triangles with the olive oil mixture.
- Bake the pita triangles for 10 to 12 minutes or until a light golden brown color. Turn the pita triangles over half way through baking. Be careful not to burn them!
- Set the pita chips aside to cool.
- Transfer the salad to a salad bowl or platter and garnish with crumbled pita bread chips.
6 servings.
Notes
- Leftover pita bread chips can be left whole and served with hummus or your favorite dip.
- The pita bread chips can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
- The pita bread chips can be substituted with wheat-free crackers, etc.
Cucumber Za’atar Salad
This Middle-Eastern salad is quick and easy to prepare and low in kilojoules.
2 English cucumbers
Vinaigrette
15 ml sugar
5 ml vinegar
15 ml olive oil
2.5 salt
To garnish
5 ml Za’atar Spice Mix
cherry tomatoes, halved
fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Peel, seed and slice the cucumbers into thin slices. Or use an apple corer to seed the cucumber (see photo below).
- Combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a medium mixing bowl and mix well.
- Add the cucumber slices to the mixing bowl and toss lightly to mix.
- Place the cucumber slices decoratively on a salad platter and sprinkle with the Za’atar spice mix.
- Garnish with cherry tomatoes or parsley before serving.
Avocado Ritz
Avocado ritz is delicious and an easy starter to make since avocados are plentiful throughout the summer. Although it is not the most economical starter with the price of avo’s being what it is, it is a South African favourite. The seafood salad can also be spooned onto a bed of lettuce.
Prep time 20 minutes plus cooling time for cooked fish
Cook time 10 minutes
3 firm ripe avocado’s
± 400 g boneless, skinless white fish
± 250 g cooked, peeled prawns or shrimps
1 x quantity Pink Seafood Sauce
To serve
fresh bread or crackers
- Place the fish into a dish, cover with cling wrap, leaving an air vent and microwave on HIGH for 6 – 8 minutes or until the fish becomes firm and cooked. Drain and cool and break up into chunks without flaking too finely.
- Combine the ingredients for the dressing, add to the fish together with the prawns or shrimps, toss all together lightly and refrigerate until ready to serve or up to two days.
- When ready to serve, halve the avocados, remove stones and place onto individual plates or a serving platter. Spoon the filling into the avocado halves and sprinkle with black pepper.
Servings 6 as a first course or 3 as a light meal
Notes
To ensure that the avocado halves will sit stable on the plates for serving, slice a small section off the bottom to create a flat surface.
Recipe by Carolié de Koster from the Art Of Cooking recipe book p. 54.
Pink Seafood Sauce
There can hardly be a more delightful seafood cocktail than cooked cold fish, prawns or seafood tossed with this special sauce. Also see the recipe for Avocado Ritz.
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup cream or yoghurt
¼ cup tomato sauce or pasta sauce
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot or mild sweet chilli sauce
To garnish
ground black pepper or sumac (pictured below)
- Combine all the ingredients and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Recipe by Carolié de Koster from the Art Of Cooking recipe book p. 483.
Home-made Sushi
A basic version of the ever popular Japanese delight. For best results, sushi should be assembled shortly before serving. Refrigerate after making and use within a few hours if raw fish is used or a day if cooked crab sticks or smoked salmon or trout was used. For those who do not enjoy the seaweed or Nori wrappers, turn the ingredients into a delicious cold salad or cooked vegetable sushi salad – see variations below.
Rice
200 g / 250 ml sushi rice
water to cover and rinse
375 ml water
3 ml salt
30 ml castor sugar
50 ml Japanese rice vinegar
Filling ingredients
½ English cucumber, cut into fine strips
± 100 g crab sticks or fresh raw fish such as tuna or salmon, cut into thin strips
± 100 g blanched carrot, cut into thin strips ( 1 medium or 2 small carrots)
± 100 g firm ripe avocado, peeled and cut into strips (optional)
Egg pancake (part of the filling ingredients)
2 large eggs
5 ml castor sugar
1 ml salt
10 ml cake flour
10 ml oil for frying
To roll
4 sheets nori (dried seaweed)
bamboo sushi mat or perforated kitchen cloth
To serve
soy sauce (Japanese is excellent)
wasabi (Japanese horseradish)
pickled ginger
- Place the rice into a saucepan, cover with water and soak a few minutes. Stir with the fingers and drain. Add the 375ml water and salt and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to simmering, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer about 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Place a clean kitchen cloth over the saucepan, cover tightly with the lid and allow to stand 15 minutes to complete steaming.
- To make the egg pancake, beat the eggs in a cup. Combine the castor sugar, salt and flour in a small jug and, using a whisk, beat in the egg. Beat together very well until smooth. Heat the oil in a small, preferably non-stick shallow pan and add the egg mixture. Cook over gentle heat until set, loosen carefully, turn over and cook briefly on the other side. Turn out, cool and cut into strips.
- Mix the castor sugar and rice vinegar in a small jug to allow the sugar to melt. Turn out the rice into a wide shallow dish to allow quick cooling and sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice. Separate the grains with a knife or fork while the rice is cooling. Cover with a cloth until ready to use.
- Pour a little vinegar into a small dish to moisten the fingers while working. Lay out the bamboo mat or perforated cloth onto the work surface and place a sheet of nori, coarse side upwards onto the mat.
- Dip a spoon into the rice vinegar and spoon and spread about 100 ml of the cooked rice onto the nori, covering the width completely but allowing 2cm at the bottom edge and 5cm mm at the top edge uncovered.
- Arrange strips of filling ingredients in a neat, tight line horizontally across the centre of the rice. Spread a little wasabi over the filling for flavour if preferred.
- Moisten the top edge of the nori with a little vinegar and using the mat or kitchen cloth, roll up the sushi away from you, pressing and rolling as you go, making a firm neat roll surrounded by the mat or cloth.
- Repeat the process until all the rolls have been made, cover the rolls for at least 10 minutes with a damp cloth to set and seal and refrigerate immediately.
- When ready to serve, cut the sushi rolls into 6 – 12 sections and place the rolls on their cut sides onto a serving plate with a small bowl of soy sauce or the wasabi mixture in the centre for dipping.
24 – 48 sections, depending on the thickness of the slices.
Notes
- Vegetarian sushi – make delicious sushi with vegetable ingredients only.
- Cold sushi salad – omit the Nori and rolling and toss together all the ingredients to serve as a salad. Garnish with diagonally snipped spring onion if preferred.
- Hot sushi salad – see below.
Hot Sushi Salad
500 g mixed winter vegetables such as pumpkin or butternut, sweet potato and carrots
1 each red, green and yellow peppers
Marinade
15 ml honey
15 ml rice vinegar
15 ml soy sauce
- Cut the vegetables into strips or dice and toss with the marinade.
- Roast for 20 minutes at 200 ºC.
- Toss with rice and egg pancake and serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.
Recipe by Carolié de Koster from her Bon Appetite & Goodbye Demonstration.
Home-made Tomato Salsa
This is a simple and delicious sauce to compliment any egg, meat or fish dish that is lacking in flavour. It can also be used as a topping or a dip, e.g. with nacho’s. Be sure to try the recipe for Cajun-style Blackened Chicken & Salad Sandwich too.
250 g ripe tomatoes
1 large onion
10 ml crushed garlic
1 green or red chilli, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
50 ml oil, e.g. coconut or seed oil
30 ml fresh parsley or coriander, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Cover the tomatoes with boiling water, allow to stand for a while, drain, peel and chop coarsely.
- Saute the onion, garlic and chilli very gently in the oil until softened but not at all browned. Add the tomato and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Add the parsley or coriander, season to taste and simmer for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into clean glass jars, seal, cool and refrigerate until required.
Makes about 375 ml salsa.
Notes
The salsa can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.
Recipe by Carolie de Koster from the Art of Cooking recipe book p. AOC p. 486.
