Amazing colors (pistachios, cranberries, saffron) work together with other spices to make a rice dish that’s not boring! I served this with a roasted chicken, brushed with ground foenogreek,
Persian Rice (AKA “Jeweled Rice”)
Posts Categorized: 5. Salads
Pasta Salad w/ Honey Mustard Dressing
This pasta is so cool! There’s a tiny, tiny hole in the middle of what looks like fat spaghetti. So yummy- I love the texture! And something about homemade honey mustard dressing, with a touch of tarragon, thyme, orange, and smoky flavor. I’m a bit squeamish about eating mayo-based salad dressings, but when it’s made with olive oil, I am so OK with that!
Mayonnaise (AKA “Aioli”)
I use extra virgin olive oil and garlic in my mayonnaise (it’s so much healthier than the alternatives), but that means it’s almost “Aioli”. Which sounds so classy. Aioli is an emulsion of garlic and olive oil, sometimes containing egg yolk to help it emulsify. Use refined olive oil for a lighter flavor. (Or even coconut oil!)
Garden Pasta w/ Orzo, Carrots, Peas, Herbs
Having a deli for over thirty years now, of course we have a few pasta salad recipes! This one was a favorite of some of the staff. The ingredients are often already on hand, making to easy to fill last-minute potluck needs. We pretty much always have carrots in the hydrater, and peas in the freezer, right?
Fresh Mozzarella Salad (w/Salt-Infused Garlic)
Some folks think there’s something magical about our Italian dressing at the deli. Well, it’s true that food can often taste better when someone else makes it. But still, why is that homemade New Deli Italian dressing so dang good?!
I think part of it is that the garlic and herbs are mixed together with the salt first. The garlic absorbs some of the salt, and the saltiness dissipates into the dressing. The salt seems to be a vehicle to carry the flavors along. Sounds kind of mystical! But, try it- it’s sooo delicious!
Asian Dressing: Sesame Oil, Ginger, Cayenne = Delicious!
A salad with this dressing made the meal, for our church’s annual Women’s Christmas Dinner. Add it to a spinach salad, with onion & persimmons (or other seasonal fruit). It was also a big hit mixed into a slaw, w/ thin-sliced cabbage, green onion, and cilantro. So tasty!
Poppy Seed Dressing for a Waldorf Salad (Plus Variations)
Cranberry Vinaigrette was a huge hit, served to 240 folks at our church’s annual Christmas Dinner. We just added thin-sliced red onion and dried cranberries to some spring greens. Quite a festive holiday salad!
Tortellini Salad: A Cold Pasta Salad, Great for Parties
This is a colorful cold pasta recipe, with a refreshing dressing of orange, lemon, and lime zest. Use raw veggies instead of cooked, if desired- saves time! For variation, omit the citrus and Balsamic vinegar, adding some nutmeg, cream, and Parmesan to the dressing, to create a dish more like Pasta Primavera. Or sub extra…
7 Layer Salad, “Seventh Heaven”- Either Way, Good!
There are many versions of the 7-layer salad recipe around, and many people probably have their own favorites. This one is my favorite; the combination of green peas and parmesan go so well together, and the flavors of the finely-chopped veggies layered under it permeate the whole salad. As a newlywed (almost forty years ago)…
Pecan Pear Salad w/ Poppy Seed Dressing: Upscale Waldorf
The Poppy Seed dressing below can be simply mixed up in a bowl, hand-whisking the other ingredients into the olive oil- no blender clean-up! Using the stirring method is convenient, especially when making a smaller batch of the dressing. Bosc pears have a firm, crunchy texture, although other pears or apples, or even dried fruits…
