Oh I do so love summer cooking. We are so blessed to have beautiful fresh produce available to us in the summer months and this delicious pasta salad is designed to make the best use possible of some of it. Ripe and juicy garden tomatoes, zippy & earthy basil, fresh sweet peppers . . .
When I lived in Meaford Ontario, there was a bargain bookshop just on the outskirts of town that I used to love to visit. It had a lot of really unusual cookery books in it, out of print, old, etc. I picked this book up in that shop and it is filled to overflowing with tasty recipes. There are no photographs, but sometimes you just know a book is going to be good even without photographs and you take a chance on it. This recipe is one I adapted from that book!
Its quite different than the usual macaroni salad. There is no mayonnaise, or creamy dressing . . . there is simply a well flavoured and garlicky Balsamic vinaigrette.
I love, LOVE Balsamic vinegar. I could eat it with a spoon. Make sure you use a good quality one. It doesn't have to be the most expensive one, but don't ever be tempted to use the cheapest one either. Find something good somewhere in the middle . . . . on the side of expensive if need be.
I love tubular macaroni without any curves for this salad. It holds the dressing very well . . .
The roasted peppers add another exciting texture and flavour. Today I did not have a large red pepper, but I did have a small one and a small yellow one. I roasted both and used them in the salad with spectacular results.
Fresh basil . . . I love basil, especially when it is fresh from the garden. I could just bury my nose in it and inhale (and frequently do!). I don't chop my basil with a knife, that only bruises it. I roll it up into a cigar shape and then snip it with my kitchen scissors and then I tear the basil for on top.
If you have a few tiny leaf bunches, leave them intact for show. So pretty. I know that the Italians are fond of using toasted bread crumbs with their pasta dishes, sometimes instead of cheese. This recipe does just that . . . and to good effect. These garlic crumbs add a lovely touch, crunch and texture as well.
*Summer Macaroni Salad*
with
A
simple macaroni salad which makes the best of our summer's bounty, with
a lovely balsamic vinaigrette, and a crisp garlic bread crumb
topping.
1/2 tsp olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp minced garlic
You will also need:
1 1/2 TBS chopped basil
salt and black pepper to taste
Put all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette into a glass jar with a screw top. Screw the top on and shake. Set aside.
Roast
the pepper. Cut it into quarters, discarding any ribs, seeds and the
top. Place onto a foil lined baking tray. Pop under a hot grill, six
inches from the heat, skin side up, and grill for about 8 minutes until
the skins have blackened. Remove and bring the sides of the foil up to
cover the roasted pepper. Seal and set aside. (Note - today I only had a
small red pepper and so I also roasted a yellow pepper.)
Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Remove and discard any seeds and watery flesh. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss in with the macaroni. Remove the peppers from the foil. Slip off the blackened skin and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss in with the macaroni and tomatoes.
Heat the olive oil for the crumbs in a large skillet. Add the crumbs and season with some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until they just begin to turn golden brown. Toss in the garlic, and cook for a minute or so longer, until very fragrant. Be careful not to leave them on the heat too long or they will burn. As soon as they really start to colour, you need to tip them out into a bowl. If left in the pan they will continue to cook. Allow to cool.
Shake the vinaigrette again and pour it over the macaroni mixture, tossing to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Pour into a serving bowl. Sprinkle half of the bread crumbs over top and scatter with the basil. Pass the remaining bread crumbs at the table.
Great with grilled meats, chicken and fish! (Or dare I say it . . . on it's own!)
Altogether this is a truly beautiful salad that I know you are going to enjoy. It screams summer, and summer at its very best! It wouldn't be half as good any other time of the year. Make it now while the warmth of the summer sunshine still gilds your tomatoes and peppers, and enjoy! Bon Appetit!
Of all my favourite childhood food memories, the most favourite of all has to be my mother's Salmon Pie. It's very much a French Canadian thing and is delicious. A two crusted pie filled with a mix of tinned salmon mashed together with grated onion, mashed potato, seasoning and herbs. If this pie was on the menu in our house, everybody was happy! Leftover cooked salmon also works very well.
I can remember when I was just a young Bride newly married, I would bake one if I knew my father was going to be stopping by for lunch. It was a real treat for him. If it wasn't salmon pie it was a toasted bologna and cheese sandwich with mustard and chives. My Uncle Harold used to stop by for glasses of cold cool-aid. Good times!
Today I started to thinking that the salmon filling for the pie would be the perfect filling for a baked potato, and maybe even a bit lower in fat than having a pie, and certainly a bit less trouble because there would be none of the faff of making pastry, rolling it out etc.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to try it and so that's just what I did, with really delicious results I hasten to add! These are fabulous!
In order to keep the kitchen cool, I did the initial baking of the potatoes in the Microwave, which worked very well and takes a lot less time. In fact, from start to finish these were done and on the table in less than half an hour which also makes them a quick supper!
I like the boneless, skinless salmon. There is no waste and I don't have to spend ages picking out the skin and bones only to end up with fingers that I can't get the smell of the fish off of. Blecch. I hate that smell and I hate getting a fish bone in my mouth! In any case I was really pleased with the results of my experiment and I think you will be too.
*Salmon Pie Stuffed Baked Potato*
Makes 4
My favourite savoury pie filling stuffed into a potato shell. Scrumptious.
2 large baking potatoes
170g tin tin boneless, skinless salmon, drained and mashed (about 6 ounces)
a bit of softened butter for rubbing on the potato skins (optional)
2 TBS dairy sour cream
Wash your baking potatoes and dry very well. Prick all over with a
fork. Wrap each in paper towelling and then microwave one at a time on
high in the microwave until cooked through and soft. (I had really big
potatoes and it took six minutes for each.) Let stand for a few
minutes. Cut in half horizontally and scoop out the insides carefully
with a teaspoon into a bowl, and leaving the skins intact. Mash the
potato pulp together with the butter, sour cream, salmon, spring onions,
salt, pepper and summer savoury. Taste and adjust seasoning as
required. Divide this mixture between the four potato skins and fill
them, fluffing up the tops a bit with the tines of a fork. Place onto a
baking tray. Rub the skins with a bit of softened butter if desired.
Sprinkle 1 TBS grated cheese on top of each.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Bake the filled potato skins for about 15 minutes until heated through and the cheese has melted and turned golden. Serve hot with some salad on the side.
A salad on the side and dinner is served! Serves 2 hearty eaters, or 4 small eaters. Bon Appetit!
I am a huge fan of pasta salads. I make them a lot in the summertime. Todd's not so fond of pasta as you know, but he will eat them, and I made this particular version the other night when we were having the Sister Missionaries over for supper.
Something like this makes the perfect supper side dish in the summer, for entertaining, for covered dish suppers, or just for a weeknight addition to the burgers and dogs you are BBQ-ing for supper!
I really adore scones. To me a scone is better than a piece of cake or a pie. It's like a cross between the two, and such a delight to enjoy with a nice hot cuppa.
Don't worry, I only drink herbal infusions which I drink black, so nothing to take away from the delightful flavour of a good scone!
Having said that even when I did drink ordinary tea, I always enjoyed it black and unsweetened.
I am always on the lookout for a new scone recipe. I spied this recipe for Vanilla Scones the other day on a blog called Stuck on Sweet, they pushed all my buttons.
I just knew that I was going to have to bake them!
I adapted the measurements to UK measurements so no worries on that score if you live in Europe or the UK. I did find the dough to be a bit wet, whereas she had said that the dough was a bit crumbly.
That could be a difference in the flour, or the fact that she did not specify a size of egg. I used a large. Our eggs could be even larger over here than they are in North America. I don't know for sure. (That's why baking by weight is so much more accurate folks!)
The sticky dough did not present a problem for me. I simply tipped it out onto a well floured board, patted it into a round and then flipped the round over before cutting it into wedges.
When I say well-floured, I mean well floured. I am sure I had about 1/2 cup of flour on that board, so nothing would stick. It worked beautifully.
I also decided to add some chopped sour cherries to the mix because, one I like them, a lot, and two . . . vanilla . . . it just begged to have some kind of dried fruit added.
I adore sour cherries. They go really well with vanilla.
I also chose to use a mix of pure vanilla extract and some grindings from a vanilla grinder. Oh boy but these smelled heavenly when they were baking.
I ground some of that vanilla into the glaze also!
These are light and sweet with a lovely buttery flavour and lots of vanilla oomph. The tartness of the sour cherries sets that all off beautifully.
Wise choice on my part if I don't say so myself. And yes, I know I just did!
Because my dough was quite damp, I did end up with some craggy bits, but to me that's all the better because it made for lovely little sweet crevices for that glaze to soak into.
All in all . . . these are really prize worthy, blue ribbon winning, delightfully tasty scones!
*Sour Cherry & Vanilla Scones*
Makes 8
170g cold butter, cubed (3/4 cup)
1 large free range egg
1 TBS pure vanilla extract
a few grindings of a vanilla pod (optional)
120ml whole milk (1/2 cup)
75g dried sour cherries, roughly chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper set aside.
Sift
the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the
sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your finger tips until
crumbly. Stir in the sour cherries. Beat together the egg, milk and
vanilla. Add to the dry mixture and stir to combine to make a soft
sticky dough. Tip onto a generously floured board and pat out to an 8
inch circle. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges. (Cut cross wise
into equal quarters and then cut each quarter in half) Carefully move
onto the prepared baking tray.
Bake for 10 to 14
minutes until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let
cool on the tray for a few minutes before lifting onto a wire rack to
cool.
Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together
until smooth and spoonable. Spoon over the scoons and allow to set
completely before serving.
Its recipes like this that make me really grateful that I live in a fairly temperate climate where you only have a few days in the summer that make turning on the oven unbearable. And if you do live in a climate where its hotter than that, bake them anyways. They are well worth a few minutes of discomfort. Trust me on this. Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
In the summertime you don't want to be spending loads of time in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove. That is when simple and easy recipes like this one for an Easy Lemon Refrigerator Dessert come in really handy.
And to be honest its one of our favourite desserts any time of the year.
Easy Lemon Refrigerator Dessert, is a dessert which requires absolutely no cooking involved or needed.
If you can use a hand mixer, then you can make this and your family will be so impressed with the end result, they will think you slaved all day!
The base is simply shortbread fingers (store bought) which get soaked in a bit of milk and then layered in a loaf tin . . .
Next a creamy mixture of cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and heavy cream get whipped together and spread over top.
You cover this and chill it overnight, and presto chango the next day you have a beautiful dessert that was quick to make, and is most delicious to eat!
You can spoon whatever you want over top. Caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, fresh fruit, whatever you are wanting to use that is sweet and or fruity . . . today I spooned over some homemade strawberry jam! It went down a real treat!
*Easy Lemon Refrigerator Dessert*
Serves 6
75g of granulated sugar (6 TBS)
the finely grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
100ml of double (heavy or whipping) cream (1/3 cup)
150g of shortbread fingers (just enough to line the bottom of your pan)
To serve:
fresh fruit
or jam
Summer is far too short to spend it all in the kitchen don't you think? But we still got to eat! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I thought I would have a little fun today and show you something which is not only simple to make but also very elegant, not to mention, delicious!
This is the perfect salad to serve as a first course when you are having people over for a summer meal. When I worked at the manor my boss was always very fond of layered first courses, and they always got ooh and aahd at the table from the guests.
Really they are not a lot of trouble to make. I have my own stainless steel ring that I use to layer things up in, but you could use clean and empty tin cans that you have carefully removed both ends from as well if you wanted to. They would actually also work very well.
This delicious salad has all the flavours of your traditional cob salad, except they have been layered to form a delicious looking stacked salad . . .
Crisp ice berg lettuce . . . creamy ripe avocado . . .
Chopped sweet tomatoes . . . crisp smokey bacon . . . .
Tangy blue cheese crumbles . . . and a deliciously creamy low fat dressing which is nicely flavoured with lemon . . .
You could also add a layer of cooked chicken or turkey if you wanted to, or ham, but really with the bacon, you wouldn't be needing any ham. Any way you stack it, this is sure to do down a real treat!
*Layered Cobb Salad*
Serves 4
First make the dressing. Combine all of the ingredients in a jar and shake well together. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. You can use this dressing right away, or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Brown the bacon in a large skillet, over medium heat, until crisp. Scopp out and drain. Set aside. Taking four metal rings or clear glass dishes, layer up the salad ingredients, tossing the lettuce first with a small amount of dressing. Do this on individual chilled salad plates. I like to layer them with the lettuce first, then the avocado, then tomatoes, spring onions, cheese and bacin last. Press gently to compact, then carefully remove the rings. Drizzle with a bit more dressing, dust with some cracked black pepper and serve.
Of course if you don't want to go to all the trouble of layering things up, you can just combine them all in a salad bowl and serve as is!!
You will still be enjoying one mighty delicious salad! Bon Appetit!
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