Summer Pasta Salads

Taking a Dip!

As you can see here, my assistant is taking a little break from our work on this week's blog.  It amazes me how she can always get me to give in to a break on a busy day like this with topics and recipes to finish up.  But she does.  I must be getting soft in my old age.  Well it's alright as long as she knows who the boss is around here.  Better get back to this week's blog topic.

We're into summer and in fact it's over the halfway mark too.  Where does the time go?  Well the warmest part of the summer is yet to come (good for some and not so good for others).  We're still doing outside meals but may be getting a little bored with some of our food choices.

Shake up your menu and try a few new recipes.  Even get out of your comfort zone.  There are plenty of places to find and try some new recipes to you.  I have over 300 recipes on this food blog and I'm fairly certain none of you have tried them all.  So check them over and see what might appeal to you and your follow eaters.

But there are many other areas to look to.  Check out the cookbooks in your home.  I really don't know  anyone that has ever tried all the recipes in a cookbook of 50 of more recipes that's tried them all.  Ask family and/or friends for some recipes that they make that you have never eaten.  In this day and age, you might try the internet.  There are a few recipes out there.

This week I'm looking at pasta salads.  When someone mentions a pasta salad, most people probably think of something with "Rotini" in it.  Or maybe "Macaroni."  The nice things is just about any pasta can work in a salad.

I've got 2 recipes this week that use a pasta that most of you would never think to use.  The first one which is for Wednesday is "Israeli Couscous & Tomato Salad."  But couscous is so tiny?  Not Israeli Couscous.  It's much larger than regular couscous.  It's about the size of a small pea and works well in this dish.

Thursday's recipe is for "Orzo Salad (Nicoise Style)" and again is not the norm for a pasta salad.  Nicoise style just means in the style of Nice, France.  It usually involves olives, tomatoes and a vinaigrette in a salad.

"Happy Cooking" until next week when I'll talk "Tacos" to you in "Part 6 of Mexican Cuisine".

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Balsamic Vinaigrette

(about 1 cup)

Ingredients:

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp. Honey

2 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

¼ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Whisk together in a medium mixing bowl the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.  Once well combined, slowly add the oil while continuously whisking.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  Serve tossed in salad or on the side letting individuals add as desired.

Note:               You want to use a good balsamic vinegar

                        and olive oil when making a vinaigrette.

Note:               Notice that this recipe uses a 2 to 1 ratio.  The standard ratio is 3 to 1 for vinaigrettes.  You may want to add a little more oil but do this by personal taste.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Herbed Vinaigrette

Herbed Vinaigrette

(about 1 cup)

Ingredients:

¼ cup White Wine Vinegar

1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped

½ tsp. Dried Herbs (see note)

to taste Salt & Black Pepper

¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Whisk together the vinegar and mustard in a small mixing bowl.  Place this mixture in a blender and add remaining ingredients.  Blend for about 10 seconds or fully combined and then transfer to a glass bowl.  Let stand 30 minutes before use at room temperature.  Whisk again just before serving.

Note:               Some dried herbs to try include thyme, marjoram, basil, chives, tarragon or herbes de provence.  Fresh herbs work too.  Just remember to double the amount.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Making Vinaigrette Dressings

The popularity of salads seems to be at an all-time high.  They have been one of the in foods for quite a few years.  People are trying to eat more healthy and salads can be one of the components.  But you have to be careful.  One of the ingredients in salads that can make them not healthy is the dressing you put on the salad.

Many store bought dressings are big in calories and sugar.  They are also very expensive.  That's where a "Vinaigrette Dressing" comes in to play.  Vinaigrettes are easy to make, don't need a large amount and they can save you money.  Yes, I'm talking about making them yourself.

The main thing about a vinaigrette that you need to remember is the "Ratio" of oil to the acidic you are using.  The general rule is to use a "3 to 1" ratio of oil to the acidic (vinegar and/or citrus juice).  You will find recipes that go as low as 2 to 1 in there ratio.  This works just fine if the taste of the vinaigrette meets your approval.  Some do this to cut down on the amount of oil and calories in the dressing.  You can always start there and work your way up to the 3 to 1 ratio based on how the vinaigrette meets your flavor profile.  So experiment a little with your vinaigrettes.

Vinaigrettes only take a few ingredients and they are ones you have in your kitchen almost always.  They require good oil of some type.  Any vegetable or salad oil will work.  Olive is one of the most popular ones.  Just make sure to use extra virgin olive oil and not regular or light olive oil.  In today's world other oils such as canola and soybean fit in that vegetable/salad oil group.  The olive oil helps give a little twist on taste to the other oils, as do walnut and avocado oil.

You need an acidic of which vinegar is the most used.  Here too you have choices.  There are many different vinegars out there.  There are apple cider, red wine, white wine, champagne, rice wine to name a few.  However, the vinegar that has really become popular is "Balsamic" vinegar.  Balsamic is like olive oil in that it has various flavor depending on the age and quality of the product.  Each vinegar will have an effect on the final taste of your vinaigrette.

There are other ingredients that can offer you the acidic reaction a vinaigrette requires.  Lemons or other citrus juices work well for this in your vinaigrette.  Lime, grapefruits and oranges are popular and the orange gives you a little sweetness to go with the tartness.  They can be used with the vinegar or by themselves.

I've mentioned above how the different oils and acidic ingredients will change the taste or flavor of your vinaigrette.  So to do the other ingredients you add to your vinaigrette, such as herbs and spices.  just salt and pepper will do the trick.  But using dry or fresh herbs, freshly ground spices, shallots or garlic can help compliment the different items in the salad you are dressing.  So think about that as you create a wonderful salad for your meal.  Kosher salt is considered the best salt to use in a vinaigrette.  Fresh ground black pepper or even white pepper is the way to go here.

Something I haven't mentioned yet is an emulsifier for the vinaigrette.  If you have ever tried to mix oil and vinegar, you would have noticed they separate as soon as you stop mixing.  So to make an emulsion to keep the vinaigrette from separating, you need a little mustard.  Any type will work but the most popular are Dijon and brown mustard.  As with any vinaigrette, you will still want to mix or stir them up just before use.  You can leave them at room temperature or refrigerate after being made.  If you do refrigerate the mixture, be sure to let it sit out a few minutes before using too.

Now I told you the ratio above.  The other information you need in making a vinaigrette is the order the ingredients go in.  You can mix all the ingredients together but the oil first.  Once this is done, you slowly add the oil while continuously whisking the mixture.  It's through this process that the vinaigrette is emulsified.  Whisking in a mixing bowl is the basic way to make a vinaigrette.  However with technology, one can use a blender or food processor to mix your vinaigrette too.  another technique is to combine everything in a jar with a lid.  Put the lid on tight and shake the mixture until well incorporated.

Remember that a normal vinaigrette recipes makes about 1 cup.  So you don't use much product and have little leftover.  That takes us back to vinaigrettes being easy, inexpensive and make a small amount.  I hope this has helped you and that you will try this week's recipes of "Herbed Vinaigrette" and "Balsamic Vinaigrette" dressings.  "Happy Cooking" until next week.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cinnamon Roll Cake

(12 servings)

 

Ingredients:

3 cups All-Purpose Flour

¼ tsp. Salt

1 cup Sugar

4 tsp. Baking Powder

1½ cups Milk

2 large Fresh Eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla

½ cup Unsalted Butter, melted

1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

1 tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

2 cups Powdered Sugar

5 tbsp. Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine the first 6 ingredients listed.  Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a 9x13 greased baking dish.  In another large mixing bowl combine the softened butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until well mixed.  Carefully sprinkle mixture evenly over the batter in the baking dish.  Using a table knife, swirl the blade throughout the two mixtures.  Place the baking dish in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 28-32 minutes.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.  While cooling, mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together.  Drizzle over the entire cake while still a little warm.  Serve immediately or later at room temperature.

Note:               You could warm the entire pan or individual pieces before serving if you desire a warm product to eat.

Note:               You could try pureeing some fresh strawberries or raspberries and spreading them over the cake batter just before adding the cinnamon mixture.  This would just add another flavor to the cinnamon roll cake.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Homemade Strawberry Shortcakes

Homemade Strawberry Shortcakes

(8 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1 qt. Fresh Strawberries, hulled & quartered

¼ cup Sugar

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tbsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Salt

3 tbsp. Sugar

8 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, cold & diced

1 cup Half & Half, divided

8 tsp. Sugar

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, toss the strawberries and ¼ cup sugar.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  While strawberries are cooling, combine flour, baking powder, salt and 3 tsp. sugar in a food processor by pulsing at few times.  Add diced cold butter to mixture and pulse until course meal is formed.  Turn mixture out into a large mixing bowl and make a well in center.  Pour 2/3 cup of half & half and gently mix with a rubber spatula.  Don’t over mix.  Turn dough out onto a flour surface and fold over a couple of times until dough holds together.  Pat or roll dough out to a ¾ inch thickness roughly 6 inches by 12 inches.  Cut into 8 squares by slicing in half lengthwise and then each half into quarters.  Place the 8 shortcakes on parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Brush the tops with the remaining 1/3 cup of half & half.  Sprinkle 1 tsp. of sugar on each.  Then place in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shortcakes have risen and are a light golden brown.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.  When ready to serve, slice shortcakes in half, top bottom half with strawberry mixture followed by whipped cream and the top half of shortcake and serve.

Note:               To enhance the strawberries, you might want to add 2 tbsp. of Grand Marnier Liqueur to them with the sugar before refrigerating.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Some 4th of July Desserts

The "4th of July" is coming this Friday.  It is one of the biggest days of the year for people to be grilling.  It's also the biggest day of the year for consuming "Hot Dogs" in the USA.  This year it's on a Friday, too.  That makes for a great 3-day weekend to have fun.

Many people will have family (or friends) visiting for the long weekend.  Lots of food and beverage will be consumed.  Hopefully, the weather will cooperate during this time and allow for some fun outdoor activities.

I'm not going to talk about grilling or grilling recipes this year for the 4th of July.  I've done that for the past several years.  So you can go back to those blog weeks.  See if any of those recipes or advise might be something you want to try this year.  Of course, there are plenty of other recipes in this blog that would be appropriate and useful for this long weekend too.  So check them all out as you get ready to celebrate the "4th of July" this year.

What I do have for you this year is a couple of dessert recipes.  One is a traditional summer and 4th of July treat.  That is a "Homemade Strawberry Shortcake" recipe.  Yes it is easier to just buy some angel food cake or those little round cakes made just for strawberry shortcake.  But they don't come close to the great taste, presentation or the "Wow" from guests that making your own delivers.  It's a special day so make the food special too.

The other recipe is for "Cinnamon Roll Cake" and it can be more than just a breakfast thing.  My daughter introduced me to this recipe.  As you can see, it was a big hit with me or it wouldn't be on the blog.  Yes, it is absolutely a great dish for any breakfast.  And with company you'll need to have some breakfast dishes to satisfy those guests.  However, this recipe works as a very good dessert for other meals as well.  Just serve it warm with a little ice cream over it and everyone will be asking for seconds.

I'm keeping it short today as I start planning for the long weekend too.  So have a great "4th of July" and "Happy Cooking" until next week.