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Another recipe from my brother. I like how he just whips things up because he knows the basic idea of what should happen. He and I and my daughter and a friend were at our cabin in Delta Junction when he decided to make chocolate souffle. Please understand that at the cabin, the water comes off the roof into a cistern and is then piped into the house . . . when it works. Sometimes we just bring water from home in jugs because it’s easier. Electricity at the cabin (to run the water pump and a kitchen light) is provided by a couple small solar panels hooked to a couple car batteries. Other lighting is from kerosene lamps. The gas range is fueled by propane, a small tank like for a barbecue. The bathroom is a walk to the outhouse. Grey water for washing is thrown over the side of the deck. And he’s going to make a chocolate souffle. First, there wasn’t any chocolate powder or chocolate chips to be found among all the food left behind through several years. He handed a Ziploc of old M&Ms to the girls and told them to start pounding them with a hammer. He whipped up eggs and whatever else goes into a chocolate souffle, mixed it with the crushed M&Ms and we had the most delicious chocolate souffle I’ve ever eaten. That’s how my brother rolls. Anyway, this is his very tasty recipe for Caesar Salad.
- Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 1 egg
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan, plus more to sprinkle at the end
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- Croutons
In a very large wooden bowl, mash the garlic with a fork. Add anchovy fillets and mash into a paste with the garlic. Stir in the raw egg and the lemon juice. Mix thoroughly. Stir in olive oil and vinegar. Stir in Parmesan. Toss the Romaine into the mixture so it’s well coated with the dressing. Sprinkle Parmesan over all. Sprinkle with croutons. Serve.
Notes: This serves 4-6 depending upon how large a head of Romaine is used. If you’re concerned about using a raw egg, you can coddle it, but that’s a different subject. I use raw. This salad doesn’t save, so you really need to eat it when made. It’s really easy to make!
This started a looooong time ago as a recipe by Jenn Segel at onceuponachef.com. I have modified it in several ways to accommodate ingredients that I usually have on hand. The flavors are really bright.
- Dressing ingredients
- 1 oz. (1/8 cup) honey
- 1 oz. salad oil
- 1 oz. rice vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. siracha sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp. minced ginger root
- 1/2 garlic clove, minced
- Salad ingredients
- 2 cups red cabbage, diced or shredded
- 1 cup carrot, shredded
- 1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup garbanzo beans
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup roast peanuts
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and set aside.
In a very large bowl stir together all salad ingredients, except the peanuts. Pour the dressing over and stir again. Sprinkle the peanuts on top. Serves 4-6 as a side dish.
Notes: I have used Napa cabbage, green cabbage, all colors of bell pepper. I use dry-roasted peanuts. I think last time I made this I used raspberry vinegar because I ran out of rice vinegar. Instead of garbanzo beans, Jenn calls for edamame. I barely know what that is, so I can’t tell you yay or nay. I use canned garbanzo beans and usually make hummus with the unused half-can. The recipe is very forgiving, do what you like. As I write this, tonight I’m going to serve it with Sweet and Sour Chicken in Acorn Squash Bowls. Again, the flavors of this chopped salad are really bright.
This recipe is based upon the one found in Electric Bread (Innovative Cooking Enterprises, 1991) written by Suzan Nightingale. I haven’t used a bread machine in years, but I’ve adapted the recipe to my stand mixer and oven. It really works! Make sure your sourdough starter is active. Most people don’t have 2 cups of it at the ready, so planning may be involved. The last couple of times I made this, I doubled the recipe.
- Ingredients
- 3 tsp. active dry yeast (or instant)
- 2 cups sourdough starter
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. powdered milk
- 1-1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2-3 cups flour
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together the yeast, sourdough starter, and sugar. Once the yeast has started to dissolve, stir in the powdered milk, salt, butter, and 1-1/2 cups flour. Turn the machine on low and let it mix for 5-8 minutes to build the gluten. Start adding flour a little at a time until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and clings to the hook. The dough should feel smooth and elastic. Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl. Let sit in a warm place for a couple hours or so, until the dough has doubled in size. Punch it down and form into one loaf. Spray or grease a 9×5″ loaf pan and set the dough into the pan. Let rise in a warm spot until it rises level with the top of the loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Bread should sound hollow when tapped and it should be a golden color all over.
When I made this last week, I doubled the recipe. After the first rise, I placed both loaves into loaf pans. One loaf I let rise and the other loaf I placed into the freezer. Once it was frozen, I removed it from the pan and wrapped it tightly in plastic cling wrap. According to sources on the Internet, I should be able to take it out of the freezer, put it into a loaf pan, let it thaw and then rise like usual, and then bake. I’m hoping that works. I’m awash in sourdough and don’t eat that much bread.
Foods Passion 