Caesar Salad
Our Caesar Salad is thick, creamy and rich with a great balance of garlic to the other ingredients. We substitute fish sauce for the traditional anchovy fillets; fish sauce is made from anchovies, is much easier to use and you don’t have an opened tin of anchovy fillets to deal with. We strongly recommend splurging on Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano cheeses, you will taste the difference using these quality cheeses. While you can use store-bought prepared croutons, we don’t recommend it; most have a long list of ingredients, some of which don’t belong in any crouton and too much salt. Again, either seek out good quality croutons from a local bakery or make your own; our recipe for Delicious Homemade Croutons is provided below. This recipe for Caesar Salad serves four persons as an appetizer or first course. If there will be just two persons dining, you may prepare the dressing and reserve the unused Caesar Salad dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator; it will hold fine for 2 to 3 days. Caesar Salad makes a great appetizer prior to Miso Sherry Skirt Steak for a lovely dinner.
Prep Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 40 minutes. Serves 4.
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Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad
Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad highlights the delicious texture and slightly bitter flavor of escarole in a very simply-prepared dressing with thin toasts adding an extra crunchy element. This recipe is a family favorite of Vito’s; he learned to prepare it from his great-aunt Evelyn and it’s a great example of the simple, rustic fare of Italy’s cucina povera. Don’t be afraid of the garlic in the dressing, it is mellowed out by the other components. Remember to serve Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad quickly after it’s been assembled as to preserve the texture of the toasts and escarole leaves; waiting too long will cause both to go limp. Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad makes a refreshing light lunch on its own or perhaps with a poached egg, don’t forget to have a bit of crusty bread with sweet butter on the side. At dinner, serve Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad as a first course before a pasta, such as Sicilian Style Cauliflower Pasta, or grilled meats, such as Miso Sherry Skirt Steak, and enjoy a flavorful and satisfying dinner.
Total Time: 20 minutes. Serves 2.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad recipe for $1.00.
Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad
Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad is a vibrant variety of flavors, textures and colors. Slightly bitter, deep green and pale-yellow escarole, clad in a lemon and olive oil dressing, is joined by sliced almonds and pine nuts, lightly toasted to heighten their scent and flavor, and sliced hard-boiled eggs, which add their delicate texture, color and protein, in a delicious, light salad. Suitable for either a lunch entrée or as a dinner appetizer prior to a rich main course, like Southern Inspired Pork Stew, Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad is quite irresistible, especially when paired with a chilled, crisp dry white wine.
Total Time: 30 minutes. Yields 2 salads.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad recipe for $1.00.
Grilled Radicchio and Arugula Salad
Grilled Radicchio and Arugula Salad packs a whole lot of flavor and color into a relatively simple salad. While both radicchio and arugula, particularly the wild variety, have a bitter attribute to them, grilling the radicchio mellows that. The silky Asian-inspired, slightly sweet dressing both complements and plays off the opposing smoky and bitter flavors of the grilled radicchio and arugula. The bold colors of Grilled Radicchio and Arugula Salad make for a particularly eye-catching presentation and further add to its appeal. Serve Grilled Radicchio and Arugula Salad as a first course prior to a complexly flavored main course such as Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo for a memorable dinner.
Total Time: 30 minutes. Serves 2.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Grilled Radicchio and Arugula Salad recipe for $1.00.
Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad
Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad is bursting with Greek-inspired flavors. A heady mix of dried herbs in a pungent but not sharp dressing coats crunchy cucumbers, sweet tomatoes and piquant Kalamata olives for a wonderful simple salad with complex flavors. Refreshing yet not filling, it is a perfect as lunch for two or as dinner appetizers for four. Greek Cucumber and Tomato Salad is also a great side dish with grilled beef, chicken and especially lamb; its bright, fresh flavors offer great contrast to yet complement grilled meats.
The herbaceous dressing combines with fresh cucumber and tomatoes, red onion and Kalamata olives, all topped with crumbled feta cheese, for a tasty dish. With its jumble of textures and colors, Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad is easy to prepare. Serve this delicious salad with a glass of dry white wine and some fresh, crusty bread and butter for lunch or as an appetizer before Savory Grilled Pork Roast for an elegant dinner.
Total Time: 30 minutes. Yields 2 large salads or 4 appetizer/side salads.
Sicilian Orange Salad
Beautiful Sicilian Orange Salad is very easy to prepare. Its combination of flavors, which at first glance may seem improbable, hits all the perfect notes on your palate and evokes the bounty of sunny Sicily using just four ingredients. It’s a great appetizer or a different side dish for rich meats, such as Carnitas. Sicilian Orange Salad is a wonderful addition to an antipasto or a brunch buffet, as it is real showstopper and always piques the curiosity of your guests. Consider Sicilian Orange Salad as the appetizer for a Sicilian-themed dinner, followed by Sicilian Style Cauliflower Pasta for a real treat.
For added color, prepare Sicilian Orange Salad with blood oranges, as shown, or a combination of regular oranges and blood oranges. We recommend using really good quality extra virgin olive oil and fresh oregano leaves in this recipe but dried oregano leaves will do if fresh are not available. Try it and you will understand why Sicilian Orange Salad is a family favorite, chances are that you’ll want a spoon for the sweet orange juices and extra virgin olive oil on your plate. Thanks to Vito’s Dad!
Total Time: 20 minutes. Serves 2. (more…)
