My Mother’s Favorite Tuna Salad

Tuna Vegetable Salad

This was my mother’s favorite tuna salad that may have come from The Detroit Free Press originally. I don’t always use the crackers or apple or serve it with pineapple but it is still delicious. I love the additions of peas, stuffed olives and nuts. If I don’t have one of the ingredients, I will substitute something else. I always add a little onion. Add herbs as you like

1 can or jar of your favorite 6. 5 oz of white tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup or more of frozen peas, blanched
12 stuffed olives, halved
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 chopped hard-boiled egg
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 apple, diced
2 crackers, crumbled (optional-I do not use)
2 tablespoon chopped sweet pickles

Directions:

Mix all this together and moisten with Hellman”s mayonaisse. Chill. Serve on lettuce leaves garnished with sliced pineapple and crackers. (or serve on bread)

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

This recipe is so easy and fresh from Nigella Lawson. My husband ate it on a sandwich and I had it as a salad adding arugula, beets and cucumbers. I did not have cabbage so I used iceberg lettuce. I also added a little soy sauce to the dressing and some cilantro.
Serves: 2-4

1 hot thai chilli (seeded and minced)
1 fat clove garlic (peeled and minced)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1½ tablespoons lime juice
1½ tablespoons thai fish sauce (nam pla) (or nuoc nam)
1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
½ medium onion (finely sliced)
black pepper
200 grams shredded white cabbage
1 medium carrot (shredded or grated)
200 grams cooked chicken breasts (shredded or cut into fine slices)
1 fat bunch of mint (about 40g / 1½ cups leaves) finely chopped

In a bowl, combine the chilli, garlic, sugar, vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, oil, onion and black pepper to taste. Put to one side for half an hour.
Then in a big plate or bowl, mix the cabbage, carrot, chicken and mint.
Pour over the onion-soused, chilli-flecked dressing and toss very well – slowly and patiently – so that everything is combined and covered thinly.
Taste to see if you need salt or pepper.
Serve on a flat plate with maybe a bit more mint chopped on top.

Lemony Farro Orzo Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Mint

This pasta salad is by far the most delicious pasta salad I have ever made! From the NY Times. I love all of the different flavors and textures-especially the apricots and sliced almonds. It makes enough for a crowd or to share with neighbors.

Kosher salt
1 cup farro
2 bay leaves
1 pound orzo
¾ cup diced dried apricots
¾ cup thinly sliced red onion
¾ cup thinly sliced celery
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¾ cup sliced almonds
2 cups baby spinach leaves (2 ounces)
1 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (4 ounces)
½ cup torn mint leaves
½ cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE DRESSING:
2 large lemons
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add farro and bay leaves and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add orzo to the pot and continue to simmer until farro and pasta are cooked through but still al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes longer.
While farro is cooking, prepare the dressing: Finely grate zest from the lemons, and place zest in a large bowl. Squeeze juice from 1 1/2 lemons and add to zest along with salt, pepper and red-pepper flakes, whisking to combine. Gradually whisk in oil. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice from the other lemon half, or both, if needed.
Drain farro-pasta mixture, discarding bay leaves. Add to bowl with dressing and toss well. Stir in apricots. Let farro and pasta cool, soaking up the dressing. This can be done up to 1 day in advance. Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding.
In a small bowl, combine onions, celery, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and a large pinch of salt. Let sit while the pasta cools, at least 20 minutes.
Just before serving, add onion mixture and almonds to the bowl with the farro and pasta and toss well. Gently fold in spinach, goat cheese, mint and parsley. Taste and add more lemon, red-pepper flakes or salt if needed.
Drizzle with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Wild Rice Salad with Corn, Blueberries and Almonds

From the Hillstone Restaurant Group which is one of my favorite restaurants in Denver. I love the curry vinaigrette.

Dressing

* ½ garlic clove, finely grated
* 4½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* ¼ teaspoon curry powder
* ¼ cup olive oil
* Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Rice and Assembly

* ½ cup long-grain brown rice
* Kosher salt
* ½ cup wild rice
* ¼ cup almonds
* 1 ear of corn, kernels cut from cob
* ¼ cup dried blueberries
* 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
* Freshly ground black pepper

*
Whisk garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, and curry powder in a small bowl to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add oil until emulsified; season with salt and pepper.
*
Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

*
Combine brown rice and 1 cup water in a small saucepan; season lightly with salt. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 45–50 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes, then spread out on a large rimmed baking sheet and let cool.
*
Cook wild rice in another small saucepan of boiling lightly salted water until tender, 35–45 minutes. Drain and spread out next to brown rice; let cool.
*
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
*
Toss both rices, almonds, corn, blueberries, onion, and parsley in a medium bowl to combine. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
*
Do Ahead: Rice can be cooked 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

The Greenest Green Salad

From Repertoire, my new favorite cookbook! The dressing is a cross between Green Goddess and Ranch and full of flavor. Perfect to harvest the herbs from your late summer garden. I made a full batch of the dressing and a half batch of the salad for two of us and we had lots of leftovers. Dress your salad to order to save for the next meal!

2 oil packed anchovy fillets
1/2 c. Hellman’s/Best Food mayonnaise
1/3 c. full fat Greek Yogurt
1/2 c. fresh Parsley leaves
1/4 c. fresh Basil leaves
1 T. lemon juice, plus additional for seasoning
2 T. finely chopped fresh Tarragon leaves
2 T. minced Chives
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Snap Peas
2 Hearts of Romaine, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 Persian or Japanese Cucumbers, diced
3 Green Onions, thinly sliced
1 Avocado, cubed
In the food processor, combine the anchovies, mayo, yogurt, parsley, basil and 1 T. lemon juice and process until smooth and brilliant green. Transfer to a lidded jar and stir in the Tarragon and Chives, season to taste with salt and pepper and additional lemon juice.
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and add the snap peas, cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Rinse with cold water until cool. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to dry. Cut each pea in half crosswise.
In a large bowl, combine the snap peas, romaine, cucumbers, and green onions and mix well to combine. Add the avocado and about half of the dressing (or less). Mix gently until well coated, season with salt and pepper and serve cold.

Nancy’s Chopped Salad

From Nancy Silverton’s Mozza Cookbook via Smitten Kitchen blog. This vinaigrette makes the salad and you can find the wonderful Sicilian oregano that is so full of flavor at Amazon. Today, I varied the ingredients and it is always delicious. Iceberg is a must as it has the perfect crunch. There are endless possibilities of combinations of vegetables and meats and cheese. I used a finocchio salami that was really delicious. For two of us, I just prep the amount of ingredients that I think we will eat so you can plan accordingly.

Oregano dressing
4 cloves garlic (I use 2 as I don’t want it too strong)
1 to 2 tablespoons dried oregano (Nancy recommends 2; I got nervous and used 1, but might not have minded more)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil, ideally extra-virgin

Salad and assembly
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced into paper-thin rings
1/2 pound provolone (look for the aged provolone-sometimes called picante), sliced 1/8-inch thick then cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
1/2 pound salami, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick then cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
4 medium or 8 small pickled pepperoncini, sliced into rings
3/4 pound cherry tomatoes
Sea salt
1 head iceberg lettuce (see Note about size), halved, cored, and cut in 1/2-inch ribbons
1 head radicchio, halved, cored and cut in 1/4-inch ribbons
2 tablespoons dried oregano for garnish (optional)

Make dressing: Roughly chop the garlic and then add the oregano, salt and up to 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Chop the mixture together and use the side of a knife or a mortar and pestle to make a grainy herb paste. Transfer the paste to a large salad bowl, and add the lemon juice and vinegar. Mix with a fork allowing the salt to dissolve, then add the oil and whisk with a fork until well combined. The dressing should be thick with garlic and oregano. If you’re using a small head of iceberg, transfer 1/3 the dressing into a small bowl to be used only if needed. For a larger head of iceberg, you’ll want it all.

Assemble salad: Gently fold the chickpeas, red onion, provolone, salami, pepperoncini (including seeds and juice) into the dressing, one at a time. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt. Set aside until ready to serve.

To serve: When ready to serve, gently add the tomatoes, lettuce and radicchio to the salad bowl, along with a couple of generous pinches of oregano, and toss to combine with the dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding any reserved dressing if needed. Serve immediately.

Hillstone Cole Slaw with Ding’s Pickle Relish

We love to eat at Hillstone and my husband is especially fond of their cole slaw. They quietly sell the special Ding’s relish that goes into the dressing. There are so many great flavors in this dressing. I used one batch of dressing for a half of head of savoy cabbage and it was perfect.

⅓ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons drained pickle relish
1 tablespoon buttermilk
2 teaspoons drained prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2½ cups finely shredded green cabbage
1 cup finely shredded savoy cabbage
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup finely chopped scallion greens

Whisk mayonnaise, relish, buttermilk, horseradish, mustard, vinegar, and sugar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add green and savoy cabbages, parsley, and scallion greens and toss to coat. Taste and season again with salt and pepper.

Greenest Goddess Dressing and Dip

From the wonderful new cookbook, Tartine All Day! The addition of avocado to the original makes this recipe amazing. I also added a little lemon zest because I love it.

3/4 c. Mayonnaise
3/4 c. sour cream or Greek yogurt
3 T. finely chopped fresh Tarragon
1/4 c. finely chopped Italian Parsley
2 T. finely chopped fresh Chives or Scallions
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 olive oil or salt packed Anchovies, rinsed and finely chopped
1 ripe Avocado, halved, peeled, cut into quarters
3 T. finely chopped Carrot tops (optional-I did not use as I did not have them!)
1/4 t. Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper to taste
Combine everything in a blender or food processor until smooth. Serve with crudités or as a salad dressing.

Sharon’s Caesar Salad Dressing-the best!

This recipe comes from my friend Sharon who is a wonderful cook. She has been perfecting it for 30 years! I am a huge anchovy fan and try new kinds often. My favorite kind is Scalia which may be hard to find.

1-2 garlic cloves, to taste

Juice of 1-2 lemons

1 can of anchovies, with oil
1 T. worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. good olive oil, I love California Extra Virgin
1 T. mayonnaise
dash of red wine vinegar, optional

Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated to taste

In a blender add the first four ingredients and blend well. Add mayonnaise and vinegar if using. Chill and serve with good croutons and romaine and Parmesan cheese.

Easy Caponata

From David Leibowitz’s blog-one of my favorite end of the summer dishes!
Caponata is meant to be a touch sweet, a tad vinegary. I added more than Fabrizia but since vinegars can vary in strength, you can taste and add more later in the game. The original recipe made quite a bit of caponata and and I reduced the recipe by half. (Some might say you can never have enough caponata, but because of the concentrated flavors, a little goes a long way.) It keeps very well in the refrigerator, so if you wish you can double the recipe.

3 branches celery (tough outer strings removed, if necessary)
Vegetable oil (or olive oil), about 1 cup (250ml), for frying
1 pound (450g) eggplant
salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup (60g) green olives, pitted and very coarsely chopped (about in thirds)
2 tablespoons (30g) capers, rinsed and squeezed dry
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225ml) best-quality tomato sauce
3 tablespoons (40ml) wine vinegar, red or white
1/2 tablespoon honey (or sugar)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Chopped flat-leaf parsley or mint, for serving
1. Remove the leaves from the celery branches and cut the branches into 1/2-inch (1,25cm) thick slices. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a low boil and simmer the celery until crisp-tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and rinse well in cold water. Set aside.

2. Trim the stems off eggplant and cut into 1-inch (3cm) pieces.

3. In a large, heavy-duty skillet (I used cast iron) heat 3/4-inch (2cm) of vegetable or olive oil. Cook the eggplant in batches, not crowding too many into the pan at once, turning them occasionally, until they are browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Season with salt, then fry the rest of the eggplant in batches, seasoning them with salt as you remove them from the oil. You’ll likely need to add more oil to the pan as you go. (I ended up using a total of 1 cup/250ml.)

4. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until wilted and starting to turn golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the parboiled celery, olives, capers, tomato sauce, vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes. Let come to a low boil then add the eggplant.

5. Cook the mixture at a simmer, stirring carefully so as not to mash up the eggplant pieces, for 3 to 4 minutes. Taste, and add additional salt if desired, and perhaps another splash of vinegar. Remove from heat and transfer the caponata to a large, shallow serving platter or bowl and cool.

Serving and storage: Caponata is best served the next day, so the ingredients and flavors have time to meld. Top with chopped flat leaf parsley or fresh mint. It also makes a nice topping for crostini: Pile it atop grilled bread that’s been brushed with olive oil before grilling,