A quick Friday post for a quick Friday dinner!

These zucchini and squash ribbon salads are so hot right now.  (Hansel… so hot right now).

It’s a super easy and refreshing dish using summer’s best produce and it gets bulked up with some toasted pine nuts and creamy goat cheese, 2 of my favorite things. You can easily throw this together in a few minutes and if you want to be super ambitious, make it the side to a great piece of grilled chicken or a steak. Either way, it’s good (and easy) eats.

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Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Based loosely on the recipe from Emeril Lagasse.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini
• 2 small yellow squashes
• 6 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• freshly chopped herbs (I like basil, chives, and mint)
• 6 oz. fresh chevre or soft goat cheese
• ¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

Directions

1.) Using a mandoline, slice the zucchini and squash lengthwise. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and toss in the squash. Blanch them for 60 seconds and then shock in an ice bath.

2.) Toss the zucchini and squash with the vinegar, olive oil, and herbs. Taste to season. Sprinkle with goat cheese and pine nuts.

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Post tags: salad, summer, vegetables

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Another quick post for a quick Friday dinner!

I think it’s this warm weather finally getting under my skin. I always eat so much lighter (see: healthier) when it’s warm and sunny, and the other day it was in the low 70′s and sunny. I had a big ol’ bulb of fennel lying in my fridge and most of the other ingredients on hand (a special trip for proscuitto but well worth it) so I whipped this salad together for a nice light supper.

Crunchy and refreshing fennel and apples with salty satisfying proscuitto, this whole dish just feels clean and oh-so-springish. Adding some walnuts (or even goat cheese would be nice) bulks things up a bit, but feel free to add some grilled chicken breast or serve it with nice hot crusty bread.

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Fennel and Apple Salad

Serves 2

If you can, get the proscuitto sliced fresh at your deli counter over buying the pre-sliced stuff. Not only is it unbelievably cheaper, it’s also better tasting sliced fresh. Just get it sliced as thin as humanly possible!

Ingredients

• 1 small fennel bulb, ends trimmed and then halved, fronds reserved
• 1 medium pink lady apple, cored and cut into quarters
• 3 ounces proscuitto, torn into smaller pieces
• 2 big handfuls spring mix or leafy greens, washed and spun dry
• ½ cup walnut halves, toasted and cooled
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions

1.) Using a mandoline, slice the fennel on thinnest setting possible. If you have the julienne attachment for your mandoline, cut pink lady apple into matchsticks, otherwise slice very thin and then cut into matchsticks. If you don’t have a mandoline, just slice them as thin as possible. If not using right away, keep fennel and apple slices in a large bowl of cold water with some lemon juice squeezed into the bath.

2.) Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, mustard, oil, and honey. Taste for seasoning. Toss fennel, apples, and arugula lightly with dressing. Add a little dressing at a time, pouring more if necessary.

3.) Chop up the reserved fronds a bit. Sprinkle over salad along with walnuts, proscuitto, and then enjoy!

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: fast and easy, quick friday dinner, salad, spring, vegetables

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People often ask me what inspired me to cook — when it happened, why it happened, etc.  I have a myriad of memories that led to me becoming the cook I am today, from being inspired by my sister when she was a pastry chef to becoming obsessed with Food Network when I was 17. The earliest memory of the bunch being an odd obsession with this gorgeous illustrated copy of “The Junior Fannie Farmer Cookbook” in my elementary school’s library when I was 8 or so.  It was only recently I remembered it and brought it up to my mother, who remarked nostalgically “I thought it was so bizarre at the time.”  Thanks, Mom!

But currently it’s my maternal grandmother Esther’s recipes that inspire me the most right now.  I never got to meet her, sadly, but in a way, I feel like I got the ‘cooking gene’ from her.  Although she mostly cooked at home, the rare exception would be Fish Fry Fridays at the bar my grandparents owned many moons ago called “Stick’s Tap” in downtown Milwaukee.  The only recipe we have from Stick’s is her coleslaw (also a winner), but my mother keeps all her other recipes in this ancient little wooden box under our microwave at home, and they’re always incredibly simple, cheap, and tasty.  Few are very summer-friendly (mostly awesome heavy meat action, thick sauces, etc.) but this (like the coleslaw) is one of the exceptions.

I like to think of this dish as ‘pickles unpickled.’  It’s like eating the pickling jar contents before you boil, seal and let sit for a few weeks.  Don’t approach this dish if you’re afraid of vinegar, that’s all I can say.  It’s got a handful of ingredients often seen in dill pickles, comes together in about 15 minutes, and can be eaten straight away, or chilled for a bit if you prefer it a little more refreshing. This is a popular side dish in any Slavic cuisine (for my family this means Polish but I saw something similar to this dish everywhere when I lived in Russia).  It’s sweet, sour, cold, and a fantastic side dish for any grilling or BBQ.

Grandma Esther’s Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

Makes 4 servings

My grandma’s original recipe was quite heavy on the sour cream (because she was so awesome) so to keep things light and fresh, I go heavy with the vinegar to tone down the creaminess and add fresh dill to keep things summery.

Ingredients

• 2 English (seedless) cucumbers, sliced thin (about ¼” thick, you can go peeled or unpeeled here, whatever you fancy)
• 1 small, plain yellow onion, sliced very thin (almost shaved)
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 TBL sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt
• pepper
• 1 TBL chopped, fresh dill

Directions

1.) Toss the sliced cucumbers with about a teaspoon of salt and then lay out on paper towels. Let stand about 15 minutes and blot off all the produced moisture (this is the bitter stuff we don’t want).  Set aside.

2.) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, sour cream, sugar, dill, and about 1/8 teaspoon pepper with 1 teaspoon salt.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

3.) Add the cucumbers and onion and toss to coat.  Can be eaten immediately or let chill in the fridge for about a half hour before enjoying, tossing every 10 minutes or so.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: family recipe, favorite, salad, salty, savory, sidedish, summer

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© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: lamb, salad, savory, spicy, summer

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I used to hate summer. Sure I loved not going to school, maybe swimming occasionally and wearing flipflops, but I have never liked hot weather and growing up in Kansas City meant not only heat, but unbelievable, suffocating humidity.

Although autumn is still my favorite season (for weather and dining), summer grew on me by leaps and bounds as soon as I started cooking seriously and appreciating seasonal ingredients – one of them being the glory that is summer tomatoes. I know it’s still early and the best have really yet to arrive, but I couldn’t resist when I saw this recipe on Chow.com. It sounded so good to pair with a burger and some watermelon (pre 4th of July BBQ warm-up, anyone?) so I stopped by this farmer’s stand that’s always in the parking lot of my local liquor store and snatched up some baby tomatoes toot suite.  And now with the heat wave Boulder is enduring this week, nothing could be better.

You could probably do this entire salad raw if you appreciate the taste, but I went with cooked for the first run.  This salad is so unbelievably refreshing with the lemon vinaigrette and crunchy corn, it would be fabulous alongside spicy BBQ if you felt like something besides burgers.  Also, my burgers are incredibly simple – I just like to mix 4 ounces ground turkey with 1 minced garlic clove, a sprinkling of fresh oregano and about 1 teaspoon grated red onion.  Top with some fresh spinach and feta and away we go.

Summer Corn & Tomato Salad

Based on the recipe from Chow.com

My measurements are halved from the original since I’m cooking for one, but you can see the original measurements at the website. I also added a touch of dijon mustard because I love slathering my corn on the cob in it when I can, so it brings a nice touch to the whole dish.

Makes about 3 hearty servings.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups sweet white corn kernels, from 3 to 4 medium cobs
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp grainy dijon mustard
• 5 ounces cherry or pear tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup red onion, small dice
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add corn kernels and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and immediately shock in the ice water bath and let completely cool, about 4 minutes.

3. Combine lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large nonreactive bowl. While continuously whisking, add oil in a steady stream until completely incorporated. Add remaining ingredients and cooled corn and toss until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Note: If you’re making this in advance (say, for a picnic) – don’t toss the basil in until right before serving.  It will wilt and lose its color fairly quickly, so just toss it in right before.

Easy Turkey Burgers

Makes 1 burger

Easy recipe you can double, triple, etc, based on your needs.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces ground turkey meat
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Dash dried oregano (or 1 tsp fresh, chopped)
• 1 teaspoon grated red onion
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon butter
• fresh spinach
• 1 tablespoon feta crumbles

Directions

1.) Heat a skillet over medium-high heat or a grill at the same temperature.

2.) While the pan or grill heats, mix the turkey, garlic, oregano, onion, salt and pepper in a small dish.  Only mix your burger right before you plan to cook it, otherwise the salt will cause the patty to be watery.  Once combined, very lightly salt and pepper the top side of the burger and set aside.  Wash hands thoroughly.

3.) Once the pan or grill is hot enough, either drop the butter into the pan or rub your grill grates with the butter smothered on a paper towel.  Drop the burger seasoned-side down and then season the now exposed side.

4.) Cook about 4 minutes per side, or until a thermometer reads about 155° F.  Sprinkle the feta on the burger and let rest about 2-3 minutes so carryover cooking brings it to complete doneness (but not dryness).

5.) Serve on a hot toasted bun with summer corn and tomato salad and some fresh watermelon.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: burger, fruit, salad, savory, summer

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