Rice Salad with Grilled Chicken, Eggplant, and Zucchini

Recently, I’d become bored with the lunches I bring to work and a change was needed. So, while trying to imagine something new and different that would be easy to pack and then heat in a microwave or eat cold, I came upon the rice salad article by Bittman. Rice salad is perfect for lunch at work, and it’s versatile. As explained in the article, you can turn any combination of ingredients that classically go together into a rice salad. Just pick a general flavor direction. Bittman wrote: "I’m not saying anything goes, but just about."

I loved the suggested method of cooking rice like pasta and tasting it as it cooks for doneness. Once cooked to desired level, the rice is rinsed, drained, and combined with ingredients of your choosing. I decided to use grilled, summer vegetables and chicken. Then, lots of complementary things were added to the mixing bowl as well. Here’s what I included in my version:

2 c medium grain white rice (cooked like pasta, rinsed, and drained)
1/2 medium red onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small purple eggplants, halved, grilled, then chopped into 1/2" dice
2 smallish zucchini, halved, grilled, then chopped into 1/2" dice
1 lb chicken breast, grilled, then chopped into 1/2" dice
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 sun-dried tomatoes, oil packed, diced
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 big handful flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
3/4 c parmigiana, grated
2 t Dijon mustard
3 T red wine vinegar
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

First, I whisked the vinaigrette in a large mixing bowl (mustard, vinegar, oil) then everything else went in and was tossed to combine. Yield: dinner and lunch the next day for one army. It makes quite a lot.

The grill smoke was a nice addition to the overall flavor. The salad was delicious right after being made. It was even better straight from the refrigerator for lunch the next day as some magic occurred while everything had nestled together overnight. I’m already thinking up other combinations and actually looking forward to future lunches.

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Le Migliori Polpette di Tonno

Or, 'the best tuna meatballs.' In the last couple of weeks, pasta with tuna kept coming to my attention, and I developed a craving for it. This dish comes from Jamie's Italy which is a great book. He writes that he saw these made in Sicily with a combination of swordfish and tuna. The Sicilian influence is evident, I suppose, with the addition of cinnamon.

Fresh tuna is used rather than canned, but it is cooked first with pine nuts and cinnamon and then mixed with lemon juice, zest, breadcrumbs, grated parmigiana, oregano, parsley, and eggs. The mixture is formed into meatballs just smaller than a golf ball. Then, they are browned in olive oil and added to the tomato sauce.

It smelled delicious as it cooked, and I tasted crumbled bits of the meatballs as I removed them from the olive oil. The flavor of those little pieces was very good. However, when we sat down to full plates, we quickly realized that the lemon was slightly too present and the tuna was somewhat lost. I would make a few changes next time around. First, I always use homemade breadcrumbs which come from whole grain breads. In this case simple, white breadcrumbs would be better. Second, I would cut back on the lemon zest by about half. And, last, some crushed red pepper or cayenne added to the meatball mixture might be nice. I should have thought about the breadcrumbs being too wheaty, maybe the lemon I used was bigger than usual, and adding crushed red pepper might only have occurred to me because the flavor was off due to the first two issues. So, what do I know?

The tuna meatballs were much less heavy than even ground turkey or chicken ones tend to be, and the basic tomato sauce was very good. I would make this again with changes. But, I’m still interested in trying some other takes on pasta with tuna.


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Summer Ambrosia

I can say for certain that prior to preparing this I had never spent so much time on a fruit salad, but I don’t make a lot of fruit salads. This fetching concoction was the dessert of the month in Living in July/August 1999. I think the appearance of it alone made it worth the effort. The coconut bowls are fun. In fact, I decided yesterday that my new favorite item in the produce department is the coconut.

I was a little worried about working with the coconuts and wasn’t sure how much fighting it would take to poke their eyes and then bust them open. It actually wasn’t difficult. For each one, I used a pick and a hammer to make holes in the eyes, and I let the coconut juice drain out by setting it on a strainer over a measuring pitcher. Then, I covered the coconut with a towel and whacked it with a hammer.

When the coconuts are opened, their gorgeous color scheme is revealed. Bright, perfect white is surrounded by a dark, chocolate brown with a lighter, softer brown on the outside. And that is how I became enamored with the coconut. I plan to use this color scheme whenever and wherever I can. The remaining tasks in processing them were more tedious. The broken pieces were baked to cause the flesh to pull away from the shell. The shell was pulled off or pried off. The brown covering was peeled from the outside of the flesh, and the cleaned flesh was peeled into strips which were toasted.

Moving on to the rest of the salad, I chose to use only half of the specified amount of sugar syrup. I prefer the taste of fruit without any added sugar, and the orange and pineapple delivered plenty of natural sweetness. However, because the sugar syrup was simmered with ginger, I wanted to include some for that flavor. The fruits I used were: orange, pineapple, papaya, pluot, kiwi, and strawberry. The recipe also calls for shredded sweetened coconut which I skipped. I’d like to point out that the flavor of fresh coconut is much, much better than the bagged, sweetened stuff. That cloying, whangy, coconutty thing is nowhere to be found in the mild, warm nuttiness of fresh coconut.

The last item in the preparation is the whipped cream. Amaretto was to be added to the cream, but I had none so I used rum instead. Of course, I had rum. Just thinking about this combination of ginger, pineapple, lots of other fruit, fresh coconut, whipped cream, and rum provided a mental, tropical getaway. Eating that combination from a coconut bowl made me feel the sand between my toes. And, now I have left-over coconut juice and toasted, fresh coconut.

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Salade Tricolore

I’ve been reading Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells and wanting to make every recipe I’ve seen so far. These are simple recipes that require perfect ingredients at their peak. For my first selection, I prepared salade tricolore with creamy lemon-chive dressing. I collected arugula at the farmers’ market, and the radicchio and endive came from the grocery store. This combination of greens is classic, but the creamy lemon-chive dressing gave the salad an interesting twist.

Although it is a creamy dressing, it’s not heavy at all. The lemon and chives point up the flavors. Also, by adding a little dressing at a time as you mix the leaves together, you can prevent the salad from becoming sodden. The peppery greens with the smooth, fresh veil of the dressing were just right together.
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Clams in Cartoccio

Last weekend, I reached for my copy of Italian Grill once again. I don’t actually eat much red meat, so I’ve been cooking from the fish and shellfish section. I have read through all of it, however, and Mario is just fantastic. I noticed in the pizza section that his dough includes white wine. Interesting. I’m going to have to try that too.

The clams in cartoccio couldn’t be simpler to prepare. Pancetta is browned, and garlic, crushed red pepper, and diced sweet peppers are added. All of this is bathed in white wine and then allowed to cool. This mixture is spooned over clams that have been placed in foil packets, and the packets are sent to the grill.

As I just mentioned, I don’t eat much red meat, but Mario suggested the use of pancetta, and so be it. I included it because I sensed the flavor was important here, and the pork nuggets were easily avoided while eating the dish. It’s a grey area. My reason for not eating red meat is that I just don’t really enjoy it. Little tastes slip by here and there, but I’m not drawn to it. For instance, paella isn’t paella without the flavor from chorizo. But, my attention is on the chicken and shellfish and the sausage pieces get moved to the side of the plate. This isn’t my only food issue, and maybe I’ll change my mind some day. I won’t even attempt to explain my thing with onions.

Kurt has no meat eating issues and was very pleased with the clams and the pancetta. The clams were perfectly tender, and the resulting broth was indescribably good. Grilled bread was used as a vehicle for it; although, I could have drunk from the parchment-lined foil. The clams and pancetta provided the only source of salt, and it was just the right amount. Mario wrote that when the foil packets are opened at the table, your guests will experience a piscatorial facial. I would like to steal his term and refer to the broth as heavenly piscatorial nectar. I highly recommend it, and eating or not eating the pancetta is entirely up to you.
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Zucchini and Summer Squash Spaghetti

The concept of cutting zucchini into pasta-like ribbons and saucing them like spaghetti is popping up all over the place. On Iron Chef America Battle Zucchini, Bobby Flay made a fantastic looking version. There was also a raw food recipe in Food and Wine in June, and I’ve had such a dish a few times at the raw bar at Whole Foods. I felt the need to create my own version, and this is a perfect time of year for it.

At the farmers’ market on Saturday, we found lovely zucchini, yellow summer squashes, sweet pepperoncini and cherry peppers, and lots of other things too. As I gathered the fresh peppers at the market, I began imagining how to incorporate them into this dish. I was mostly inspired by the raw preparations I’ve read about or eaten, but I veered a little off the raw path in the end. My take on the dish was:

2 medium summer squashes
1 small zucchini
note: the size varies quite a lot, but for the amount of sauce here, a total of five cups or so of squash pasta works well

2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c sun-dried tomatoes from jar packed with olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 c fresh basil leaves
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t Aleppo pepper

juice of half of a lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 T kalamata olives, pitted and halved
3 fresh cherry peppers, thinly sliced
2 fresh pepperoncini, thinly sliced
Grated parmigiana reggiano to taste

Slice squashes and zucchini into thin strips lengthwise, and then cut each strip into strands. I used a grater to slice the strips and then hand cut the strands. It takes a little time and patience. Place cut strands in a medium bowl and set aside.

(A spiral slicer would make the task much easier, and the ribbons would be perfectly consistent. I’m now coveting one and am trying to come up with ways to justify a purchase. I would make this every day if I had a handy tool to cut the ribbons.)

In a blender pitcher, place fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, Aleppo pepper, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour over squash strands and toss to combine. Serve garnished with olives, cherry peppers, pepperoncinis and parmigiana as four small first course servings or two large main course plates.

This summery dish, requiring no stove use at all, packs a burst of flavors. The fresh and sun-dried tomatoes combine to form a bright tasting sauce, the olives add depth of flavor, and the peppers bring a fresh, crunchy contrast. You won’t miss the semolina pasta for a minute.
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Carmelitas

It doesn’t take much to talk me into baking. Someone at work made an off-handed comment about how she deserved some cookies, and that was enough to send me to my kitchen. I had tucked away this recipe from Food and Wine’s March 2007 issue. These are Texas-standard cookie bars, but I had never baked them. I’ve eaten carmelitas from Whole Foods, and theirs are fantastic. They’re very dense and filling but deliciously so. The chewy layers of chocolate chips, pecans, and caramel make it hard to stop with just a dainty bite.

While shopping for ingredients, I was reminded that dulce de leche is also known as cajeta. I thought it would be easy enough to locate, but two grocery stores later, I finally found it near the peanut butter and nutella. You can also make your own from sweetened condensed milk. The brand I bought is made from goat’s milk, but others are made from cow’s milk. I could have happily sat down with the jar and a spoon and called it a day, but instead I assembled and baked the carmelitas.

The dough comes together quickly, and the half used for the base gets pre-baked. Then, the other ingredients and crumbled remaining dough are layered on top, and the pan is returned to the oven. There is a curious instruction about leaving the pan to cool and letting it sit uncovered at room temperature overnight. Uncovered all night long? I couldn’t do it. We have a cat, and who knows what other creatures could have found their way into the carmelitas overnight? I left it for several hours and then covered the pan before going to sleep. Maybe being left uncovered overnight makes for a firmer cookie bar. Mine were a little crunchy on the bottom, yielding in the middle, and just slightly firmer on top, and I was quite pleased with my result. I brought the cookie bars to work, and happy munching ensued.


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