Broccoli Crunch Salad Recipe

Do you ever get in a rut with a particular food?  I am ever so grateful that everyone in my house likes broccoli, which is one of the most nutritious foods out there, but I get a little bored with broccoli with garlic and oil, broccoli with lemon and parmesan cheese or sesame-ginger broccoli.  I have even pureed it in a food processor with butter and salt — oh, we should make that together some time! — but I have a new fun recipe for you.  I am really digging this Broccoli Crunch Salad.  It’s based on a salad I saw in the prepared food case at Whole Foods, but I think it’s better.

Broccoli is in season all year here in California, and I have made this salad to accompany lots of different dishes.  In the summer it goes really well with anything spicy or slathered with barbeque sauce.  I also love it as a quick do-ahead salad to go with Saturday sandwiches in the fall when we’re all rushing around.  The other night we had a bunch of people over to break the fast (what fast?).  Even though I made a few casseroles, Swiss chard frittata in a sheet pan, tuna salad and a green salad, my husband still likes the traditional bagel and deli platter.  Yom Kippur comes once a year and the poor guy doesn’t eat for 24 hours.  I’ll give him a bagel.  But you know how I feel about coleslaw, and I just can’t bring myself to go there so I made this broccoli salad instead.  Crunchy, tangy with a little sweet.  Everyone loved it, or maybe they were just starving.

I have seen lots of broccoli salad recipes that call for completely raw broccoli and although it’s way easier to skip the steaming step, I’m just not a fan.  First of all, raw broccoli is a tad hard to digest for many people and I actually prefer the sweeter taste of it lightly steamed.  But this is called Broccoli Crunch Salad for a reason, so you need to follow the recipe and only steam it for 60 seconds.  The crunch in the broccoli, plus the crunch in the apples and walnuts is entirely addictive.  I will admit, Mr. Picky has yet to try anything with dressing, so I saved some broccoli, apples, walnuts and dried fruit for him on the side and he gobbled it up.  I’m so flexible, aren’t I?  You can be flexible, too, with this salad.  Use sunflower seeds or cashews for the walnuts, any kind of dried fruit, and I surmise you can even use shredded cabbage for the broccoli, but it wouldn’t be a Broccoli Crunch Salad,  now would it?  Just don’t be calling it coleslaw.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Save Print
Broccoli Crunch Salad
Author: 
Serves: 4-5 (the salad in the photo was tripled)
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ pound broccoli crowns, cut into small bite-size florets and stems diced, about 5 cups
  • 1 crisp apple, cored and diced*
  • ⅓ cup unsulphured currants, dried blueberries or dried cranberries
  • ⅓ cup chopped raw walnuts
  • ¼ cup finely diced red onion
  • Dressing:
  • ½ cup whole, unsweetened plain yogurt
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) (I would imagine raw almond butter would work, too.)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, preferably unpasteurized
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan with a steamer insert, bring a few inches of water to a boil. Place the broccoli on the steamer basket and cover with the lid. Steam for 1 minute. Transfer broccoli to a large plate in a single layer and allow to cool.
  2. In a large bowl toss together broccoli, apples, currants, nuts and red onion.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients. Taste and add more maple syrup if you like the dressing sweeter. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss until broccoli is well coated.
  4. Let sit for 30 minutes so that broccoli can absorb some of the dressing.
Notes
*If prepping the apples in advance, let the apples sit in a bowl of water with a good squeeze of lemon juice.

This can be made with raw broccoli, too.

 

Black bean burgers with smoky red pepper sauce

Black Bean Burgers with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce | Pamela Salzman
Black Bean Burgers with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce | Pamela Salzman
Photo by Erica Hampton

Not so fast.  You see “Black Bean Burgers” and you’re already making a run for it?  Well, I can’t blame you if your only experience with veggie burgers are those dry, thin hockey pucks in the frozen section of the supermarket.  Or if you’ve looked for recipes to make your own at home and the list of ingredients was a page long.  What do I have to say to make you give these a try?  Would it help if I told you my meat-and-potatoes husband loooooves these?  Would you been inclined to make them if you knew that Mr. Picky, yes the one and only, gave these very burgers the thumbs-up?  Listen, I’m not guaranteeing anything here, but these black bean burgers are delicious and you’ll want to smear the smoky red pepper sauce on everything from turkey sandwiches to roasted potato wedges to grilled vegetables.

Here’s the other thing — can we take a break from meat for 5 minutes?  My timing on this isn’t ideal, but Meatless Mondays has some merit.  As Mark Bittman said, “Even if you eat a typical American diet replete with processed, junk and fast food the other six days of the week, going meatless on Mondays will still cut your carbon footprint, improve your health and reduce demand for factory-farm meat.”  The only thing I would qualify is that going “meatless” doesn’t necessarily imply a more healthful diet.  You’re a smart group, and I probably don’t need to tell you that you could eat potato chips and candy bars for dinner and that’s not going to do you any good.  But eating a dinner of legumes, whole grains and vegetables can only do you good.

All beans are an inexpensive source of high-fiber protein, but the black color in black beans contains a tremendous amount of antioxidants.  In fact, black beans are among the top antioxidant foods out there.  Recall that antioxidants neutralize the damage done by free radicals and they are your friend against aging.  I prefer to cook my own beans (see very end of post), as opposed to buying them canned, for several reasons:

  • it’s way cheaper;
  • no exposure to BPA in can liners (although Eden Organic doesn’t use BPA);
  • no waste (I cringe when I throw several cans in the trash);
  • less indigestion (there are complex sugars called oligosaccharides on the outside of beans, which can cause some individuals discomfort.  Soaking beans removes these sugars, but most canned beans have not been pre-soaked.  If you have to use canned, give them a rinse before consuming and that will help somewhat.)
  • it’s as simple as boiling water, if you plan ahead.
If you are insecure that your family will go for these, just treat them like regular burgers and give them lots of delicious toppings to choose from.  In my house, we all put our own spin on them.  I eat the burger over a green salad with the pepper spread, grilled onions and sliced avocado.  Everyone else takes a toasted bun and adds cheese, ketchup (Mr. Picky), lettuce, tomato, pickles, you get the picture.  Here’s what’s great for you — you can shape the patties in the morning or even a day or two ahead, pull them out of the fridge right and cook them in less than 10 minutes.  Such a great feeling.  You can even freeze them and cook them right out of the freezer and just cook them a little longer.  I like to fry them on a griddle pan or in a skillet, but you can bake them, too.  And — you can make little sliders for a party!  That’s all it takes to make me happy, people.
Black Bean Burgers with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce | Pamela Salzman
Black Bean Burgers with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce | Pamela Salzman
5.0 from 4 reviews
Save Print
Black Bean Burgers with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce
Author: 
Serves: makes 8 patties
 
Ingredients
  • 3 Tablespoons unrefined, cold pressed extra virgin olive oil + more for cooking patties
  • 1 cup finely diced onion
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more if you like them spicy)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 cups cooked black beans, or 2 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs or almond meal (to make them GF)
  • ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (or more if using unsalted beans)
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • Smoky Red Pepper Sauce (recipe follows)
  • Hamburger bun of choice or whole wheat pita (optional)
  • Accompaniments: grilled onions, avocado, tomato, sprouts
  • SMOKY RED PEPPER SAUCE (double this if your family likes a lot of sauce):
  • 1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped -- you can buy these already roasted or you can roast them yourself (see below)
  • ¼ cup raw, creamy almond butter (or 1 cup feta cheese and omit the salt)
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (or more to taste)
Instructions
  1. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes.
  2. Place 1 ½ cups of beans in a bowl and mash them to a chunky puree with a potato masher or in a food processor (a fork also works just fine.) Add the rest of the beans to the bowl along with the rice, onion mixture, eggs, bread crumbs or almond meal, parsley, cilantro, salt and pepper and blend together. Take a scant ½ cup of the mixture and form into a patty. I like to put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight.)
  3. In a large skillet or on a griddle pan, heat an ⅛ of an inch of oil. Add the patties and cook over medium heat, turning once, until browned and heated through, about 6 minutes. Serve with desired accompaniments. Or preheat an oven to 350 degrees and brush a baking sheet with oil or line it with unbleached parchment paper. Place the patties on the sheet and brush the tops with oil. Bake until heated through and lightly golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.
  4. To make smoky red pepper sauce, puree everything in a mini food processor until well blended.
Notes
HOW TO COOK BEANS FROM SCRATCH

1 pound of dried beans will yield approximately 6 cups of cooked beans.

Let's do the math. 1 pound dried costs about $1.00. 6 cups is about 4 cans. 1 can of Eden Organic costs about $2.29. Times 4 equals more than $10.00. Way cheaper to make your own.



Place the dried beans in a large bowl or pot and add enough cold water to cover by at least three inches. Allow to sit for 6-8 hours, or overnight. The countertop is fine, but if your kitchen is very warm, stick the beans in the fridge.

Drain and rinse the beans in a colander. Transfer beans to a large pot and add enough cold water to cover by three inches. Bring to a boil over high heat and lower to a simmer. Skim any foam off the top while they are cooking.

Start testing them after 50 minutes. Cook until tender. This can take anywhere from 50 minutes to 2 hours (the older the beans, the longer they take.) When they are tender, turn the heat off and add a tablespoon of kosher salt to the water and allow the beans to cool slightly in the cooking liquid. Drain and use immediately or refrigerate and use within 3-4 days. Cooked beans also freeze beautifully.

 

 

Mixed Greens with Grapes, Gorgonzola (or Roquefort) and Almonds

Did you know that grapes have a season just like every other fruit?  Right now is peak grape season in California and they’re scrumptious.  In a few months, the season is over and the grapes in the supermarkets will have been flown in from all sorts of exotic locales that I would love to visit one day.  But for now, we are enjoying organic, locally-grown grapes while they last.  When the season’s over in a month or two, we’re moving on to pears and persimmons.  I always buy organic since grapes are one of the foods on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list, which means they’re pretty heavily contaminated when grown conventionally.

My mother-in-law has a favorite salad that she eats regularly at a restaurant in Park City, Utah and she asked me to copy it at home.  The Grape and Gorgonzola Salad she likes is presented kind of fancy, like a tower with the mixed greens on top, definitely not how I arrange salads at home.  Salads are a dish that are usually the easiest to replicate because you know exactly what’s in there and dressings are generally a ratio of 1 part acid to 3-4 parts oil, plus salt and pepper.  Last year I served this for Rosh Hashana lunch instead of the salad with sauteed apples that I always do,  and we loved it so much it was a repeat this year.

I’m not normally a big cheese eater, but this salad is an example of how I do like to eat cheese.  I usually stick to goat or sheep dairy, which is way more digestible than pasteurized cow dairy for most people.  I will take raw cow dairy over pasteurized for the same reason.  And I like to use a cheese with a bold flavor so that you don’t need very much at all to make a statement.  A little goes a long way.  Gorgonzola is a type of blue cheese, more mild than most blues.  The only Gorgonzola I could find at Whole Foods was pasteurized cow, so I selected a piece of genuine Roquefort, a similar blue cheese made from sheep’s milk, which is also rich in lauric acid, a powerful immune boosting fatty acid.  It was a good thing I was in the kitchen this morning when my husband almost threw out the brand new wedge of Roquefort, thinking it was a science experiment gone bad.  All those blue veins kind of threw him off a bit.  He looked at me in disbelief when I told him the mold in the cheese was put there on purpose and it’s actually good for you.  The blue or blue-green mold running through it is called Penicillium roqueforti which is related to the antibiotic Penicillin and helps fight harmful bacteria in the body.  Not something I would recommend to someone who is allergic to mold or is pregnant however, but since I am neither (hooray!), the Roquefort stays.

You may look at this salad and think it seems so simple and boring, but I wouldn’t post it if it were.  You know what it tastes like?  Like all the flavors on a good cheese plate in a salad, which makes me think that you can substitute figs for the grapes and that would be very delicious.  Figs are in season right now, too, I might add.  The grapes are juicy and sweet and pair perfectly with the salty, strong Roquefort and you know how I feel about a little crunch in my salad — thank you, almonds!  But you know where I’m going here — pecans or walnuts for the almonds, any kind of mixed green especially arugula if you’re just cooking for grown ups.  I couldn’t resist a beautiful red-leaf lettuce from JR Organics at the farmer’s market, which I mixed with radicchio for extra color.  Mr. Picky and his younger cousins had their salads with grapes and almonds and got to try the moldy cheese if they wanted to, which they didn’t.  No problem.  I am an experienced mother, who by this point has learned that mold is an acquired taste, after all.

Save Print
Mixed Greens with Grapes, Gorgonzola (or Roquefort) and Almonds
Author: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • Dressing: (really similar to Everyday Salad Dressing #2)
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons raw honey
  • 2 Tablespoons unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
  • 6 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces of mixed greens
  • 1 cup red grapes, halved
  • ¼ cup (or less) crumbled gorgonzola or other blue cheese
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together shallot, salt, pepper to taste, honey and vinegar. Pour olive oil into the bowl in a steady stream, whisking until emulsified.
  2. Mound greens onto a serving platter. Lightly dress the greens with some of the vinaigrette.
  3. In a small bowl, lightly coat the grapes with some of the dressing and scatter on top of the greens (that way the grapes won't get buried.) Top the salad with the crumbled cheese and sliced almonds. Drizzle with any remaining dressing, if needed.

mixed greens with grapes, gorgonzola (or roquefort) and almonds

serves 4

Dressing: (really similar to Everyday Salad Dressing #2)

1 small shallot, minced

½ teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons raw honey

2 Tablespoons unpasteurized apple cider vinegar

6 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

 

8 ounces of mixed greens

1 cup red grapes, halved

¼ cup (or less) crumbled gorgonzola or other blue cheese

¼ cup sliced almonds

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together shallot, salt, pepper to taste, honey and vinegar.  Pour olive oil into the bowl in a steady stream, whisking until emulsified.
  2. Mound greens onto a serving platter.  Lightly dress the greens with some of the vinaigrette.
  3. In a small bowl, lightly coat the grapes with some of the dressing and scatter on top of the greens (that way the grapes won’t get buried.)   Top the salad with the crumbled cheese and sliced almonds.  Drizzle with any remaining dressing, if needed.

Easy no-fail roast chicken

If you eat chicken, you absolutely must learn how to roast one whole.  It is beyond easy to do, never fails me, everyone loves it and is arguably the most delicious way to eat chicken.  WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR?!  The busier I get, the more often I make roast chicken and no one seems to tire of it.  But the first time I attempted to cook a whole bird, I had so much anxiety, so I completely understand if you think doing this is intimidating.  Now get over it!

First, let’s talk chicken.  There is some terminology you need to interpret when you are shopping for a chicken.

NATURAL:  This means absolutely nothing except that you are buying a chicken and not playdough.  It does not mean it was a healthy bird or that it ate a “natural diet” or lived in conditions that are “natural” for a chicken.  It just means it’s a chicken.

FREE-RANGE:   Free range means the chickens have access to the outdoors. Read between the lines here.  “Access” means the chickens are permitted to leave the barn if they want to or if they are able to, but it doesn’t mean they will.  “Outdoors” can also be interpreted in more than one way.  It can mean a window and that is a-ok with the USDA.  The term free-range has nothing to do with being organic. I know most people think that all free-range chickens run around in wide open areas eating bugs and worms the way they’re supposed to, but I hate to burst your bubble and say that is likely not the case.  Usually only small local farmers will have truly free-range birds.

ORGANIC:  This means the chicken has eaten organic feed (not treated with pesticides and herbicides) and has not been treated with antibiotics.  You might never take antibiotics yourself, but if you eat conventionally raised poultry, you’re ingesting antibiotics through the meat.  You may see the claim that a chicken has not been given hormones, but that is a practice that has been banned in this country, so all chickens should be hormone-free.  Organic chickens should also have been raised under humane conditions.

JIDORI:  I’ve seen this on quite a few restaurant menus recently.  Jidori is a type of free-range bird common in Japan but until recently almost unheard of in American restaurants.  The chickens are fed all-vegetarian diets, without antibiotics, but what they are really known for is their freshness.  Jidori chickens are killed within 24 hours of being sold.

Here’s what you do:

  • pick a night of the week that you only have 15 minutes to prepare dinner.
  • buy your chicken up to two days before and salt it on the inside as soon as you get it home from the market.  This will season the meat really well and keep it juicy.  Refrigerate it until the day you make it.
  • work backwards from what time you want to eat.  6:00 dinner?  Go back 10 minutes for carving, 20 minutes for resting, 90 minutes for roasting, 30-60 minutes for bringing to quasi-room temperature.  Take the chicken out the fridge at 3:00/3:30 to get prepped.  Into the oven at 4:00.  Not home?  Have a babysitter or older child put it in the oven since there’s nothing else to do.
  • Add whatever random vegetables or potatoes you have to the baking dish and you have the perfect dinner for minimal effort.
  • While you’re at it, make two at once and use the second for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner.
  • Click here to watch a video of me prepping and roasting a whole chicken.
Addendum:  here’s a series of photos for how to carve the chicken.
1.  Untie the legs.
2.  Cut the skin around the leg and cut between the joints connecting leg and thigh.  Remove both legs and put on platter, covered to keep warm.
3.  Cut thighs off, again cutting between the joints and keep warm on a platter.
4.  Remove wings and transfer to platter.
5.  Cut alongside the breastbone all the way down and cut around the breast, completely taking it off.  I like to slice the breasts on a cutting board as shown.  Take the drippings and pour over the chicken.
6.  Pull everything out of the cavity and save the carcass to make the best stock ever.  Make stock within the next two days or wrap the carcass well and freeze it until you can make stock.
 

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Save Print
Easy No-Fail Roast Chicken
Author: 
Serves: 4-6, assuming not everyone wants the breast meat
 
Ingredients
  • 1 4-5 pound roasting chicken, preferably free-range, organic from a small local farm
  • Kosher Salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • ½ bunch fresh thyme or 4 6-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 4-5 large cloves of garlic smashed
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted or olive oil + more for drizzling vegetables
  • 1 large onion, peeled and thickly sliced
  • kitchen twine for trussing
  • assorted chopped vegetables such as potatoes, winter squash, carrots, fennel
Instructions
  1. When you return home from the market, unwrap the chicken and remove the giblets from the cavity. Rinse the chicken inside and out and dry very well with paper towels. Remove piece of fat from the outside of the cavity. Take a heaping tablespoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper and rub it inside the cavity. If there’s any more salt left on your hands, rub it in between the skin and the breast meat. Rewrap the chicken and refrigerate until ready to cook.
  2. Remove chicken from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  3. Stuff the cavity with the lemon, thyme or rosemary and garlic.
  4. Spread the onion slices on the bottom of a shallow roasting pan. Place the chicken on top of the onions and tie the drumsticks with kitchen twine. Brush all over with the melted butter or oil.
  5. Scatter chopped vegetables around chicken and drizzle vegetables with oil. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with a little salt and pepper.
  6. Roast the chicken for 1 hour 10 minutes - 1 ½ hours or until a instant read thermometer inserted in the breast reads 160-165 degrees. Transfer to a platter or a cutting board and allow to rest about 10-20 minutes, tented with foil.
  7. Carve and serve immediately.

 

 

Zucchini-gruyere tart

Do you remember the first cookbook you ever bought?  Not counting the Calling All Girls Party Book in second grade, I bought my first cookbook with my own money in 1987, the year I graduated from high school.  My Aunt Maria drove me out to one of her favorite gourmet food shops in the Hamptons on Long Island.  Loaves and Fishes was a darling little shingled cottage in Sagaponack and run by a mother-daughter team named Anna and Sybille Pump.  All these years I thought I was their biggest fan, but apparently I’m not the only Loaves and Fishes admirer.  The famous Ina Garten has adapted a recipe or two (or more) from Anna and even dedicated one of her cookbooks to her.

I basically taught myself how to cook from Loaves and Fishes. When The Loaves and Fishes Party Cookbook came out, I scooped it up and read it cover to cover.  Anna Pump taught me how to entertain with ease and it was from this book that I learned what I could prep in advance, an education that still serves me today.  Loaves and Fishes is still around.  I actually visited the cook shop in Bridgehampton last summer.  I wouldn’t say that the recipes in the book are the most healthful or that I even use many of them today, but this recipe for zucchini-gruyere tart from the first book is my hands-down favorite hors d’oeuvre ever.  It should be in the Hors D’oeuvre Hall of Fame.  I have been making it for 24 years and it has never failed me (even when I’ve used  zucchini from (shhhh!) Mexico when they’re out of season here.)  I have also made it with heirloom tomatoes instead of zucchini and it’s always a showstopper.

Manhattan Beach has the potluck thing down.  Last weekend my friends Kristy and Sarah hosted a lovely “small plates night” at Sarah’s home.  You MUST do this sometime.  Everyone brings an appetizer or a bottle of wine and has a fabulous time catching up and watching the sun set over the ocean (it helps that Sarah lives right in front of the Pacific.)  I brought the zucchini tart which I cut into 64 slightly-bigger-than-bite-size pieces and it vanished faster than the chardonnay, which is saying something.

Please don’t be intimidated by the pastry crust — if you’ve rolled out sugar cookie dough, you can do this.  But if you don’t want to, just buy 2 premade pastry crusts and fit it to the baking sheet.  Puff pastry would be another option here.  Every time I make it, I apply the tips I learned from my first books and I blind bake the crust the day before and leave it at room temperature.  Also the day before I shred the cheese, slice the zucchini, make the herb oil and refrigerate them all separately.  After working (i.e. cooking) all day and shuttling kids to their activities, all I needed to do before the party was assemble the tart and freshen up while it baked in the oven.  Now, go find an excuse to make this and then thank Anna Pump.

Save Print
Zucchini-Gruyere Tart
Author: 
Serves: yields approximately 100 1-by-2-inch pieces (I usually cut them larger to yield 64-72 pieces)
 
Ingredients
  • CRUST:
  • 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or use all regular white flour)
  • ¾ cup (1 ½ stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 12 pieces
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 small egg yolks
  • 5 Tablespoons cold water
  • FILLING:
  • 4 medium zucchini, about 1 ½ pounds
  • 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • 5 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • ¾ pound Gruyere cheese, grated
  • ⅓ cup finely grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. To make the crust, place the flour, butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse 5 times. Add the egg yolks and pulse 2 more times. With the motor running, and the water through the feed tube. Process only until the dough begins to stick together. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and quickly form it into a ball. Wrap the dough in parchment and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  3. Cut the zucchini diagonally into ⅛- inch slices and place them in a large bowl. (A mandoline makes this task very easy. You can do this the day before and refrigerate, covered.)
  4. Put the parsley, garlic, basil, and thyme in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Sprinkle with the pepper and salt and process until the herbs are chopped fine. With the motor still running, add the olive oil through the feed tube. (You can dot his the day before and keep refrigerated in an airtight container.) Pour the herb mixture over the zucchini slices and mix well.
  5. Roll out the pastry dough to a ⅛-inch thickness. Fit it into a 18-by-12-by-1-inch pan. Cover the pastry with parchment paper, including the corners. Pour pie weights over the parchment paper, filling the pan. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove parchment and weights and bake the tart pastry for 5 minutes more. *
  6. Spread the mustard over the bottom of the crust. Distribute the cheeses over that. Arrange the zucchini in overlapping rows, covering the cheese. Pour whatever herb mixture is left in the bowl over the zucchini.
  7. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake the tart for 30 minutes more.
Notes
The tart pastry can be blind-baked up to the day before, cooled and left covered at room temperature until ready to fill and bake.

 

California greek salad

california greek salad|pamela salzman

One of my most favorite places in the world is Greece.  I have only been there once, but since that time I have dreamt of when I would return.  Six years ago, the hubby and I took the girls to Athens, Hydra and then Spetses for the wedding of our dear friends Maria and John.  The views, the people, THE FOOD — Greece is my kind of country.  We were lucky enough to have a Greek friend take us to the “locals” restaurants, the ones where you have to take a little boat to access them; the kind where they bring you to a fish tank and tell you to pick out the fish or lobster you would like for dinner.  Why is it that I can eat dinner in Greece at 11 pm and I feel fabulous the next day, but if I eat after 7pm in the US, I can’t sleep?

Have you read that the people of Crete are among the longest living people in the world?  And I bet they die happy.  The traditional Cretan diet is based on locally grown fruits and vegetables, fish, whole grains and legumes and of course, olive oil.  Everything is whole, unprocessed and as fresh as can be.  Cretans especially love their salad and I’m right there with them, especially if it involves feta cheese.  I think the only reason I could never be a vegan is because of feta.  I could wave goodbye to meat and eggs forever, but feta is with me for life.  I became so addicted to the classic Greek salad that I started making it regularly at home.  The girls got my feta-loving genes and are crazy for Greek salads, too, so every now and then I make one for the lunchbox.

Over the last six years my Greek salads have evolved to make the most of what grows beautifully right here in Southern California.  I like to think that if Greece and California had a salad together, it would be this one right here with romaine, sunflower sprouts and more importantly, avocado.   I can’t eat Greek salad anymore without creamy chunks of avocado.  The Reed variety is my absolute favorite and they are in season right now.  Happiness!  I am fortunate that I have access to high quality goat feta from my farmer’s market, as well as a good Bulgarian sheep feta from Whole Foods.  I don’t care for domestic cow feta which tastes salty and dry to me.  Plus, goat and sheep dairy is much easier for us to digest.  Traditionally, the classic Greek salad does not contain lettuce as shown in the last photo here, but I try to put leafy greens in as many things as possible.  I’ve also made this with chickpeas, bell peppers and even diced cooked chicken.  Salad rules are made to be broken.

california greek salad|pamela salzman

california greek salad|pamela salzman

5.0 from 1 reviews
Save Print
California Greek Salad
Author: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce (optional)
  • Juice of ½ a lemon (about 2 Tbs.) or 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Unrefined extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 large handful sunflower sprouts
  • 4 Persian cucumbers, unpeeled, cut in half and then sliced on the diagonal
  • 4 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • half of a small red onion, sliced very thinly (soaked in ice water to neutralize some of the harsh onion flavor, if desired)
  • 6 ounces feta, cubed
  • 2 Tablespoons capers, drained
  • ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
  • Dried oregano, preferably Greek
Instructions
  1. Arrange the lettuce on a large platter. Drizzle with a teaspoon or two of lemon juice or red wine vinegar, a tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the sprouts on top.
  2. Place the cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, onions and feta in a bowl and drizzle with remaining lemon juice plus enough olive oil to coat lightly. Arrange on top of the lettuce and sprouts, and sprinkle with a little sea salt and black pepper.
  3. Distribute the capers and olives on top. Sprinkle with dried oregano to taste.
Notes
Tip: wash your lettuce as soon as you come home from the market. Leave it out on a clean kitchen towel to dry and then roll it up in the same towel and keep it in the fridge for a lickety-split salad.

My favorite tuna salad

Well people, sandwich season is upon us and I’m proposing that we branch out and see if we can avoid making peanut butter and jelly everyday.  In fact, I know many of you are in nut-free schools and can’t rely on the old standby at all.  On the other hand, luncheon meats freak me out a bit — and not for any scientific reason.  I just can’t get past the idea that this turkey was cooked who knows when and squished and reformed into this new product with lots of “natural flavors.”  I’d rather poach or grill organic chicken breasts and give the kids chicken sandwiches, which is exactly what I do and I save a little money while I’m at it.

As for me, I’m not much of a sandwich eater, mostly because I prefer to eat quinoa over bread.  But if I had to pick a sandwich for my last supper, it would be tuna salad with lettuce, tomato and avocado on whole grain bread.  If there happen to be some grilled onions lying around, I would add those in, too.  But this wouldn’t be just any tuna salad, it would be this one right here, which my kids also love — hooray!

I found the canned tuna of my dreams at Vital Choice — cooked once, BPA-free cans, minimal mercury and absolutely the best tasting tuna ever.   (It’s also one of the most expensive tunas out there.  Drat!)  Tuna is high in Omega-3 fatty acids (very anti-inflammatory and you’re probably not getting enough of them) and high in protein (so important when the kids are at school).  I mix it with some of the expected like a little mayo (I like soy-free Vegenaise), celery, diced shallot (I hate cutting 2 tablespoons of onion and then wrapping the cut onion in the fridge), a little lemon juice to brighten everything up and a touch of Dijon mustard to give it some zing.  But don’t get mad when I tell you I have a random secret ingredient.  My friend Daisy introduced me to Herbamare, an organic herb and salt seasoning, several years ago and my tuna salad peaked.  It just adds the perfect flavor to complement the tuna.  I buy it at Whole Foods, but you can also find it on amazon.com.  Otherwise, just use some sea salt to taste.

You can make your tuna salad the night before to make your morning easier.  Mr. Picky doesn’t like sandwiches (hard to believe, right?), so he takes his tuna in a (BPA-free) container with a spoon.  My teenage girls would please like a breath freshener in their lunch bags on tuna day, and that does NOT mean a sprig of parsley.  Got it.  Look out for more lunch ideas in a future post!

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Save Print
My Favorite Tuna Salad
Author: 
Serves: serves about 3
 
Ingredients
  • 1 6-ounce can water-packed tuna, drained
  • ¼ of a lemon
  • 1 stalk celery, diced, about ½ cup
  • 1 small shallot, diced, about 2 Tablespoons
  • 2-3 Tablespoons mayonnaise (I like soy-free Vegenaise) or half Greek yogurt and half mayo
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
  • ⅜ teaspoon Herbamare or sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Right in the can, flake the tuna with a fork over a medium bowl, at the same time allowing the tuna to fall into the bowl. Squeeze the lemon over the tuna.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Taste for seasoning.
Notes
Notes: other additions can include diced apple, diced sweet bell pepper, sliced manzanilla olives (the ones stuffed with pimentos), chopped nuts, chopped water chestnuts, fresh dill

 

Late summer minestrone

late summer minestrone|pamela salzman

Oh, I am not very good at goodbyes.  And saying farewell to summer is just inevitable now, isn’t it?  My minestrone soup is one of those recipes that bridges summer and fall.  Zucchini and tomatoes are still plentiful in the farmer’s markets, but the weather is showing signs of cooling down.  We’ve had a few chilly and foggy beach days in the last week and that was my signal to make this favorite soup of ours.  The word minestrone means “big soup” in Italian.  To me it means, “use what you’ve got, ” especially lots of veggies.  No matter what, it’s always hearty enough to be called a meal, but light enough for the season.  My mom used to make it with elbow macaroni or the smallest of pastas, but I adore farro and find that it adds a heartiness that the pasta doesn’t.  Plus, it has more to offer in the way of fiber and protein.  Combined with white beans, this is a well-balanced meal that almost always makes its way into thermoses in tomorrow’s lunch box.  Have I mentioned lately that making school lunches is not my favorite morning pastime?  I know, I’m such a whiiiiiner.  But Daughter #1 is trying to be an overachiever this year and start school at 7:00 am.  Do you know what this means?  I need to be making lunch around 6:00 am OR I could just reheat minestrone five minutes before we need to leave the house.  Sounds like a plan!

As the seasons change, so does this soup.  I have used jarred tomatoes instead of fresh, and frozen shelled peas and cabbage for the zucchini.  Don’t be put off by the piece of rind from a wedge of Parmesan cheese.  It’s a little secret ingredient found in so many Italian kitchens.  One you see how delicious it makes this soup, you’ll never throw it out again!   My mom would make this soup or pasta e fagioli whenever we would come to the end of a piece of Parmesan.  In my house, my kids and husband love this soup so much that we buy buy the cheese just for the rind!  Mr. Picky even likes this soup.   His favorite thing to do is add a leftover meatball, chopped up into his bowl and he’ll have seconds, thank you very much.

late summer minestrone|pamela salzman

This week I will be harvesting almost all the basil and parsley in the garden and making a mountain of pesto to freeze in small quantities for the upcoming months.  At least I can make summer last a little longer in my own way.

late summer minestrone|pamela salzman

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Pamela Salzman (@pamelasalzman)

 

5.0 from 4 reviews
Save Print
Late Summer Minestrone
Author: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery, coarsely chopped
  • 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped or 1 14.5 ounce can, diced with juice
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
  • ¾ cup farro
  • Piece of rind from a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (if you have it)
  • 4 small zucchini, medium dice, about 4 cups
  • 1 ½ cups cooked white beans (e.g. cannellini, Great Northern), rinsed if canned
  • Handful of greens, coarsely chopped
  • Chopped basil leaves or pesto for garnish (optional)
  • Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, and add the onions, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Do not allow the vegetables to brown.
  2. Add the tomatoes with the juice, parsley and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Cook for 5 minutes more, until the tomatoes are fragrant.
  3. Add the stock and 2 teaspoons of sea salt and bring to a boil. Add the farro and the parmesan rind and bring to a boil again. Lower the heat so that the soup simmers. Cook about 15 minutes.
  4. Add the zucchini and cook another 10 to 15 minutes, until the farro is tender but still has a little “toothiness.”
  5. Add the cooked beans and heat through. Add more stock, if desired.
  6. Add the chopped greens and stir until wilted. Adjust seasonings and serve with chopped basil leaves and freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or drizzled olive oil on top or a spoonful of pesto.