SALAD

ANTIPASTO SYRACUSE STYLE

CONTENTS: Antipasto Syracuse Style Avocado, Hearts of Palm, and Red Onion with Coriander Vinaigrette Avocado and Melon Salad Butter Lettuce and Fresh English Pea Salad Caesar Salad Original Brown Derby Cobb Salad Pear and Carmelized Onion Salad 7-Layer Salad Spinach, Brie, and Strawberries Salad Taco Salad Back to Recipe Page

Bruce and I lived in Upstate NY for a short time. Some of it was spent in the small, beautiful town of Cazenovia. One of our best memories is eating dinner at our neighbor's house, the Giardina's. Peg made this antipasto and it's probably the best one I've ever had. You can virtually put anything that sounds good on it but the secret to it is making a pile of each component separately on a big dish, then passing the plate around with a giant spoon.
Note: This recipe is for a non-meat antipasto. You can add any type of Italian cold cut, turkey, or ham that you'd like. Butter lettuce fresh, roasted red peppers artichoke hearts Hearts of Palm hard boiled eggs, sliced canned, Italian tuna in olive oil canned, good-quality sardines in olive oil 1" chunk of provolone, sliced into pie-shaped wedges small chunks of an Italian cheese, such as fontina cheese curds (if available) cherry tomatoes chick peas	Wash lettuce, tear into small pieces, and place a few pieces on each salad plate. Make up a platter with all of the above (or variations on it, including meat), being sure to make small piles of each item, i.e., start with tomatoes in the corner of the platter, then place egg slices in a pile next to the tomatoes, then place Hearts of Palm next to tomatoes, etc.
Back to Contents

AVOCADO, HEARTS OF PLAM, AND RED ONION WITH CORIANDER VINAIGRETTE
For vinaigrette: 1 small garlic clove 1/4 cup fresh coriander, washed and spun dry 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup olive oil For salad: a 14-ounce can hearts of palm, drained 4 California firm-ripe avocados 1 small red onion, sliced thin Boston lettuce leaves (from about 2 heads)	Make vinaigrette: In a blender purée garlic and coriander with lemon juice, sugar, and salt. With motor running add oil in a stream, blending until dressing is emulsified. Make salad: Cut hearts of palm and avocado into 3/4-inch cubes and in a large bowl with a rubber spatula gently toss with onion and vinaigrette until combined well. Line 8 salad plates with lettuce leaves and mound avocado mixture on top. Serves 8.
Back to Contents

AVOCADO AND MELON SALAD
1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted, sliced thin and rubbed with lemon juice 1 small to medium melon, peeled, seeded, sliced thin, and rubbed with lemon juice 1/4 C raspberry vinegar 1/2 tsp. Salt 1/2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard 1/2 C walnut oil Several grinds of black pepper 1 Tbs. minced fresh tarragon	Arrange the avocado and melon slices on serving platters. Whisk together remaining ingredients and spoon a bit over each plate.
Back to Contents

BUTTER LETTUCE AND FRESH ENGLISH PEA SALAD
1 head Boston or butter lettuce fresh English peas in shell dill creamy dressing (such as Ranch dressing from Fresh Fields)	1. Wash lettuce, pat dry, and tear leaves apart. Place in salad bowl. 2. Shell peas and steam, briefly, until just tender. Cool a bit and place in bowl with lettuce. 3. Chop dill and add to peas and lettuce. 4. Just before serving, toss with dressing.
Back to Contents

CAESAR SALAD
For croutons: 3 cups 1/2-inch cubes of fresh French or Italian bread 2 tablespoons olive oil For dressing: 2 large garlic cloves, chopped 6 flat anchovies, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin) 2 tablespoons water 1 head romaine lettuce, trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese	Make croutons: Heat olive oil in a saute pan. In a bowl toss bread cubes with oil and salt to taste. Saute until golden brown. (Note: fresh garlic cloves can be added to give a wonderful garlicky taste). Make dressing: In a blender blend together at high speed garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and salt until smooth. With motor running add oil in a slow stream and blend until emulsified. Add water and blend dressing well. In a large bowl toss romaine with dressing, Parmesan, croutons, and pepper to taste. Serves 6. Gourmet February 1994
Back to Contents

ORIGINAL BROWN DERBY COBB SALAD
For Old-Fashioned French dressing: 1/2 C water 1/2 C red wine vinegar 1/2 tsp. sugar Juice of 1/2 lemon 2 Tsp. salt 2 Tsp. ground black pepper 2 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 Tsp. dry English mustard 1/2 clove garlic, minced 1/2 C olive oil 1 1/2 C vegetable oil For salad: 2 whole chicken breasts 1 lb. bacon About 4 oz. Roquefort cheese, finely grated 4 medium tomatoes, peeled and seeded salt and pepper to taste 2 ripe avocados Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 head iceberg lettuce, trimmed, washed and dried 1 head romaine lettuce, trimmed, washed and dried 1 bunch watercress 1 bunch chicory 4 Tbs. chopped chives 6 hard-boiled eggs 2 C French dressing	To make salad: Place the chicken breasts in a shallow pan or deep skillet and cover with about 1 inch cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, maintain the heat at a simmer and poach the breasts until the meat is cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid to room temperature. When the chicken is cool, remove from the liquid, remove and discard the skin and bones and chop the meat finely. Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp (Louis Rich Turkey Bacon is actually very good and low in fat). Drain well and chop roughly. Place the chopped bacon on paper towels and dry further in the oven on low heat (around 225) until it separates into bits. This process may be repeated 2 or 3 times, depending on the fat content of the bacon used. Place the Roquefort cheese in the freezer for about 15 minutes, then remove the cheese and grate. Cut the tomatoes into a small dice and sprinkle with s&p. Halve, peel, and dice the avocados; sprinkle with salt and fresh lemon juice (to prevent discoloration). Using a food processor, chop the iceberg, romaine, watercress, chicory, and cives finely, into 3/16" inch bits, but do not reduce them to mush. Finely chop the hard-boiled eggs. To assemble the salad, place all the greens in a large bowl and toss them together; spread the greens evenly in the bottom of the bowl. Arrange the bacon, eggs, chicken, tomatoes, and cheese in rows across the greens; arrange the chopped avocado around the edge of the salad. Bring the salad to the table with the dressing alongside and toss together just before serving. To make dressing: Blend the water, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and garlic. Using a whisk or food processor, combine the olive and vegetables oils and add them in a very fine stream, continuing to whisk until the mixture is well combined. Chill and shake well before serving.
Back to Contents

PEAR AND CARMELIZED ONION SALAD
2 Tbs. Butter 2 large red onion, thinly sliced 1 large or 2 small pears half a lemon 1/4 C raspberry vinegar 1/2 C walnut oil s & p to taste 1/2 lb. Fresh spinach, arugula, or watercress, cut into chiffonade 4 oz. Feta cheese	Melt the butter in a medium skillet. Add the sliced onions and cook over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Peel and slice the pears. Squeeze the lemon juice over them to prevent them from browning. Make a vinaigrette w/the vinegar, oil, s & p. Toss the greens quickly in half the vinaigrette. Make a bed of greens on each of 4 salad plates. Place a quarter of the caramelized onions in the center of the greens. Surround the onions with pear slices. Crumble the cheese over the salad and drizzle w/the remaining dressing.
Back to Contents

7-LAYER SALAD
Arrange in layers, in order, as follows: Shredded lettuce Chopped green onion Thawed and cooked L'Seur Frozen Peas Bacon bits Diced red and green peppers Marie's Ranch Dressing sliced black olives Shredded Cheddar cheese	Layer salad in large see-through bowl. Should be chilled several hours before serving.
Back to Contents

SPINACH, BRIE, AND STRAWBERRIES SALAD
Dressing: 1/2 c sugar 2 Tbs. sesame seeds (optional) 1 Tbs. poppy seed 1 1/2 tsp. minced onion 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp. parika 1/2 C veg oil 1/4 C cider vinegar Salad: Spinach Strawberries, sliced in half Brie, cut into cubes	Blend dressing ingredients together. Add a couple drops of water if thinner consistency desired. Mix spinach, strawberries, and brie in a large salad bowl. The amount of each ingredient is up to you but dressing will cover a salad for 4-6 people. Right before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss.
Back to Contents

TACO SALAD
1 lb. hamburg 1 large bottle creamy Italian dressing tortilla chips, preferably fresh-made shredded cheddar head of lettuce, cut up into small pieces tomatoes sliced black olives red onion, sliced	Saute the hamburg until brown. Mix all ingredients except for dressing. Pour dressing over top and mix well. Serve with guacamole on the side.
Back to Contents