Roasted Beet Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese and Maple Balsamic Dressing

When I was in California back in June I had the pleasure to eat at Chef Tyler Florence's San Francisco restaurant Wayfare Tavern. It was a fantastic meal -- the starters, avocado salad and bacon-wrapped dates, were particularly memorable as were the popovers -- and one that has inspired me to try a few new things in the kitchen since getting back.

Up until a few years ago I was a beet hater. Probably because of the fuschia-tinted pickled variety I was used to growing up, a mainstay at family dinners (I think my grandpa was the only one who liked them). But I recall having a roasted beet salad at a downtown restaurant and realizing just how delicious a beet could be -- earthy and sweet, slightly warm, and dressed with a simple citrus vinaigrette. I think there must have been some goat cheese in there as well, because beets and goat cheese are genius together.

Waldorf Salad, Jamie Oliver's Way

I've long been a fan of Jamie Oliver -- his original Naked Chef series was the first cooking show I made a point to watch week to week -- and so how stoked was I to attend his cooking demo and talk in Toronto last Thursday?!

Jamie was just as cheeky, self-deprecating, and genuine as I expected him to be, and it's evident that his passion to get kids (and adults) eating healthy food -- which inspired his 'Food Revolution' in Britain -- hasn't subsided one iota. Most recently, he travelled through the U.S. and the highlights of those adventures are present in his latest show, Jamie's American Road Trip, and cookbook, Jamie's America. He cooked two recipes from the book: a red snapper ceviche similar to one he had at a Peruvian restaurant in New York City, and a steak dish with two sauces, a peanut-smoked chili sauce and a fresh tomato salsa, something he was inspired to create after time spent in L.A.

Orzo Salad with Grilled Broccolini and Sausage

One of my girlfriends recently turned me on to Fine Cooking, a magazine she subscribes to, and in browsing through a recent issue I knew I had to try this dish. I love the combination of sausage and greens, and could only imagine that grilling them along with red onion would make this a satisfying end-of-summer meal. I don't cook with orzo very much but I loved it here, and the olives and capers added a beautiful briny note to the salad.

The recipe calls for pre-cooked chicken sausage, but I used a raw spicy chicken-turkey sausage, that I poached for 10 minutes before grilling to ensure it was cooked through. I finished the dish with some fresh basil -- my three pots' worth are threatening to take over my balcony so I'm using it wherever possible -- and it worked really well with the other flavours. I reheated this salad the next day and it was still good -- I added some halved grape tomatoes to change it up a bit. Super-easy, this dish. Will definitely be making it again, maybe switching up the sausage variety and/or the type of vegetable used.

Wild Rice Salad

I was chatting recently with Alison Fryer, owner of The Cookbook Store in Toronto, about new and hot cookbooks and she mentioned a pair of titles by British chef Yotam Ottolenghi. I confess I hadn't heard of him before, but flipping through the two books (Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, and most recently Plenty) I was intrigued by what I saw -- Mediterranean- and Middle Eastern-influenced dishes with vibrant flavours such as chili, lemon, pomegranate, pistachio. Many of the dishes vegetarian. I wanted to buy both, then and there, but then I thought about my borderline-ridiculous collection of cookbooks at home and decided against it.

Instead, I went online and found two sources of Ottolenghi recipes -- the official site and the Guardian UK which features a weekly column by the man himself entitled The New Vegetarian. Jackpot! I decided I'd try out a few of his recipes first before considering buying one of his books. I started with a bulgur salad called Kisir (bottom photo), a traditional Turkish side dish made with tomato paste, parsley and spices. I'd seen it described in a few places as a spicier version of tabbouleh. This particular recipe called for pomegranates and mint, and though I subbed chopped up raspberries for the not-in-season pomegranate seeds it turned out fabulously. Filling, hearty and full of flavour.

Arugula Salad With Warm Oyster Mushrooms

Salad is a hard sell for me in winter, when all I crave are soups, stews and rich pastas. But this is one I never turn down, I think because the flavours are so robust. We're not talking watery iceberg lettuce and Italian dressing here, this is sharp, peppery arugula balanced against soft, buttery mushrooms, brought together with freshly squeezed lemon and fruity olive oil. Because there are so few ingredients, try to make sure you're using top quality stuff. Unblemished mushrooms, your best bottle of extra virgin olive oil (my brand is Olio Carli), and of course genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano (not the powdered stuff).

The original recipe I based this on is one of Mario Batali's, but his called for porcini mushrooms which I'm sure would've been wonderful. But it was also very tasty with the oyster mushrooms, and I'm guessing portabellos, creminis, and shiitakes would also work well.

Oyster Mushroom Salad with Arugula

8-10 oyster mushrooms, stems removed and roughly chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 bunch arugula, washed and patted dry
1/8 cup plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Grated zest and juice of half a lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for shaving
Coarse sea salt

Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan, then add the mushrooms. Cook until softened, 8-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, place the arugula, 1/8 cup olive oil, lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to mix thoroughly. Divide the salad equally among two plates.

Remove the hot mushrooms from the pan and place on the arugula. Using a vegetable peeler, shave Parmigiano-Reggiano onto the salad. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and coarse sea salt over top and serve.

Serves 2

Modified from Mario Batali's recipe for Porcini Salad with Arugula, from Molto Italiano, Mario Batali, Harper Collins, 2005.

Roasted beet and goat cheese salad with orange vinaigrette

I roasted beets for the first time last summer and the results were a revelation. Sweet, tender, and nothing like the over-vinegared jarred ones I remember from childhood. They pair incredibly well with tangy goat cheese, so tonight I made a salad with those two ingredients as the base.



I added some spring greens, chopped walnuts for crunch, and a homemade orange vinaigrette (homemade salad dressings are so much better than bottled and they're a snap to whip up). I'm not one for making a meal of a salad, but if the ingredients are interesting enough, and filling enough, it can be pretty satisfying. This one filled me up nicely.

Roasted beet and goat cheese salad with orange vinaigrette

4 medium sized beets, roasted*, peeled and chopped
1 navel orange
bagged spring greens (or buy in bulk, enough for about 2 cups worth per serving)
1 small log of goat cheese
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

*Roasting beets: wrap cleaned beets in foil, then place on a baking sheet. Roast in 375F oven for about an hour. Beets are done when you can easily pierce them with a knife. Wearing rubber gloves, peel skins off beets and slice.

Make vinaigrette by first zesting the orange and putting zest in a Mason jar. Then halve the orange and using a citrus reamer, squeeze the juice into the jar. Then spoon in the mustard, followed by the olive oil. Add some salt and ground black pepper. Pop the lid on the jar and shake until emulsified. Add more salt and/or pepper if needed.

Clean the salad greens and place in a big bowl for mixing. Add the sliced beets and walnuts to the greens, and mix in the vinaigrette. Use tongs to ensure the dressing is uniformly distributed. You may not need all of the dressing, you don't want the ingredients to be dripping with it. Place in serving bowls and top with chunks of goat cheese.

Serves 4.

Enjoy!

Suzanne

Leftover roast chicken delish in salad

Determined not to waste a morsel of the whole chicken I roasted Tuesday night, tonight I used the leftover meat in a green salad. I had two thighs' worth, which by the way is the most flavourful meat on the bird and still tender after a few days. I cut the meat into bite-sized chunks and tossed it with salad greens, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese.



I whisked together a simple white wine vinaigrette to go with it, and was very satisfied with the results. I've had chicken breast on salads many times and the thigh meat is just so much tastier. It was buttery, and still had that oven-roasted taste even after being in the fridge for a few days. When I spoke with Chef Gordon Ramsay recently he mentioned that one of the ways he's been cutting down on food costs is by buying chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, and I see why. It's much more durable than the breast, which dries out so quickly and doesn't have a fraction of the flavour.

As for the picked-clean carcass, it's currently sitting in a pot of burbling water on the stove where it will stay for a couple of hours until I have some golden, flavourful stock.

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Got chickpeas? A simple but delicious supper

I'm currently taking classes three nights a week and on those evenings I barely have an hour to make and eat dinner. And while I have gone the meal replacement bar route on occasion, those never really satisfy me.



So I'm trying out a few recipes that can be made quickly, from pantry staples, and which taste delicious and fill me up. Here's one I've made a couple times now, from Gordon Ramsay's latest cookbook Healthy Appetite. I really enjoy how the flavours come together at the end -- you have to like chickpeas though, as they're the main ingredient.

Flatbread, feta, and chickpea salad

2 large, thin flatbreads or pita breads
1/2 tsp paprika
4 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 red chile, seeded and minced
14oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
generous squeeze of lemon juice
large handful of Italian parsley leaves
sea salt and black pepper
5oz feta cheese

Heat oven to 350F. Split the breads horizontally. Mix the paprika with 2 tbsp olive oil. Brush each piece of bread with the mixture and place on baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden brown and crisp, just 2 to 3 minutes for the flatbreads, 4 to 5 minutes for pita bread.

Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a pan, add the onion, and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and chile and saute for another minute. Tip in the chickpeas and stir to mix. Squeeze over the lemon juice , add the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Warm the chickpeas through, then tip into a large bowl and let stand for a few minutes. Crumble over two-thirds of the cheese and toss well. Divide between serving plates and crumble over remaining feta. Break bread into smaller pieces and serve on the side.

Serves 3-4

Courtesy Healthy Appetite, Gordon Ramsay, 2008

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Paris, je t'aime

When I was in Paris in the spring of 2007, this was one of my favourite meals (I had it a lot). Salade chevre -- or goat cheese salad. Of course it goes without saying that the cheese in France is second to none and the chevre I had there was incredible. Smooth, creamy, and tangy -- the flavours brought out by a few minutes under a hot broiler.

I decided to recreate that salad, to the best of my ability and with what ingredients I had on hand, last night for dinner.

I started by mixing up a simple white wine vinaigrette, using white wine vinegar, a bit of Dijon mustard, some good quality olive oil and salt and pepper. I cooked a few strips of bacon, which I then sliced into bite-sized pieces.

I brushed some olive oil on a couple small pieces of walnut bread, then topped the bread with slices of fresh chevre. I then popped the cheese-topped bread in the oven for about 10 minutes at 450C, followed by a few minutes on broil to get the cheese golden brown and bubbly on top. I mixed the bacon and some baby arugula leaves with my vinaigrette, and then served the chevre toasts alongside.

C'est parfait!

Salut!

Suzanne

Endive, pear, and blue cheese salad

It's been said that we eat with our eyes. But have you ever made, or been served, a dish that looks lip-smackingly wonderful, only to find it ever so slightly less spectacular once you've tasted it?

Perfect example? Wedding cakes. I find the more elaborate the cake, the more it tastes like packing material. A simple cake? Usually the most delicious.

Anyway, here's a case of a dish that doesn't look like much - the three ingredients are white, or off-white, which doesn't leave much room for prettiness on the plate - but tastes very good indeed. At least I think so.



The three main ingredients, as mentioned in the title, are Belgian endive (2-3 sliced crosswise), Bosc pear (1 quartered, seeded, and sliced), and a Danish blue cheese (rough chunks, as much as you like).

Chopped up and tossed in a bowl with a splash of white wine vinaigrette, these three ingredients are perfectly suited for one another. The bitterness of the endive is offset by the sweetness of the pear, which in turn gets a kick from the sharp, tangy blue cheese. A quick dressing of one part white wine vinegar to three parts olive oil, with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and some salt and pepper to taste, and you have a simple but elegant supper.

It may look boring, but I guarantee you the flavours are anything but.

Salut!

Suzanne

Questions, comments, a recipe to share? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.