Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (13 page)

oregano-laced vinaigrette

salad

1.
To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, garlic, mustard, oregano, and salt in a smallish bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined, then continue whisking as you drizzle in the olive oil. When all the olive oil is incorporated, set the dressing aside. (Or you can put all the ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and just shake it emphatically.)

2.
Combine the salad greens, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and ½ cup of the feta in a large bowl, and toss to mix well.

3.
Just before serving, whisk the dressing—or shake it, if it’s in a jar—to recombine, and add about half of it to the salad. Toss to coat, and give it a taste. You might want to add the rest of the dressing right now, or bring it to the table (along with the pepper mill) for people to add more to their own portions. Top with the remaining ½ cup feta, the olives, and a few grinds of black pepper, and serve immediately.

GET CREATIVE

• Use high-quality olive oil in the dressing.
  
• Make the dressing with a fancier variety of wine vinegar (such as sherry vinegar or Spanish Moscatel vinegar).
  
• Toss in a few tablespoons of chopped mint leaves.
  
• Use a “designer” flavored mustard in the dressing.
  
• Serve with toasted pita wedges.
  
• Drape a few whole anchovies over the top of the assembled salad.
  
• Top the assembled salad with some flaked canned tuna (especially good with tuna packed in olive oil).
  
• Toss in a handful or two of canned black beans, white beans, or chickpeas (rinsed and drained).
  
• Top with a scattering of chopped lightly toasted walnuts.
  
• Make this vegan by omitting the feta cheese.
  

best pasta salad

Makes 4 servings (possibly more, if you add a lot from the
get creative
list)

P
asta salad is perfect party or picnic food, and it packs well for bag lunches, too. While the pasta cooks, put the other ingredients together, so they’re ready to dress the pasta as soon as it’s cooked and drained. The heat from the pasta will slightly cook the garlic and onion, and will partially melt the cheese, causing it to stick to the pasta (which adds a layer of texture beyond what you’d get if you just sprinkled cold cheese onto cold pasta). After the dressed pasta has cooled down, you add an assortment of diced vegetables, and possible other goodies, and then either serve it at room temperature or chill it (in a tightly covered container for up to 3 days) and serve it cold. So factor in cooling and possible chilling time when you make this dish.

1.
Put a large pot of cold water to boil over high heat, and add a tablespoon of salt. Place a large colander in the sink. When the water boils, add the pasta, keeping the heat high. Cook for the amount of time recommended on the package, tasting a piece of pasta toward the end of the suggested time to be sure it is not getting overcooked. When it is
just
tender enough to bite into comfortably but not yet mushy, dump the water-plus-pasta into the colander. Shake emphatically to drain.

2.
While the pasta is cooking, combine the olive oil, garlic, onion, Parmesan, vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl (a wide, shallow one works well) and whisk to blend. As soon as the hot pasta is thoroughly drained, add it to the bowlful of dressing, stirring to coat all the pasta. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

3.
Add the bell pepper and cucumber, and mix gently but thoroughly. Serve at room temperature, or chill and serve cold.

GET CREATIVE

• Use other pasta shapes (bowties, campanelle, shells) in place of some or all of the fusilli. Or try rainbow fusilli (a mix of white, red, and green; often sold in bulk bins) for extra color.
  
• Make this with high-quality olive oil.
  
• Whisk a teaspoon or two of mayonnaise into the olive oil mixture.
  
• Just before serving, toss in a generous handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley and/or about 25 basil leaves, cut into strips.
  
• When adding the bell pepper and cucumber, toss in any of the following:
  
  • -Up to 1 cup tiny cherry tomatoes (or regular-sized ones, cut in half)
    
  • -Up to ½ cup small pitted olives (any kind you like)
    
  • -Up to ½ cup grated or minced carrot, celery, or radishes, for crunch
    
  • -Up to 1 cup raw or leftover cooked vegetables (such as zucchini, green beans, or peas)
    
  • -Up to ¼ cup minced scallion (white and tender green parts)
    
  • -¼ cup lightly toasted pine nuts or chopped toasted walnuts
    
  • -Cubes of mild cheese (fontina, mozzarella)
    
  • -Crumbles of crumbly cheese (feta, goat cheese, ricotta salata)
    
• Make this vegan by using eggless noodles and omitting the Parmesan cheese.
  

old-fashioned iceberg wedges with luxurious bleu cheese dressing

Makes 4 to 6 servings

O
nce upon a time, iceberg lettuce (the clownishly round, very pale green variety) was the only salad green on most American dinner plates. Then for years it seemed to have been banished from all venues except for low-end salad bars and Mexican combo platters. But even though more fashionable species of deeper-hued, smaller, shapelier salad greens replaced it in discriminating culinary circles, in recent years iceberg has made a major comeback as the uber-cool wedge, its mildness offset with a big-flavored bleu cheese dressing. It’s nice to serve this on individual salad plates. It’s even nicer if you chill the plates first (everything about this dish should be cold) by stacking them in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving time.

With a very simple dressing and minimal lettuce prep, this is a good recipe for beginners. When shopping for iceberg lettuce, buy the tightest, greenest head you can find. You can use any kind of bleu cheese. Some are saltier and more pungent than others, and prices vary widely. Try different kinds until you find your favorite. The dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until just before serving.

luxurious bleu cheese dressing

salad

1.
To make the dressing, combine the buttermilk and mayonnaise in a medium-sized bowl, and whisk until blended. Continue whisking as you sprinkle in the bleu cheese. Continue to mix, mashing the cheese a bit. The cheese will mostly, but not completely, blend into the mixture. There will be some small lumps. You want them there. It’s part of the charm.

2.
Peel off and discard any wilted or damaged outer leaves from the head of lettuce. Stand the lettuce on the stem end and use a sharp knife (choose one with a blade about as large as the head of lettuce) to cut the entire head in half. Cut each half from top to stem into two or three wedges. If the core looks tough, use a paring knife to trim it off each wedge.

3.
Stand one wedge (resting on its outer-leaf side looks cool) on each serving plate, and spoon a generous amount of dressing over the top, letting it drip down to the plate if it wants to. Serve right away, passing a pepper grinder at the table.

original-ish waldorf salad

Makes 4 to 5 servings

I
t may seem old-school, but give it a try and you’ll see why this classic apple-celery-walnut salad has never gone out of style. The addition of yogurt makes this version a bit tangier and more multidimensional than the original. It’s nice to use a variety of apples for this. I like to combine tart green ones, such as Granny Smiths, with a medium-sweet variety, like Galas, and something sweet and crunchy, like Honeycrisps, Fujis, or Pink Ladies. Cut the apples right before assembling the salad; otherwise they’ll turn brown.

1.
Combine the apples, celery, and raisins in a medium-large bowl.

2.
In a second, smaller bowl, whisk together the yogurt and mayonnaise until smooth. Pour this mixture over the apples, and stir gently until everything is evenly coated. Serve topped with the walnuts.

GET CREATIVE

• Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over each serving.
  
• For a lighter result, you can use all yogurt and leave out the mayo.
  
• If you like a sweeter Waldorf, add up to 1 tablespoon honey or real maple syrup.
  
• For a richer salad, you can swap in some sour cream for some or all of the mayonnaise and/or yogurt.
  
• Add up to ½ cup crumbled bleu cheese when combining the yogurt and mayo. Add some diced chicken to make this a main dish for lunch. The chicken and the bleu cheese go very well together.
  
• Toss in up to ½ cup halved seedless grapes.
  
• Mash half a ripe avocado until it’s smooth, and whisk this into the yogurt-mayo mixture.
  
• Garnish with fresh orange or tangerine sections (seedless or seeded by you) or drained canned mandarin oranges (if you
  really
  want to go old-school).
  
• You can swap in pecans or almonds for the walnuts.
  
• Mix in some diced or thinly sliced carrot.
  
• Other dried fruit (chopped dates, sliced figs, dried blueberries, cranberries, or cherries) can sub for the raisins; or use a mix of black and golden raisins.
  
• Make this vegan by replacing the mayonnaise and yogurt with eggless vegan mayonnaise.