I had fun with this salad of crisp bitter greens with anchovy vinaigrette.

First let me say, I am not a salad person in the true sense of the word. I like greens, but I’m not really a fan of almost any kind of dressing. I like Japanese miso dressing and a couple of dressings from a Chinese fusion cookbook I have, but I just don’t really like the taste of vinegar. (I don’t like anything pickled either.)

But this salad tasted delicious! The original recipe calls for bitter greens such as endive or frisée but I decided to have a lot more variety. Feel free to substitute any of the greens for anything you like or that is in season.

I was going to add dandelion but I already had too many greens on hand, so I’ll save that for the next time.

I know this recipe is called bitter *greens* but I thought the radicchio would look so nice as a contrast to all the other greens. The quantities here are for a larger-sized salad; if you are making this for a smaller group of four or less people, use a total of 8 oz of greens.

Belle’s note: The Olives and Oranges cookbook offers up two salads with anchovy dressings – one is for a warm salad, and the other is this one, for a cold salad. Ward has made both of them, and I enjoyed them both – they both have very different tastes. We had some salad left over after Ward prepared this for our November open house dinner party, but I devoured the leftovers that very night after everyone had left!

The following recipe is adapted from Olives and Oranges, by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox.

Crisp Bitter Greens with Anchovy Vinaigrette

4 Belgian endives, leaves separated, washed and thinly sliced
1 bunch of chicory, leaves separated, washed and thinly sliced
1 bunch of arugula, leaves separated, washed and chopped
2 bunches watercress, leaves separated, washed and chopped
1 head of radicchio, leaves separated, washed and thinly sliced
10 anchovy fillets packet in oil, rinsed
4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or more)

1. Place anchovies and garlic in a food processor and mix until smooth.
2. Add the vinegar and mix.
3. While processor is running pour in the oil until you have a smooth vinaigrette.
4. In a large bowl toss the greens with the vinaigrette.
5. Serve.

This salad was a big hit at our November 14th Open House dinner but even more of a hit with Belle. She loves it. She has been eating the leftovers all week – I made a lot, and she even loves the way it smells.

At first I thought about going for skinless, boneless chicken breasts but Belle suggested (and quite rightly) that bone-in and skin-on chicken wouldl add more flavour to the meat. To help convince me, she even offered to remove the skin and bones for me and shred the meat. Who am I to refuse help?

So I went with the bone-in and skin on breasts. Obviously, this was the right choice. The salad was simply delicious.

The stock in which I simmered the chicken

I made the chicken the night before and after Belle shredded it, I put it in the fridge. The next afternoon, I brought the chicken out to come to room temperature. This is a great party dish because you serve it at room temperature – one of the reasons we picked it.

I should also mention I used two pots to accommodate the six breasts I used, rather than the three in the recipe below, but that was necessary only because we were having so many people over. If you follow the recipe below, you will only need one pot.

Belle’s note: I was indeed happy to offer my services as sous chef for this dish; the chicken turned out to be very flavourful, and yes, it had the most wonderful chicken salad-y smell. I’m not kidding. I had a bowl of it at my desk the day after, and the scent of the dish was just divine! Ward was hesitant about adding the raisins (he isn’t a big fan of raisins himself), but I think they’re essential to the dish.

The following recipe is adapted from Oranges and Olives (a really splendid book about Mediterranean cooking).

Chicken Salad with Tarragon, Toasted Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins

2 carrots, chopped coarsely
2 celery stalks, chopped coarsely
1 medium onions, peeled and cut into eighths
4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 lemon, sliced in half
6 sprigs of fresh parsley
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1-1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
1-1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1-1/2 cups dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is a good choice)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 bone-in, skin on free-range chicken breasts
1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted over medium heat
3 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias
1/3 cup fresh tarragon, chopped
1/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped
3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, coarse

Chicken

1. Put 8 cups of water into a large pot and start bringing to the boil.
2. Put carrots, celery, onion, garlic, lemon, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, salt, wine and vinegar and allow to come to a boil.
3. Add the chicken breasts and reduce heat to simmer and cover.
4. Cook for 30 minutes, remove chicken and allow to cool (you can discard the poaching liquid at this point – I know, it seems a shame. By all means, reserve it if you think you can use it for something else)
5. Remove the skin and bones from the meat, shredding the chicken as you go.

Salad

1. Mix the raisins, pine nuts, scallions, tarragon, parsley, chives, oil, vinegar and salt in a large bowl. Add the shredded chicken to the mixture. Toss well, so that the chicken is well-coated.
2. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
3. Serve at room temperature.

Quinoa is a wonder food. It’s high in everything good and has no bad qualities. What’s even better, I really like it – it tastes great.

It’s as easy as rice to make (well, I use a rice cooker so rice is way too easy to make, but this is almost as easy). Did I mention, quinoa has all the added benefits of being really good for you?

Let me say that I was never a salad person. I liked leafy green vegetables, but I never really liked the dressing part of the deal. In the past, if a meal came with a salad at a restaurant, I would always order it “Just the way God made it” – no dressing! I got some strange looks, and, I realize now, for good reason. I wasn’t into cooking back then and didn’t understand at all how dressings actually enhance the flavour of the salad and bring out the different nuances in the food. I know better now. The choice of dressing can actually change your whole experience of the salad.

Now, time to be honest. When I made this Quinoa Salad, I made the oil, vinegar, pepper and salt vinaigrette and put it in a bowl beside the salad. After dinner I asked myself “What is this bowl of liquid doing here?” It was the dressing. I’d forgotten to mix it into the salad!

I mentioned to Belle a day later that I had omitted the dressing and she couldn’t believe it. She loved the salad as it was and didn’t think it tasted like anything was missing. So there you go – if you like the sound of this salad, perhaps you could try it with the dressing and then try it without and see which you like better. Please let me know, too! I do plan on trying this again, with the dressing mixed in next time, but it would be nice to hear from others about their experiences with this salad.

Belle notes: I really was surprised when Ward told me he’d forgotten to add the dressing to this salad. I really enjoyed it – quinoa has a slightly nutty flavour that’s just so good, and the addition of the feta cheese really enhanced the dish. An added benefit? With every bite I kept thinking, “And quinoa is such a healthy food!”

Quinoa Salad
Adapted from The New Steak

1 cup organic quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups baby arugula leaves
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped
4 radishes, sliced thin
5 scallions, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt
8 oz feta cheese (with tomato and basil), crumbled

1. In a medium pot add water, quinoa and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat with a lid on.
2. Stir and simmer with lid on for 15-20 minutes.
3. Let cool when done.
4. Combine the baby arugula, tomatoes, mint, oregano, parsley, radishes and scallions in a salad bowl.
5. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, pepper and salt in a small bowl and toss the salad with it.
6. Place the salad on the plate and add the feta and quinoa on top.

With my daughter being a vegetarian I’m always on the outlook for interesting vegetarian meals that are healthy and easy to make. (I usually make a meat dish for the rest of us so it’s like making two meals every night.)

This recipe was great to find. I had planned on making it the other day but my older son decided he wanted something with tomato sauce so I made home made pasta and Bolognese sauce instead.

It was only going to be Belle and I. Dylan had already had more homemade pasta with his friend Matthew and I got down to 27 minutes for 1 pound of pasta on the table. It’s my personal challenge to get as fast as Jamie Oliver (under 15 minutes). But I digress.

Belle and I were going to have Churrascaria Marinated Steaks with Chile-Lime Sauce, Rosemary-Garlic Pan-fried Potatoes and Lemon Spinach. I was marinating the steaks and my daughter announced she would be home for dinner. I thought to myself, “the tofu dish I didn’t make the other night, we have everything for it and since it uses spinach I can make that instead of the Lemon Spinach.”

It went well with the steak, which was delicious (but not vegetarian, of course!).

Belle’s note: I love cold tofu salads! This made a lovely side dish and would be a wonderful main course with some sides, or a light lunch. The dressing is nice and strong, so you don’t have to go heavy with it.

The following recipe is adapted from Entertaining at Home With America’s Top Chefs, from a recipe contributed by Chef Andrew Gibson of Bacara Resort & Spa,  Santa Barbara California

Spinach Tofu Salad with Spicy Miso Dressing
Adapted from Entertaining at Home With America’s Top Chefs

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp organic soy sauce
2 tbsp organic white miso
1 tbsp sambal oelek
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp pickled ginger, chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup canola oil
24.6 oz (698g) extra firm silken tofu (2 boxes), cut into 1″ cubes
1 bag organic baby spinach (approx 8 oz)
3/4 cup green onions, sliced
freshly ground white pepper to taste

1. Combine the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, white miso, sambal oelek, sugar and ginger in a blender until smooth.
2. With the blender running, drizzle in the two oils to form an emulsion.
3. Pour the dressing into a large bowl and brush the tofu cubes with the dressing.
4. Toss the spinach in the bowl with the dressing, and add the green onions. (Belle preferred a little less dressing; if this is the case at your house, too, you might want to dish some out into a smaller bowl before adding the spinach, reserving the extra for anyone who might want more dressing rather than less, and for drizzling over the salad after plating.)

Plating

1. Place a few cubes of tofu in the center of the plate then add some of the baby spinach you’ve just tossed with the remaining dressing.
2. Add more tofu and more spinach until you have a nice stack of tofu and spinach.
3. Drizzle with some of the remaining dressing from the bowl (or from your reserved bowl of dressing) and serve.