Spinach & Strawberries Salad

We’ve had an informal and infrequently-meeting gourmet group for a few years. Initially we met every couple of months, but then traveling got in the way of more than one gathering. Now we seem to meet only when one of us can manage to get everyone’s schedule to jibe. And initially the group was also a “healthy” gourmet group. We called it – and still do – the HGG (Health Gourmet Group). The healthy part lasted about 2 years, I’d say, and now it’s more like a “try to be healthy if you can” group. But when we do get together, we have a great time.

My friend Sue brought this salad to one of our dinners, and everybody just loved it. I’ve served it more than once since then, always to raves. There is an elusive flavor in this salad, or maybe it’s just the combo with the strawberries, which isn’t often seen in salads. Sue said the recipe came from one of her Junior League cookbooks. I’ve altered the recipe a little – reducing the amount of greens to serve 6 – it served way more originally, and I always had leftovers which didn’t keep, of course.

I made this as a separate course the other night for a large dinner party, while the main entrée finished off its cooking in the oven. I liked doing that because this salad is just so darned good to get diluted with more intense flavors from the beef we had for our entrée, or the seasoned vegetables either. Know what I mean?

Cook’s Notes: Get everything all ready ahead of time and it’s but seconds to get the salad mixed and served. Sprinkle some of the toasted almonds in the salad, then add a few more on the top of each serving (or if you’re passing the salad, just sprinkle them on top). Be sure to use baby spinach, as full-leafed spinach is too cumbersome to eat easily and a bit too tough in my estimation.

Spinach & Berries Salad
Recipe By: from my friend Sue, from a Junior League cookbook
Serving Size: 10
SALAD DRESSING:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
SALAD:
3/4 cup slivered almonds -- toasted
12 ounces spinach leaves -- baby spinach if possible
1 head butter lettuce
1 bunch green onions -- chopped
1 pint strawberries -- thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh dill -- minced
1. Mix salad dressing - olive oil through onion powder - and allow to sit to mellow flavors.
2. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour dressing (taste to see how much is needed) over.
Per Serving: 198 Calories; 17g Fat (72.3% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 75mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 3 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Printer-friendly PDF recipe.

Shells with Crispy Pancetta & Spinach

I'm on a roll. Trying some of the recipes amongst the hundreds of clippings I sorted through a few days ago. This one was only about 7 months old - after I broke my foot last summer I watched a heck of a lot of television, and this was one of Giada's Italian recipes that sounded so good, and I knew I'd enjoy it. It's easy to make, too. Can't beat that combination. I really can't say that I make all that many recipes from Food Network shows. I enjoy watching some of them (as theater, I suppose) but only occasionally do I go to the Network's site and print out a recipe.

Here are Giada De Laurentis' stuffed jumbo shells, placed in a baking dish. Photo from the Food Network.

I almost always have pancetta on hand, but I didn't have the 3/4 inch cubes Giada mentions in the recipe - I had the tiny cubed pancetta that I get from Trader Joe's in 4-ounce packages. DH offered to go grocery shopping for me, so I wrote down "large pasta shells." I should have known that "jumbo" was what I wanted. Soooo, I had to improvise a bit. The large shells are way too small to stuff, so I just made a casserole of them instead. Am sure they tasted the same, but most definitely didn't look as attractive as Giada's. The Asiago cheese is part of what "makes" this dish, since it has a kind of sharp taste. Good, though. And the dash of nutmeg in the mixture was really delish. The dish is rich, so it's filling. DH liked this a LOT. Said I could make this anytime. Any day. Night. Whenever.

Shells with Crispy Pancetta and Spinach
Recipe: Giada de Laurentis, Everyday Italian, Food Network
Serving Size : 8 [Giada says this feeds 4-6. No way - more like 8-10 in my estimation.]
SHELLS:
1 package jumbo pasta shells -- (12-ounce)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound pancetta -- cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 pounds frozen spinach -- thawed and drained
15 ounces ricotta cheese -- whole milk
1 cup asiago cheese -- grated
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
SAUCE:
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove -- minced
1 cup cream
2 cups asiago cheese -- grated, set aside 1/4 cup
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. For the shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
3. Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta cheese, asiago cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture each and place the stuffed shells in a large, buttered baking dish.
4. For the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cups asiago cheese, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the shells. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese.
5. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Per Serving: 410 Calories; 31g Fat (66.9% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 103mg Cholesterol; 1419mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Fat.

Printer-friendly recipe, click title at top.

Gulliver's Creamed Spinach

Someone who reads my blog has asked me to share the recipe for Gulliver's Creamed Spinach. It's awfully good too. I haven't made it in several years, so I don't have a photo of it, although I found a photo for something similar on the Food Network site. Here is the recipe, directly from the same book as the Gulliver's Creamed Corn, that I blogged about just yesterday: Culinary SOS: Thirty Years of Recipe Requests, by Rose Dosti (from the Los Angeles Times). According to the blurb in the book, The Times first published the recipe in 1974.

Gulliver's Creamed Spinach

2 10-ounce packages frozen leaf spinach

3 slices bacon

1 small onion

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/4 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1. Thaw spinach, squeeze completely dry. [Separately] chop spinach, bacon and onion very fine. In saucepan, saute bacon with onion until bacon is cooked.

2. Stir in flour to make smooth paste. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes over low heat until thickened. Add salt and pepper. Add spinach to sauce and mix to blend. Heat through. Serves 6.

Spinach Salad with Mango, Strawberries and Candied Pecans

(photo from wholefoodsmarkets.com)

Is a salad just a salad? Or can it be lifted to some higher elevation of flavor. Well, obviously I think the latter. Why didn't I think of this combination myself? I just never would have thought to put fresh mango in a salad. But putting it with spinach is just a marriage made in heaven. Strawberries aren't too unusual in salads these days - I've seen them listed often in magazines and cookbooks.

I've mentioned Phillis Carey before - the cooking instructor. She's another one of Cherrie's and my favorite teachers. This is one of her recipes. And a lovely one it is. Nothing difficult. You can make the candied pecans ahead of time, the fruit can be sliced and refrigerated a few hours before, and Trader Joe's carries baby spinach pre-washed. So it's a cinch to put together with the balsamic and orange juice dressing. It's the mangoes, though, that "make" this salad in my view. Mangoes have such a unique piquant, tart and sweet taste all at the same time.

Remembering the first time I ate fresh mango transports me to the Philippines in 1965. How I got there and why will make for another story when I tell you about how to make lumpia, a sensational appetizer that is ubiquitous (to me, anyway) with that country. Mangoes are as everyday there as perhaps apples are to us. And those were the most juicy succulent mangoes I've ever had in my life. Because of that introduction to mangoes, I've enjoyed the fruit ever since. So I just loved this salad when it was served to me and have made it many times since.

Spinach Salad with Mango, Strawberries and Candied Pecans
Recipe: Phillis Carey
Servings: 8
Balsamic Dressing:
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 dash Tabasco sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Spinach Salad:
12 ounces spinach leaves -- baby spinach if possible
1 whole mango -- peeled and cubed
1 cup strawberries, sliced
3 tablespoons green onions -- minced
Candied Pecans:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup pecan halves
1. Dressing: Whisk vinegar, orange juice, Tabasco and sugar in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature of chill up to 24 hours.
2. Pecans: Preheat oven to 350°. Place pecans on a large baking sheet and toast them for just a few minutes, about 3-5 at the most, until they are just barely toasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. In a medium sized skillet with a heavy bottom, stir together the sugar, oil and vinegar over medium heat until the sugar melts and the syrup bubbles. Meanwhile, prepare a large baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper in it and have it ready near the range. Add the pecans and stir continuously until the nuts are warmed through and the syrup coats the nuts evenly, about 3 minutes. When the color of the shiny syrup begins to dull, or you smell the sure sign of burning, remove the nuts and pour out onto the parchment lined pan. Using a fork, separate the nuts and allow to cool completely. These will store for 2 days in an airtight container.
4. Salad: Place spinach in a large salad bowl and top with mango cubes, strawberries and green onions. Pour on half of the dressing and gently toss to combine, adding more dressing just to coat the leaves. Divide salad among plates and sprinkle each with a few candied pecans.
Per Serving: 253 Calories; 20g Fat (67.5% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 28mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 4 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
To view a printable recipe, click on title at top.

Ina's Pesto Pea (Spinach) Salad

Sorry about the blurred photo. I enhanced it as much as possible in my photo program, but this is as good as it gets. We had the family for dinner to celebrate Father's Day, and I quickly snapped this and didn't check it before shutting off the camera. When you do a close-up with a digital camera, it's harder to keep perfectly still, so I try to be very conscious of that when I finally click the shutter.

But, that doesn't mean the salad isn't wonderful. I saw Ina Garten demonstrate this on her food network program, probably 2 years ago. It's from her book, Barefoot Contessa at Home. Maybe the peas and spinach seem like an unlikely combination, but it sure works. Over the years I've used pesto in pasta dishes, of course, and to dollop on the top of certain soups, and as a dip, but never would have considered it as a salad dressing. I had some homemade pesto in the refrigerator, so this was a simple dish to throw together. Trader Joe's carries a baby spinach, which is preferable here. Regular spinach is just too big for a salad - the pieces are too large without cutting them. I suppose you could do that, but the baby spinach just makes it so simple. I do tear off some of the larger stems, but most of them stay in the salad.

I find this salad goes so very well with a grilled dinner - chicken, steaks, pork chops, even fish. I hate to sound redundant, but this salad is SO simple. You just have to toast the pine nuts (I use a nonstick frying pan) and I caution you if you haven't done this before - watch the pan very very carefully or they will burn. Pine nuts contain a high percentage of oil, so they burn very rapidly. I keep pine nuts in the freezer at all times, so just remove what you need for a meal.

And, the other thing I do is add more Parmesan cheese (that's my addition to Ina's recipe). Often, I believe, when you buy ready-made pesto, it doesn't contain as much cheese as your own homemade variety, so I add some to the salad itself. It adds some color contrast too.

Pesto Pea (Spinach) Salad
Recipe: Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten
Servings : 4

2 cups frozen peas -- baby peas, if possible
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 1/2 cups spinach leaves -- baby spinach, if possible
4 tablespoons pesto sauce
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1. If you're in a hurry, run hot water over the peas; otherwise, defrost them in the refrigerator for several hours.
2. Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan until golden brown. Watch them carefully as they burn quickly.
3. Place the spinach leaves in a salad bowl. Sprinkle with peas. Add pesto and toss. Sprinkle Parmesan and pine nuts on top and serve.

Serving Ideas : Is a GREAT addition to a barbecue dinner. The original recipe doesn't call for the Parmesan, but I just added a little bit on top and thought it was a nice addition NOTES : If you want to make Ina Garten's pesto for this: In a food processor combine 1/4 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup pine nuts and about 9 medium garlic cloves, peeled. Process for about 30 seconds. Add 5 cups of basil leaves, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour in 1 1/2 cups good olive oil through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese and puree for about 30 more seconds, stopping once to scrape down the sides. Pour into a tall container and float a little olive oil on top and store in refrigerator. Makes about 2 cups - a lot more than you need for the salad recipe. This salad likes a generous amount of pesto - the tendency is to not do enough. However, there's a fine line - don't add too much, either. So, taste as you go.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 171 Calories; 10g Fat (52.3% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 6mg Cholesterol; 245mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
For a printable recipe, click on the title at the top.