Pasta and Bacon Salad

I recently brought this wonderful summer salad to a neighborhood barbecue, our first since moving to our new home. The salad fit in well with lots of other delicious dishes. Lots of good cooks here!

No ordinary pasta salad, this. Creamy and delicious, it can be made ahead, and leftovers—if there are any—last a good while. Serve as a side dish or a main course salad. Ingredient amounts aren't critical, so feel free to adjust them to your taste.

PASTA and BACON SALAD

½-¾ lb. bacon slices
12 oz. elbow macaroni, fusilli, or other bite-sized pasta
2 cups mayonnaise
½ cup (or more) buttermilk
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. sugar
1 10-16 oz. bag of frozen peas, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

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1. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat or in microwave until crisp, turning occasionally. Transfer to paper towels and cool. Coarsely chop bacon.

2. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse under cold water and drain well.

3. Make dressing by whisking the mayonnaise, ½ cup of buttermilk, lemon juice, mustard, and sugar in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Fold pasta, peas, and bacon into dressing and serve. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Toss with more buttermilk if dry. Let stand 1 hour before continuing.)

Couscous and French Lentil Salad

This easy bean and pasta salad provides a wonderful showcase for a variety of fresh herbs. Feel free to experiment with whatever is available in the garden or the grocery store. Serve as a vegetarian main course or as a delicious side dish.

COUSCOUS and FRENCH LENTIL SALAD

For the Lentils
1 cup French green lentils (du Puy)
6 cups water
1 Tbs. Champagne vinegar

For the Couscous
1 tsp. olive oil
1¼ cups Israeli (pearl) couscous
1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth

For the Dressing
6 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. Champagne vinegar
1 Tbs. dry white wine
2-4 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

To Finish the Salad
3 small seedless cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 bunch of scallions, white part chopped, green tops sliced
½ to 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, basil, dill, or a combination

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1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add lentils, return to boil, cover and simmer until tender but not falling apart, 13-15 minutes. Rinse to cool. Transfer lentils to bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of champagne vinegar.

2. Bring broth to simmer in a small saucepan. Heat ½ Tbs. olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Toast the couscous in the oil, stirring constantly over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add boiling broth. Cover and simmer for five minutes, then remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to large bowl. Fluff to remove clumps and let cool. (Couscous may be rinsed in cold water to cool more quickly.)

3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, wine, garlic, and salt and pepper. Stir dressing into couscous. Fold in lentils and remaining ingredients. Chill well. Serves 6.

Lentil Salad with Red Beans and Chickpeas

Petite and tasty, French Puy lentils are a great ingredient for summer salads. They stay firm, they absorb dressings well, and they're good for you. If you've never tried them, do look for them. Don't be tempted to use common brown lentils. They'll mush up the salad.

This colorful concoction not only makes a great summer side dish, it's a perfect main vegan/vegetarian meal for a warm summer day. Feel free to tailor it to your own taste, and enjoy!

LENTIL SALAD with RED BEANS and CHICKPEAS
Cooking the Lentils:
1 cup dried French Puy lentils
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
½ tsp. salt
1 bay leaf

Assembling the Salad:
1 15-oz. can chick peas
1 15-oz. can small red beans
1 small bunch of scallions, white parts chopped, green tops thinly sliced
2-3 small seedless cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 3/4 oz. package fresh dill

Making the Dressing:
1/8 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. dry white wine
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

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1. Place lentils, garlic, salt, and bay leaf in a 2-quart saucepan with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until lentils are just tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool, remove garlic and bay leaf, and drain again.

2. Drain and rinse red beans and chickpeas. Place in a large bowl with lentils. Stir in remaining ingredients, then fold in the dressing. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Turkish Bulghur Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing

Bulghur, bulgur, or burghul, a common ingredient in Middle Eastern dishes (such as Tabbouleh and Kibbeh), is made by parboiling, drying, and grinding wheat to a fine, medium, or coarse texture. Bulghur stars in this colorful and delicious salad, my own adaptation of a recipe I found on Epicurious.com. It's a wonderful summer side dish for grilled meats, or served as a main course with a tossed green salad and crusty French bread. Enjoy!

TURKISH BULGHUR SALAD

WITH

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES DRESSING

For the Salad:
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large vidalia onion, minced
2 cups fine bulghur wheat
2 cups boiling water
2 15-oz. cans beans, pink, borlotti, chickpeas, or a combination,
            rinsed and drained
1 large bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped (optional)
1 bunch scallions, green tops slices, white parts chopped
1 cup raw pistachio kernels, lightly toasted if desired

For the Dressing:
1/3 cup pomegranate molasses
          (available in your grocer's Middle Eastern section)
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced or put through a press
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

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1. Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in bulghur until grains are coated with oil. Slowly add boiling water, stir, and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, until water is absorbed. Fluff wheat and turn into large bowl. Let cool.

2. Rinse and drain the beans you wish to use. Prepare basil and scallions and fold with beans into cooled wheat.

3. Combine dressing ingredients. Stir into wheat.

4. Top with pistachios (or allow individual diners to add their own nuts). Generously serves 6-8 as a main course salad.

Hungarian Cabbage and Noodles

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

I mentioned in a previous post, Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage, my grandmother in-law, Anna, and the little pamphlet of Hungarian recipes she gave to me. Within its pages, I found a clipping with a recipe for Hungarian Cabbage and Noodles. My husband doesn't remember her serving it, so I made it this weekend. His statement on the dish—delectable.

We had the cabbage and noodles as a main course, though I think it would make a nice side dish for a buffet. Here is the slightly tweaked recipe.

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups chopped cabbage
4 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked
1/2 cup sour cream
paprika


1. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove from skillet, and set aside.

2. Stir sugar and salt into bacon drippings in skillet. Add cabbage and toss to coat. Cover and cook over medium heat until cabbage is tender (about ten minutes.)

3. Crumble the bacon and combine with cabbage and cooked noodles then transfer to a 1 ½ quart baking dish with lid. Cover and bake in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven and uncover. Add dollops of sour cream to the top and sprinkle heavily with paprika. (Use Hungarian paprika if you can.) Cover once more and return to the oven for 5 additional minutes.

2 to 4 servings. Delectable. Enjoy!

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Summer has arrived, and for our latest writers’ meeting, I dusted off my Middle Eastern cookbooks to find something new, quick, easy, and good. This carrot salad, an acceptable blend of several recipes, did the trick. It's easy to do with a food processor, and the spices are subtle, the salad sweet and crunchy, a refreshing summer side dish. We enjoyed it with a green salad and Herbed Rice Ring. As always, feel free to experiment with the ingredients.

MOROCCAN CARROT SALAD

1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbs. honey (or agave syrup)
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove put through a press
¼ tsp. dry ginger
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, or a combination
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

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Fold all ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer to serving bowl and refrigerate for several hours to let flavors blend. Garnish with additional parsley and/or cilantro and serve.

Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts

Whether you call it seksu, kuskus, or keskesu, couscous is a versatile and delicious dish. This North African staple has been around for centuries, traveling all over and leaving recipes in medieval cookbooks from Morocco to Brittany.

These tiny round grains of semolina pasta may be steamed or simmered in a variety of broths and served as a main course or side dish. I prefer the larger version, called pearl or Israeli couscous, and I’ve been making gorgeous salads with it all summer.

Israeli/pearl couscous comes in many flavors and may be made of different grains, such as barley or whole wheat. For this recipe, I used a tri-color semolina couscous for a festive touch and simmered it in homemade vegetable broth. We enjoyed it with grilled fish and steamed veggies, but this would be an outstanding side dish for a multitude of main courses.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS with PINE NUTS

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil                       1¾ cups pearl couscous
1 large shallot, chopped                            2 cups simmering broth
4 scallions, white parts chopped,             1 tsp. salt
       green stems sliced into rounds          ½ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped                        Fresh parsley, chopped

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1.  Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in a deep sauté pan (I use a non-stick pan for this recipe). Add the shallot and scallion whites and stir until tender and just starting to brown, about 7 minutes.

2.  Stir in remaining Tbs. olive oil and garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the couscous and stir until the granules are coated with oil and no longer clump together, 2-3 minutes.

3.  Stir in heated broth and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, 10-12 minutes, until broth is absorbed. Stir occasionally.

4.  Remove from heat. Stir in half the pine nuts and the parsley. Garnish with scallion greens and serve, passing the rest of the pine nuts at the table. Leftovers reheat well. Serves 4-6.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad

Serve this colorful and nutritious vegetarian salad as a delicious main course or a fabulous side dish.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO and LENTIL SALAD

For the Lentils:
1 cup French green lentils (du Puy)
1 large bay leaf
3 large garlic cloves cut in half

For the Sweet Potatoes:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
2 Tbs. vegetable or light olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

For the Dressing:
1/8 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced　
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

To Finish the Salad:　
2 small seedless cucumbers, peeled and diced
4 scallions, white parts chopped, green tops sliced
1 15-oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained well
¾ oz. pkg. fresh dill, chopped
½ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

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1. Place lentils, garlic cloves, and bay leaf in a pot with cold water to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil. Simmer lentils until tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse in cool water and drain well, discarding bay leaves and garlic. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. To roast sweet potatotes, heat oven to 400 F. In a 9x13-inch pan, toss potato cubes with oil and rosemary. Cover with foil and roast for 12 minutes. Remove foil, shake pan, and continue roasting until potatoes are tender, about 12 -15 minutes more. Drain/cool on paper towels. (Sweet potatoes may be boiled - about 8-10 minutes, or steamed - about 6-7 minutes, until tender. Drain well.)

3. Blend ingredients for dressing together. Fold into lentils. Add potatoes and all remaining ingredients, folding gently to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4-6.

Middle Eastern Zucchini Salad

Light, refreshing, easy. What more could you want for a wonderful summer side dish, brought to us by the Arabs via Sicily and Spain? This one is sure to help use up all that extra zucchini in the garden!

MIDDLE EASTERN ZUCCHINI SALAD

1 zucchini squash (about 1 lb.)
1 summer squash (about 1 lb.)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. toasted pine nuts, plus extra for garnish
2 Tbs. golden raisins
1 tsp. dried mint (look for Syrian/Tabbouleh mint)
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

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1. Slice squash into ¼-inch slices (I use my food processor's thickest slicing blade)

2. Heat garlic and oil in frying pan until garlic is fragrant. Add squash. Sauté over moderate heat until heated through. Add pine nuts and raisins. Sauté until heated through.

3. Add mint and salt and pepper. Stir until squash is tender crisp. Remove from heat and let cool.

4. Stir in lemon juice. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with additional toasted pine nuts. May be served warm or cold.

Southwestern Composed Salad

Last night, I served this "composed" main course salad to our writers' group in a glass bowl to highlight the colorful layers. Once we dug in, the composed effect vanished, but the salad created gorgeous scoops of rainbows over the baby greens on our plates (see below). Delicious, lo-cal, and summery, casual enough for a barbecue but fancy enough for your mother-in-law, what more could you want? And leftovers are great. Tonight my husband and I enjoyed them with Chicken with Honey and Cumin Marinade.

The first photo I posted on Kitchen Excursions, the gorgeous Antipasto to the right, is a lovely example of a composed salad. No, it doesn't mean the salad is calm and collected. A composed salad is simply the opposite of a tossed salad, arranged just so, a more elegant presentation. Despite the prep work, composed salads are fun to make, and ingredient amounts aren't critical. All you really need to do the job is your imagination and a pretty platter or a glass salad bowl. Experiment, and enjoy!

SOUTHWESTERN COMPOSED SALAD

For the salad:

¾ cup pearl barley

2¼ cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup red quinoa

2 cups water or broth

1-2 cups black-eyed peas, fresh, frozen, or dried

10 oz. frozen corn, thawed, or fresh corn from 2-3 ears, cooked al dente

2 cups broccoli florets

1 15-oz. can pink beans, rinsed and drained well
Baby spinach and/or salad green of choice

For the Dressing:
6 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. dry white wine

½ cup fresh lime juice

2 Tbs. honey

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsps. ground cumin

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

½ tsp. Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

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1. Stir barley in a small saucepan over moderate heat until it starts to color, about 5 minutes. Add hot broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer about 40 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender. Leave partially covered until cool.

2. Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and germ of the grain is visible. Leave partially covered until cool.

3. Cook black-eyed peas according to package directions. Drain and let cool.

4. Lightly steam broccoli. Drain and cool.

5. Assemble salad in layers, ending with red quinoa. When ready to serve, spoon over salad greens and pass dressing separately rather than dressing the whole salad. Leftovers will keep better this way. Enough for 6-8 as a main course salad.

Garlic Green Beans and Shitake Mushrooms

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

Store bought produce just isn't as tasty as fresh-picked veggies. My dad used to grow a variety of string bean (green bean) known as Kentucky Wonder. I remember sitting on the patio in a webbed chair on a hot summer evening, helping my mom snip the ends and remove the strings from the beans before she'd cook them for dinner. They both have passed, but I think of my parents every time I cook green beans.

Most green beans purchased from the local grocery store no longer have strings—all you need do is wash and snip the ends.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound green beans, washed and ends snipped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced
pepper
¼ cup sliced almonds

1. Pour olive oil into a large sauté pan. When hot add beans and whirl in oil to coat. Cover and cook on med-low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until beans are al dente and mushrooms are softened. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Stir in almonds and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes.

Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Serve with chicken, steak or lamb. Try Slow Cooker Rosemary Chicken.

Enjoy!

Quinoa and Two-Bean Salad

Our Monday night writers’ group enjoyed this southwestern-style salad as a main course last night. We gobbled it up along with a fresh spinach and herb salad and a loaf of crusty French bread. Quinoa and Two-Bean Salad is also a perfect side dish for those big barbecue parties coming up.

Quinoa (KEEN-wa) first appeared on Kitchen Excursions in the Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Quinoa and Spinach recipe. Cultivated by the Incas of South America thousands of years ago, quinoa’s tiny, grain-like seeds are a complete and easily digestible protein and a smart and delicious addition to any diet.

Look for pre-washed quinoa, and don't be afraid to experiment with different colored "grains." I chose the beans in this recipe for color. Use whatever type you prefer.

QUINOA and TWO-BEAN SALAD

For the Salad:
1¼ cups quinoa
2½ cups water
1 15-oz. can black beans
1 15-oz. can pink beans
1 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1½ cups frozen corn, thawed
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch scallions, green tops sliced, white bottoms chopped

For the Dressing:
3 Tbs. olive oil
6 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 tsps. honey
3 tsps. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 large garlic clove, minced

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1. Bring water to a boil. Stir in quinoa. Simmer about 12 minutes, until water is absorbed. Fluff and let sit off the heat for five minutes, then transfer to a large bowl to cool.

2. Rinse and drain beans. Toss beans in a medium bowl with vinegar and salt and pepper and let sit.

3. Whisk dressing ingredients together.

3. Add corn (no need to cook it), beans, cilantro, and scallions to quinoa. Fold in dressing and turn salad into serving bowl. Garnish with scallion tops. Serves 6-8 or more as a main course.