Seafood Salad

This refreshing salad is filled with the freshest catch from the grocery store . . from shrimp to crab to scallops so it varies each time I make it.

The recipe below is a variation from page 174 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.


Green Salad with Shrimp
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 or 3 avocados, sliced
2 pounds small shrimp, cooked and peeled
1 bunch spinach, trimmed
1 head romaine, trimmed and leaves separated
1 head iceberg lettuce, trimmed and leaves separated
1 pound bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled

Combine the oil, onion, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, peppercorns and cayenne pepper in a blender or food processor and process until mixed. Combine the cottage cheese mixture, avocados and shrimp in a bowl and mix gently. Chill, covered, for 8 to 10 hours. Rinse the spinach, romaine and iceberg lettuce and wrap in damp clean kitchen towels. Chill for 8 to 10 hours.
Tear the greens into bite-size pieces. Combine the greens and the shrimp mixture in a salad bowl and mix gently. Sprinkle with the bacon and serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10

Note: You may not need all that dressing.

Heirloom Tomatoes

This is the last tomatoes of the season. Sad to see them go but it is too hot in the garden here in Phoenix even with the shade screen. I picked some that were facing the west sun and they smelled like stewed tomatoes when I sliced them. Talk about cooking on the vine.

They are so tasty using Camelback Inn's recipe for Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes although we substituted dark balsamic vinegar of Modena for the white balsamic vinegar thus the deeper colors.

Basil grows wonderfully in Phoenix in the summer so we use fresh, whole leaves.

Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes in White Balsamic Vinaigrette found on page 67 Tastes & Treasures

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
5 heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges

Mix the vinegar and brown sugar in a bowl. let stand until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil, garlic, shallots and basil. Season with Kosher salt and papper. Add the tomato wedges and toss gently to coat. Chill for 4 hours before serving. Serve using a slotted spoon.
Serves 6.
Note: We made it a hearty salad with sliced cheese.

Rock Springs Cafe pies

Dinner parties call for special desserts and Kay Holcombe brought the best "Very Berry" pie from Rock Springs Cafe. They are famous for their pies and we all agreed it is worth the drive. Especially to bring one home and freeze it for a special occasion.

No recipe to share with you here but the choices at Rock Springs Cafe are plentiful. They also continue to sell and reorder Tastes & Treasures cookbooks. Owner Richard Shaw has been a supporter of the Arizona Historical Society and the Historical League for many years. Thank you Richard.

Fresh Summer Salad

Experimenting with salad is wonderful in the summer. Starting with romaine and mixed spring greens I added red and yellow sweet peppers, green onion, baby pear tomatoes (from my garden), celery, a peach, strawberries, avocado and sliced toasted almonds. League member Kay Holcombe and I are ready to share the feast.

Topped it off with a delightful Peach Pecan Dressing from Schnepf Farm. It was so good, next time I am putting the Peach Pecan Dressing on my toast. Schnepf Farms also carries Tastes & Treasures cookbook so east Valley folks can buy it there.

Embellishing Pizza

Being creative with a basic pizza can be fun. Grandnieces Amelia (11 years) and Sydney (14 years) from Winnipeg visited us on Lake Minnetonka. They are veggie eaters and loved adding toppings to the pizza. . . fresh red and yellow peppers, tomato from the garden, purple onion, mushrooms and lots of mozzarella. It was almost too heavy to lift into the oven.We enjoyed the delicious dinner on the pontoon boat since that is the only dining room area large enough for 7 people. Lake living has it's perks.

Quinoa, Tomato and Mint Salad

Historymaker Eddie Basha gave us his family recipe for Tabouli Salad with cracked wheat, parsley and mint. It is a Lebanese dish with lots of flavor found on page 130 of Tastes & Treasures. Here is another version using quinoa.

Quinoa, Tomato and Mint Salad
For best flavor, allow quinoa to cool to room temperature before combining into salad.
Quinoa
1 c Quinoa
1 1/2 c Water
pinch Sea Salt
Dressing
1 t Rice Wine Vinegar
1 t Balsamic Vinegar
2 T Olive Oil or Grape Seed Oil
1 lrg Shallot (2 T), sliced or minced
1/2 t Soy Sauce
1 T fresh Lemon Juice
Zest from 1/2 Lemon, finely grated
1/2 t Sea Salt

1/2 lb Tomatoes, 1/2″ dice
Handful fresh mint, chopped
a few small mint leaves reserved for garnish

1. Prepare Quinoa. Rinse and soak quinoa for 10 minutes. Strain and combine with 1 1/2 c water and sea salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover pan with a lid, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for @ 15 min., stirring once. Remove from heat, fluff, and set aside to cool.
2. Prepare Dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk with a fork to combine. (For best lemon flavor, grate lemon zest directly over bowl so the lemon oil which releases when zesting will land in bowl.)
3. When quinoa is cool, combine quinoa, tomatoes, mint, and dressing in a bowl and toss well. Place on serving dish and garnish with remaining small mint leaves.

Serves 4

Cornish Pasties

Rose Mofford grew up enjoying them and now there is a small, local restaurant near ASU serving a large variety of Cornish Pasties. The walls are covered with historic photos of miners. Great history and food. My friend, Carol Vie, and I enjoyed them with a light Belgium beer.

Try making them at home using Rose Mofford's family recipe or get creative with additional ingredients.

Cornish Pasties page 133 Tastes & Treasures

Pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
1 cup beef suet, finely chopped
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling and Assembly
2 pounds round steak or other lean beef, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 or 3 potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 or 3 small onions, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
butter

For the pastry, mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the suet and toss with a fork until combined. Add just enough of the ice water to make the dough adhere and mix well. Knead lightly and shape the pastry into a ball. Chill, covered , for 1 hour.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the steak, potatoes, onions, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pat the pastry on a lightly floured surface into ¼ inch thick rounds 8 or 9 inches in diameter. Press on the pastry to flatten pieces of the suet. Spoon ¼ to ½ cup of the filling onto half of each dough round and dot with butter. Moisten the edge with water and fold over to enclose the filling. Press the edge with your fingers or a fork to seal. Arrange the pasties on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.
Makes 8 pasties