For the cabbage salad, it’s core and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick strips. If using regular cabbage, I would recommend removing any thick ribs. The sliced cabbage is placed in a bowl with cucumber slices, chives and mint. It is the dressed with 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar (you can also use distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar), a tablespoon of oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Despite the fact that I used just half of cabbage, I found the salad needed more dressing. Other cook’s mentioned adding grated ginger, mirin, soy sauce and honey to emulsify dressing. Per the cook’s comments I also added a tablespoon of sesame oil. While the chicken can be grilled, I used my grill pan and cooked them on the stove top; they were done in no time. I served the chicken alongside the salad. They chicken was moist and tender from the marinade; though my husband wished there some sauce to go over the chicken. Also, we weren’t fans of the accompanying salad. I also had some yellow wax beans in my box. Unsure what to do with them, I did a web search and found a recipe on the website “The Clever Carrot,” for Sicilian Potato Salad with Green Beans. Besides the beans you’ll need small Yukon Gold potatoes, cherry tomatoes, shallots or red onions, dry cured black olives, capers, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. For this recipe you can cook the potatoes and beans one day ahead of serving, which is what I did. I used small creamer size Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked them, then sliced them in half after cooling. To add a bit of color to the salad, I also purchased some green beans from my local farm stand. The bean were trimmed and blanched. These ingredients were dried and kept separately in bowls in the refrigerator until the following day. For the tomatoes, I sliced them and marinated them with diced shallots, salt, pepper, a bit of minced fresh oregano and olive oil. The following day, using my 6-quart Dutch oven as a mixing vessel. I added olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and whisked it together. I added the potatoes, beans and tomatoes and tossed to combine. While the recipe says not to add the tomato marinade, I thought it would be a nice addition to the salad. The potatoes absorbed the extra bit of tomato dressing. I even fried up the capers per the recipe to garnish the salad, however, I think just adding them to the salad would suffice. This was a tasty and flavor potato salad. It’s perfect for picnics as there’s no mayonnaise and keeping it cold is not necessary. The dressing and tomatoes added lots of flavorful, especially the minced fresh oregano. Overall, a wonderful new type of potato salad. For my last cooking project for last week, it was time to make a belated birthday cake for my daughter whose birthday was in June. She selected a cake that she found on the website “Smitten Kitchen” for Strawberry Brita Cake. This recipe starts by making a thin layer of cake batter that is topped with a layer of meringue baked in a 9-inch x 13-inch cake pan. For the recipe you’ll need eggs, kosher salt, granulated sugar, vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, unsalted butter, fresh lemon zest, milk (whole or low-fat or buttermilk), all-purpose flour, baking powder, a pound of fresh strawberries, juice of half a lemon, heavy cream, sour cream or crème fraîche and confectioners’ sugar. While the cake is baking you slice the strawberries and macerate with sugar and lemon juice. Once the cake is baked, you’ll find the meringue has crisped up (hopefully it’s not a humid day). After it completely cools, ever so delicately slice the cake in half. This can either be done long ways or short ways, depending if you want a narrow cake or square one. I opted for a long cake. The filling is whipped cream flavored with crème fraîche, sugar and vanilla. I placed half the cake on a rimmed rectangular platter. Next, I carefully smeared half the whipped cream on top followed by half the strawberries. The top layer goes on and the process repeats. A masterpiece was created. Though in order to take a photo of the cake, I had to slowly and carefully move it from the kitchen to my bistro table on my front porch for a photo. I didn’t want the top layer to slide off. Success, it remained together. What a fabulous dessert we had. There was thin layer of cake that was moist and tender, texture from the meringue and the whipped cream and berries made for a sweet and tangy filling, absolutely delicious. Other cakes I’ve made for her birthday include Country Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream, Summer Strawberry Cake and Gâteau de Crêpes (Crepe Cake). Ginger Chicken with Crisp Napa Salad By Yewande Komolafe, NYT Cooking Website/App Time: 30 minutes Yield: 4 Servings “Ginger, garlic and cilantro form the base of an aromatic marinade for this easy stovetop chicken dish. Lightly pounding the chicken breasts increases their surface area, which helps them soak up the marinade and cook evenly. A refreshing and crunchy salad of napa cabbage, cucumbers and fresh mint rounds out the dish into the perfect light lunch or dinner. To make this for a larger group, simply double the recipe.” Ingredients 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each), patted dry Kosher salt 2 tablespoons finely grated ginger (from a 2-inch piece) 1 garlic clove, finely grated ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro ½ teaspoon ground cayenne 6 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grape seed or canola 1lime ½ small head napa cabbage, cut lengthwise (about 1 pound) 1 seedless cucumber (Persian or English), thinly sliced ½ cup sliced chives (½-inch lengths) ½ cup mint leaves 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar PREPARATION
Sicilian Potato Salad with Green Beans Author: Emilie Raffa Website: The Clever Carrot Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Total Time: 50 Minutes Yield: 4-6 Servings “Two types of string beans, herb marinated tomatoes, and crispy fried capers makes this Sicilian potato salad recipe different from the rest. This salad, which is naturally gluten free and vegan, can be made in advance (it gets better as it sits).” Ingredients 450g (1 lb.) small potatoes, such as Yukon Gold 140 g (1 cup) cherry tomatoes, halved 40 g (1/4 cup) thinly sliced shallots or red onions 350 g (3/4 lb.) mixed string beans, yellow and green Dried oregano Large handful black olives (I like the wrinkly, dry cured ones) 50 g (3–4 tbsp) brined capers, rinsed, drained and patted dry 3 tbsp. olive oil, plus more to taste 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, plus more to taste Salt & Pepper Notes & Tips:
Instructions
While the potatoes cook, prep the rest of the ingredients:
Strawberry Brita Cake From the website “Smitten Kitchen By Deb Perelman Servings: 8-12. Depending on the thickness of slices “For a more stable cake, you could cut the 9×13 cake in half the short way. But where’s the fun in that?” CAKE 3 large eggs, separated 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar, divided 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, divided 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, softened Finely grated zest of half a lemon 3/4 cup (170 grams) milk, whole or low-fat, or buttermilk, well-shaken 1 1/2 cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ASSEMBLY 1 pound (455 grams) fresh strawberries, halved or sliced Juice of half a lemon 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar, divided 1 cup (225 grams) heavy cream 2 tablespoons (30 grams) sour cream or creme fraiche 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting, and mint leaves, for garnish (both optional) Heat oven: To 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch cake pan with parchment, and coat it lightly with nonstick cooking spray, as I find that meringue can stick even to parchment. Make the meringue: In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon salt on medium/low speed until they begin to thicken — they’ll look satiny and you’ll see some trails form from the beaters. Increase the speed to medium, and add half the sugar — 3/4 cup — a little at a time, letting each sprinkle disappear and beating 10 to 20 seconds before adding more. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste and continue to whip the mixture until the egg whites are glossy, and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted. Set this bowl aside. Make the cake: In a second bowl, but no need to clean your whisk/beaters if you’re using them again, beat the butter with the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat to combine. Sprinkle surface of batter with baking powder and beat thoroughly into mixture. Add the milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste) and beat to combine; the batter will immediately look curdly and split and like you’ve made a mistake. You haven’t. Add the flour and beat until smooth; the mixture should come back together evenly. Bake the cake: Spoon the cake batter into the bottom of your prepared cake pan and spread it into a thin, even layer. Dollop the egg white mixture all over the batter and gently spread this across the cake. (For both, a small offset spatula makes this easier.) Bake the cake for 20 minutes, then check for doneness — a toothpick inserted into the cake should come out batter-free. This can be harder to assess under a meringue, so try a few places. The cake might need 5 to 10 minutes longer to set. [Yes, I found this long of a baking time range in testing.] Once baked, cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then used the parchment surrounding the cake to carefully yank the cake and parchment directly onto your cooling rack to completely cool. Finish cake components: In a medium bowl, combine strawberries, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and lemon juice and set aside. [It takes about 15 minutes for them to get juicy.] Combine the heavy cream, crème fraîche, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, and vanilla extract or paste in a large, clean bowl, and beat mixture until soft peaks form. Assemble the cake: Carefully cut the cooled cake in half the long way, creating two long rectangles. Loosen the parchment underneath, and carefully transfer the first half onto a plate. Swirl the top of it with half the whipped cream, then scatter with half the berries. [Will it be messy? Yes it will.] Place the second half of the cake on top of the berries and finish with remaining cream and berries. You can drizzle any extra juices from the bowl over the cake. Garnish with mint leaves and/or powdered sugar, if you wish. To serve: Store the cake in the fridge until needed. Cut cake into messy, chaotic slices to serve. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 4 days.
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