Caesar Salad ©
Especially for my Husband.
Easy
Dressing enough for 3-4 salads !
Store in Refrigerator
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
2 tbs Dijon mustard
2-4 cloves garlic
6 anchovies in a tin
1/2 cup lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
1. 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 heads Romaine lettuce, trimmed, rinsed, dried
and torn into pieces
Croutons
3-4 slices of white crustless bread
3-4 tbs olive oil for frying.
a pinch of salt
Garnish
4 Anchovies
Croutons
Parmesan flakes
Method
1. Cut Romaine Lettuce into four. Remove stalk and separate leaves and place in basin of water. Rinse thoroughly and place leaves in Lettuce drier. Spin twice to remove excess water.
2. Tear and arrange in large salad bowl. Reserve in refrigerator.
1. Place egg yolks, Dijon mustard, garlic, anchovies and lemon juice in food processor and whirl until smooth. Season with pepper.
2. With the machine running , slowly pour in the olive oil,to make a thick creamy dressing.
3. Add a quarter of a cup of the cheese and blend briefly. Set aside in the refrigerator.
4. To make the croutons, cut the slices all together into cubes 1 cm X 1 cm.
5. Heat the oil on a medium to high heat. ( 2-3 mins )
6. When the oil is hot but not smoking add one cube, it should sizzle rapidly. Then add the rest.
7. Turn with two wooden spatulas continuously to achieve a uniform golden color. This is not easy and will take you one or two tries.( see photo, it is the gold ones which are perfect, the darker ones are less so ! )
8. Place in bowl, on kitchen paper and reserve.
9. Assemble salad in serving bowl, pour over 3-4 ladles of dressing and mix. Taste to make sure there is enough dressing. Add a little more if necessary.
10. Clean around bowl with kitchen paper and decorate with parmesan flakes, a cross of anchovies in the center and sprinkle with Croutons.
Cut romaine salad into four horizontally and separate and wash leaves thoroughly.
Place in lettuce dryer and spin twice.
When ready to assemble, remove and arrange in large salad bowl, tearing into suitable pieces
Place egg yolks, Dijon mustard, anchovies and garlic in blender, together with lemon juice.
Add olive oil slowly.
It makes a wonderful creamy dressing…….
Yum…..
Cut white crustless bread into small cubes 1 cm X 1 cm.
Fry the croutons in the oil, tossing continuously with two wooden spatulas. You want to aim to fry them all
to the same golden color. Here a few got away! Would not pass Tante Marie Exam…..
Using a parmesan cutter, cut the flakes for the salad.
When you are ready to serve, assemble all ingredients together.
Final result…….. Verdict…….as good as in New York!
Champignons a la Grecque ©
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Cold Summer Starter
Easy
A nice cooling starter for summer !
Ingredients
225g small button mushrooms
2 dl white wine
2 med onions
1.5 dl Olive oil
1 ripe tomato or 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
Juice 1 lemon
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp Whole small coriander seeds, crushed a little
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garnish
2 tbs Chopped parsley
Method
1.Clean mushrooms with a damp clean cloth.When cooking straight away you can also wash them very briefly under the tap. (Do not soak in water, or they will blacken.)
2.Trim stalks and cut into 4 long ways, if you were not able to find really small mushrooms.
3. Dice onions finely and skin tomato, by blanching in boiling water 2-3 seconds and peeling. Then cut into small cubes.
4. Place all ingredients in saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer with lid on for 5 mins.
5. Drain off liquor into small saucepan and reduce to syrupy consistency. ( Boil rapidly with lid off for 3-5 minutes.)
6. Place mushrooms into serving bowl, pour over reduced sauce and leave to chill thoroughly in fridge,
7. Just before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
This is an old fashioned dish, but is excellent. It is nice as a starter, but can also be part of a buffet.
COOKING TERM : To “reduce” means to boil rapidly, thus reducing the liquid by half or more, which intensifies the flavor.
To “blanch” means to submerge fruit or vegetables into boiling water for a few seconds, to release the skin as in tomatoes or almonds, or to enhance the color in green vegetable and sometimes to whiten meat.
Clean your mushrooms by wiping them with a clean damp cloth.
Cut into four lengthwise, if the mushrooms are large.
Place chopped skinned tomatoes and diced onion in saucepan, together with olive oil and other ingredients
and simmer with the lid on for five minutes.
Place large sieve over saucepan and drain mushrooms, reserving the liquor in saucepan.
Boil rapidly and reduce by half. The liquor will thicken.
Pour thickened sauce over mushrooms and arrange in a suitable serving dish.
Place in refrigerator for 2 hours to chill thoroughly and before serving sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Mini Cheese Filo Pies ©
These are the most delicious home made cheese pies, especially just out of the oven. in fact I always have to make extra in my family, or there are never enough for the table!
Crispy, tasty and perfect for a starter, buffet, picnic and as part of a Meze.
Ideal if you have a few extra hands to help you fold them and always remember to prick with a tooth pick, so that they don’t explode in the oven!
Medium Easy
6 People
Oven 200.C
Ingredients
1 packet of Filo Pastry ( Kroustas)
250g Feta cheese
50g Regato ( Strong Cheese )
10g Parmesan
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tbs finely chopped parsley and or mint
Freshly ground black pepper, pinch salt
125g butter melted for brushing filo
Method
1. Turn oven on 200.C.
2. Melt butter in small saucepan and butter baking tray….
3. Unravel filo pastry carefully. Find middle and open out. Remove one layer and quickly rap up packet again, so it does not dry out. Alternatively, cover with damp t- towel.
4. Quickly butter single sheet of filo all over, before it dries out. Cut into strips 3 -4cm wide, with a sharp cooks knife.
5. In a bowl place cheeses and rest of ingredients, mix together.
6. Place a tsp spoon of the mixture onto each strip of filo pastry and start folding. If you are unsure, practice with a strip of paper first. 3cm x 20.
7. Butter well, both sides and last fold over flap.
8. Prick with tooth pick three holes. Not all the way through……IMPORTANT, or they explode and go out of shape…..
9. Place in pre- heated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden…. Be careful not to burn, stay close by towards the end of the cooking time. Turn out onto cake stand to cool!
They are AMAZING, My daughter and I are trying not to eat them all!!!!!!!
When cold place in Freezer bag if wanting to store.
On the day, remove from freezer ten minutes before eating and place in pre-heated oven 200.C . Be careful not to burn! Serve HOT………. Delicious……
This is definitely a recipe to learn and if you have many hands you can make lots…….they can never be too many!
Perfect for a party!
Have fun making them!
This is what you are aiming for!
Place ingredients in bowl and mix together.
Add lightly beaten egg.
Remove one sheet of filo carefully from packet. Leave packet covered under wetted t-towel.
Using a pastry brush, brush over with melted butter.
Place no more than a small t-spoon full of the mixture on the strip, as in the photograph and start folding.
Fold as in the photograph and continue folding to the end of the strip.
Even better if you have some help!
Place on buttered baking tray, having buttered well the last fold.
IMPORTANT : Now prick with a tooth-pick each pie, with three holes in the center, not going right the way
through. This is essential to let the steam out, or they will go out of shape and burst!!!
These are so good straight out of the oven that most usually don’t make it to the table!!!
Final Result!
What's Cooking In Jane's Kitchen 