Serious summer salads
The summer solstice approaches on Sunday, May 21st. Interestingly the date for this varies from year to year because our human yearly calendar is set for 365 days but it takes the earth 365.25 days to orbit the sun completely. So, humans have to adjust.
The cook wisely adjusts seasonal menus to reflect not only available produce but also to look toward our lighter and cooler tastes with colorful eye appeal. We savor green and crunchy salads not only for lunch but also sometimes for dinner, which require additional tasty combinations of greens with vegetables and seafood or meat.
Shrimp salad on artichoke bottoms
In a small bowl mix the dressing: ½ cup sour cream, juice and grated zest of ½ lemon, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp. chopped dill 1 tbsp. chopped capers, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper and ½ tsp. salt.
Thaw ½ - ¾ lb. medium cooked shrimp, cut in half and remove tail cartilage. Place in a medium bowl, add 1 finely chopped shallot and 1 finely chopped stalk of celery. Thoroughly mix in the dressing and chill for at least one hour. Serve on arugula and drained canned artichoke bottoms. On the side add sliced seedless cucumber and radish salad tossed with seasoned rice vinegar, crisp chilled dilly beans and crusty bread, fitting for a steamy day lunch or light supper.
Provençal beef and potato salad
This recipe has an old and interesting history in my kitchen. The legendary Commissary restaurant in center city Philadelphia served this outstanding salad to our enjoyment many years ago and shortly after, “Gourmet” magazine responded to other readers request for it. Both the restaurant and “Gourmet” are no longer in existence, but the recipe still survives only slightly modified in my kitchen with delicious results. It requires a bit of advance planning but is most certainly worth the effort. This recipe is for 4 generous servings.
Prepare the dressing by combining in a blender: 2/3 cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup white distilled vinegar, 2 tbsp. chopped dill or parsley, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. pepper, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 2 tsp. anchovy paste.
Scrub and cook 1 and ½ lb. of new potatoes in salted water for 15-16 minutes until just tender. Drain, cut in about 1-inch pieces and toss with the dressing while hot. Refrigerate for 3 hours minimum or overnight.
In a large bowl mix in the potatoes: 2 cups of bite size cubed, cold grilled steak or roast beef, 12 halved cherry tomatoes, 4 tbsp. chopped capers, 4 tbsp. chopped dill or parsley, ¼ cup halved pitted Kalamata olives and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on romaine lettuce sprinkled with chopped dill or parsley.
It is still strawberry season, so I could not resist making a strawberry-rhubarb pie. The combination of the seasons first fruits makes such a delicious sweet-tart dessert.
Strawberry-rhubarb pie
Wash, trim and cut fresh juicy rhubarb into 1-inch pieces to make 2 cups. Hull fresh strawberries and cut in half to make 2 cups of strawberries. Blend together in a small bowl 1 and ¼ - ½ cups of sugar with 3 tbsp. cornstarch.
Line a 9-inch pie plate with 1 sheet of prepared pie crust from the Deli department in your store, fitting the crust to the bottom of the plate. Spread ¼ of the sugar mix on top. Toss the fruit with the rest of the sugar mix and turn into the prepared pie plate. Spread out evenly, dot with 1 tbs. butter and fit the top crust over, pinching the rim to seal. Cut vents on top, brush lightly with heavy cream and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes then decrease the temperature to 350 degrees. To prevent dripping place a piece of aluminum foil on the rack below the pie at this point and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes until the filling can be seen bubbling through the vents. Cool to lukewarm or room temperature to serve and enjoy.
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
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