Soul Satisfying Salad

The threat of imminent rain changed our direction this week, and right now we are so glad the weather made us re-think our menu.  We had contemplated grilling pizza, but thought the dough might not cooperate with the changing weather. Plus, watching dough rise seemed a bit daunting to tell the truth. (Making dough takes a certain state of mind.)

We both happened to watch the same episode of Ina Garten’s “Eat Your Greens” and were drooling all over ourselves at the thought of this salad. It did not disappoint – in fact it is fantastic!!  It will be hard to restrain ourselves when talking about this salad. What could possibly be better than sauteed mushrooms, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese? We cannot think of anything at this moment. We are not even embarrassed to tell you that this salad was supposed to serve four, but we demolished the whole thing. It is that good. Never mind that we had crostini while we were preparing the salad . . . 

We had talked about crostini as an appetizer, and after Sue suggested that Meg try a locally baked potato-rosemary bread, Meg raided her refrigerator and came up with this combination to go on the bread.

The pears came from Sue’s mom’s tree, which is heavily laden with fruit this year. Our good luck!  We’ll share the leftovers with her and be picking  more pears.

All together another super easy and delicious meal.

"On Hand" Crostini

"On-Hand" Crostini

Recipe developed by Meg

For Saturday Night Specials 9/22/2012

 

• 2 anchovy fillets, mashed
• I Roma tomato, diced
• 2 small sweet red peppers, roasted, skinned, seeded and diced
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried chives
• 1 Tbsp. California olive oil
• 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 6 fennel seeds, ground
• 3 stuffed garlic-jalapeno green olives, stuffing removed and olives diced
• Salt to taste 
• Garnish with chopped fresh parsley

Marinate covered at room temperature for several hours. 

Sauteed Mushrooms for the salad

Warm Mushroom Salad

Warm Mushroom Salad

2004, Barefoot in Paris, All Rights Reserved
Prep Time:  10 min
Inactive Prep Time:  --
Cook Time:  10 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound cremini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 bunches of fresh arugula, washed and spun dry
• 8 slices good Italian prosciutto
• 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
• Chunk of Parmesan cheese
• 8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and julienned
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

 

Clean the mushrooms by brushing the tops with a clean sponge. Don't wash them! Remove and discard the stems and slice the caps 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

 

In a large saute pan, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until bubbly. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper to the pan, and saute for 3 minutes over medium heat, tossing frequently. Reduce the heat to low and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes, until cooked through.

 

Meanwhile, arrange the arugula on 4 lunch plates (or on a platter) and cover each portion with 2 slices of prosciutto. When the mushrooms are cooked, add the sherry vinegar and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan. Spoon the mushrooms and sauce on top of the prosciutto. With a vegetable peeler, make large shavings of Parmesan cheese and place on top of the hot mushrooms. Sprinkle with the sun-dried tomatoes, parsley leaves, salt, and pepper, and serve warm.

Weight Watchers:  12 points

 

 

Making the Rustic Pear Tart:

 

Ready for the oven, topped with butter and sugar.

The tart in the oven. We couldn't resist peeking -- the aroma was intoxicating!

 

Rustic Pear Tart

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri
Prep Time:  15 min
Inactive Prep Time:  20 min
Cook Time:  1 hr 0 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  6 to 8 servings

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, diced,
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
• 6 tablespoons buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 cups pears, peeled, cored, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces, tossed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Directions

 

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the bottom blade, add the whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, and the salt and pulse 3 to 4 times to combine. Add in the diced cold butter, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon ginger, and pulse at 3 to 4 second intervals for 6 to 10 times until the mixture resembles sand. Add in the butter milk and pulse until a dough ball forms. Remove from the food processor onto a lightly floured board. Roll the dough into an oval, approximately 16 by 14 inches. Rough edges are okay, but you can trim decoratively if desired. Transfer to a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet.

 

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, sugar, and the remaining spices and mix well. Toss this flour mixture with the pears, gently coating. Pile the pear mix in the center of the tart dough, leaving a 3 to 4-inch border, and then fold the edges up and around the pears, leaving an opening in the center. Crimp any breaks in the dough. Place the baking sheet with tart into the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

 

Remove, allow to cool. Serve at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream.

Weight Watchers: 11 points
 

 

 

Our unsolicited and biased opinions:
More of this salad! What a perfect combination of silky, peppery, sweet and savory. We would not change anything. Every mouthful was sublime. You must make this, and share it with people who love food!

The topping for this crostini started out with gifted home-grown sweet red peppers and was only limited by what Meg had on hand. We strongly encourage you to experiment with what you have in your garden or refrigerator.

Meg, who grinds her own whole wheat flour( really) and is a fan of wholesome foods, thought that this crust with the whole wheat overpowered the pears. It was good, and with stronger flavored fruit would be OK. Using only unbleached white flour would be more to her taste in this recipe. Meg thinks more lemon would be good, too.

Sue is not the baker that Meg is and thought the filling needed more spice.

But when it comes right down to it, when you put ice cream on warm fruit tart . . .

Bogle Vineyard, Old Vine Zinfadel, 2009, $7.99 on sale at Raley’s

We loved the assertiveness of this wine with both the crostini and the salad. As a bonus, the cork had a message that we both loved:

"Over a bottle of wine many a friend is found. "

Yiddish proverb

We will be buying another bottle of Bogle and hoping for another proverb. Salute!