Egg Salad with Zing

As we approach the summer months, tentative thoughts of picnics, BBQs and the like twinkle in our minds. Conjured up images of burgers and buns alongside heaps of summer salads; macaroni, potato and the ubiquitous egg salad. Sure this Memorial Day celebration and seasonal BBQ’s may look different this year, but one thing is certain, we still need to eat. And we definitely need to celebrate and rejoice in life, in being healthy, and any and all good fortunes.

No matter how you decide to celebrate this upcoming Memorial Day, adding a little twist to an old salad standby might be a welcomed change. Although mayo based salads are often the usual accompaniment to BBQs, they rarely grace my table. I seldom, or should say, almost never eat them. Egg salad, most of all. Two main reasons, really. For a long time, I’ve had a food sensitivity to eggs, so I guess that’s a pretty good, and I would venture to say, big rationale. Then, of course, there is the mayo portion, which naturally is made with eggs. The other salads can easily be reinvented/reworked using a blend sour cream and yogurt. But when it comes to egg salad, there’s no getting around the egg portion, and the globs of mayo. Given that eggs make a double appearance in this traditional dish, I’ve steered clear for quite some time. But recently, I starting introducing these shelled wonders back into my diet, and things seem to be ok. With the weather finally showing signs of Spring, Summer and warmth, I figured now was the right time to give a twist to a traditional lunch salad.

I like texture, and I like zing… And I especially like them in my food. When thinking about the typical egg salad neither of those come to mind. In true ‘what do I have’ fashion, I pulled out of the fridge the following line up to answer the call to texture and zing.

Eggs | Mayo | Mustard | Pickles | Capers | Olives | Celery | Lemon

The line up; pickles, capers, mayo, eggs, celery, olives, mustard and lemon.

Ingredients

Yields 1.5 c | approx. 3-4 servings

3 hard boiled eggs
¼ t lemon zest
2 T lemon juice*
¼ cup fine dice celery
1 t capers, chopped
2.5 T chopped dill pickles
2.5 T chopped green olive (I used Spanish Manzanilla olives)
¼ c mayo
1 t mustard (For even more zing, use grain mustard)
(I would have added about 2 T diced red onion if I had it.)
Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. To get a perfect hard boiled egg, place the eggs in a pot and fill with cold water just enough to cover. Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 14 minutes. Then submerge in ice bath to both stop the cooking and to make it easier to peel.

2. Prep all your ingredients in the famous mise en place way, getting everything ready.

I love using these perfectly sized handmade ceramic bowls by Miller Pottery.

As you can see, some bowls are deeper, while others smaller. Choose bowls of varying small sizes to suit your ingredients.

3. Combine the mayo, mustard and lemon juice/zest together and blend. Add pepper to taste.

As I mentioned, I like a less thick mayo style, so I used 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, making a thinner, lighter dressing. Adjust to your taste.

Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

Look at how gorgeous those yellow yolks look. Perfectly done.

Smash to your hearts content. i like mine on the chunkier side. Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

4. Once the egg are done, smash with a fork to the texture you desire and add all the remaining ingredients saving the mayo mixture for last.

In go all the tangy items, olives, capers, pickles. NOTE: all these have a decent amount of saltiness to them, which is why no additional salt was needed. Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

Crunchy celery in. Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

Creamy, zesty dressing drizzled. Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

*The two tablespoons of lemon juice makes a loose mixture.  I don’t like mine too dry nor too much mayo.  If you like yours less wet and with a thicker mayo texture then cut down the lemon juice.

Serve this with your favorite crackers. You know by know that my gluten free go to is Mary’s Gone Crackers. Naturally, a bun, or whole wheat toast would be great options. However, neither of which can be found in my house.

For more crunch, devour this with Mary’s Gone Crackers. Or serve it up on celery stalks.

For an even healthier choice that will still give you a crisp crunch, fill lettuce leaves with the egg salad. Less carbs more freshness.

Egg Salad with Zing.

A nice lighter lunch served alongside some ice cold, crispy grapes. Fruit is a great accompaniment to a creamy or mayo based salad. I’m a fan. Check out some other salads using grapes. Chicken Salad with Fruit & Nuts or Graped Up Bibb Salad.

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Salmon Burgers - Sans Gluten & Eggs... WHAT?

Some of you know that I have an allergic reaction to wheat, yeast and eggs (plus a few other foods). So I try to eliminate those as much as possible.  Which means even foods containing just a smidge of bread or eggs to hold them together are quite literally my unraveling.  And thus, blacklisted from my repertoire.  Seriously, how much deprivation can one woman withstand?   I love me a fish burger, but alas most use bread or bread crumbs, and almost all use eggs. What's a gal to do?  Being stubborn and wanting what I want is when the thinking cap needs to be fully stretched and used to its fullest. Unscramble the mystery and find another way to hold the darn thing together.

I remember seeing a recipe a while back that whizzed up part of the protein to make a paste.  Paste... that definitely holds shit together.  So, with the sticky part done I needed to fill up the rest.  Here is the fun part.  You can, seriously, add a long list of accompaniments like; kale, spinach, corn, mushrooms and so on.  Alas, I only had some basics on hand:  onions, celery, peppers, scallions. So, that's what I used, and they worked out just fine. (Next time I will share experimenting with other fillings. Heck, don't wait for me. Be daring and test on your own.)

The setup of what was to become a really tasty salmon burger.

Ingredients   

Burgers - Makes 6
1 lb Salmon, skin removed
1 c celery, chopped
1/3 c yellow pepper, small dice
1/3 c orange pepper, small dice
1/4 c red onion, small dice
1/4 c yellow onion, small dice
1/4 c + 2 T scallions, sliced
2 T oil
2 T capers
1 T parsley, chopped
1 t mustard
1/2 t whole grain mustard
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
corn meal, potato flour optional

Relish
2/3 c yogurt
2 T Kosher dill pickles, chopped
1 T parsley, chopped
1 t capers
1. 5 T lemon juice
1 T lemon zest
1/3 c sauté mixture
salt to taste

Instructions

Mise en place all the vegetables as directed.  Then in a cast iron pan or skillet, sauté onions, celery, peppers, 1/4 c scallions in oil, season with salt and pepper.

Mise en place is French for "everything in place", meaning prep all your ingredients so they are ready to go.

They sure look pretty like this but go ahead and mix them together for even sautéing.

 Let them cook slowly over low heat until softened. When done, set aside and let cool.

Meanwhile, cut the salmon into 3 equal parts.  One part cut into 3/4" cubes. One part cut into 1/4" cubes. One part pulse in a mini food processor to create a paste. 

Salmon paste that will be the glue to hold the other two together.

Next chop the parsley and rest of scallions.  In a bowl, add all three portions of salmon. Then begin adding all filling ingredients:  1/2 c of the cooled sauté mixture, capers, the mustards, 2 T scallions and parsley.  Mix together until well combined, then form patties, and refrigerate for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour.  

Salmon prepped in 3 sizes: Big cubes, smaller cubes and a paste.

Start building the burger flavors by adding the vegetable sauté.

In go the capers.

Then the mustard, and so on.

Then form your patties. This makes 6 medium burgers.

While the burgers are chilling out, move onto the relish. All it takes is a bowl to combine all the ingredients together, stirring until well incorporated.  Then refrigerate until ready to serve.

The lineup for the relish.

Homemade relish is so fresh and delicious. It can be used on baked potatoes, or over rice even.

After the patties have had their chilled rest and are firm, they are ready for frying. You have choices at this point. You can either fry as is without any coating, or dust them with either potato flour* or corn grits**. Using my 6 burgers I experimented making 2 of each kind to see which we liked best. Jill and JC liked them plain with no coating. I also liked the purity of the plain one, but I liked the corn grits coating due to the outer crunch.  And if you search your memory banks, or this blog you will remember that I love crunch.  Test which one you like best.  

NOTE:
*If you use the potato flour coating, cook these at a lower heat since the the finer powder texture cooks faster and will burn if heat is too high.
** Corn grits are a larger grain, which gives it the crunch. But if you don't want as much crunch factor, then you can use a stone ground corn meal which has a finer texture.

Corn grits. See those grains of ground corn? That's what gives it Crunch!

Potato flour is much finer, almost like talcum powder.

About to make crunchy goodness.

I like using a cast iron skillet because the pan retains the heat and gives a nice outer crust. Fry on both sides until you see the salmon turn pink, about 2-3 minutes each side, depending on thickness. 

Front left has potato flour coating. Back center has the corn grits, while front right is sans any coating.

The final lineup from left to right: Potato coated, no coating, corn grits coated. You can see how much darker the potato coating got.

Serve immediately with slices of tomato, arugula or boston lettuce, and some cornichons. Any lettuce works fine, but I really enjoyed how the spicy flavor of arugula plays off the salmon,  Don't forget the homemade relish. It's tangy, sweet and delicious. JC and Jill both told me that they don't usually like relish, but plopped spoonfuls of my homemade version on their burgers.  The next night we had fish. They broke out the relish again!

Hey, since this is such a healthy version of a burger, no bread filling or bun, go ahead and splurge by serving up some fries or a baked potato.  You can even use the relish on that, too. With Memorial Day steaming down the tracks, these could be a great addition to your outdoor party.
(Note: I would not cook these directly on the grill, as they need a flat surface in order to form a crust to help hold them together.) 

Just because I need to eliminate some foods doesn't mean I can't enjoy things I love.
And just because these are sans bread and egg definitely doesn't mean they are sans flavor!

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Ziti, Eggplant, Sun-dried Tomatoes & More - Pasta Sunday

Sure, I recognize that Cinco de Mayo is coming up, and maybe you were expecting a taco or fajita recipe.  I'm figuring... No, I'd bet the farm that there are a gazillion other sites that will provide you with oodles of Mexican celebratory dishes.  I like Mexican food but I'm Italian (well, as we all know now with 1/4 Polish, shhh). Plus, you're gonna need a dish for  Sunday.

What can I tell you?  I'm a creature of habit and I love me some pasta on a Sunday. Well, any day really, but Sundays are a must. And it's usually the kind of pasta dish where I'm just throwing together things that I unearth from the back of the fridge or from a pantry rummage.  As my grandmother, who didn't quite understand my need for experimentation, used to call it, Mescolanza. Roughly translated; 'mixed up mess' which doesn't sound very appealing, right?  Consequently, the need for another title was apparent.  Thus the renaming of these types of creations to Something from Nothing Specials was born. Although not super sexy, it does sounds more creative and less like a mistake.  I have to admit, with some pride, that I can't recall a time when I experimented with pasta and it didn't taste good.  Could bias play a role by sheer virtue that I crave pasta like a smoker craves nicotine? Sure, but I have confirmation from others that they like my creations, too.   

So this past Sunday began a bit slow and lazy. When I woke up I had in the back of my mind that it was a pasta day. Although Spring had been trying to eek its pretty little neck out, this particular day was quite chilly, and even a bit nasty. Pasta always warms my soul and my belly. Heck, who am I kidding?  It's Sunday. I don't need any other excuse to make pasta.  So, after doing some Spring cleaning, my reward was to whip me up some comfort and serve it up like a trophy for my work. (I think I might have a serious pasta problem.)

Sure, I had fresh tomatoes.  I even had mushrooms. But that big, hunking jar of sun-dried tomatoes was staring me down as I opened the refrigerator door.  Those jewel colored, intensely flavored bites reminded me of how often I cooked with them in Miami. I was immediately transported back with memory waves of the other ingredients that were my favs: artichoke hearts, capers and olives.  Always trying to keep some solid staples on hand, of course I had capers and olives at the ready.  But with artichokes in attendance, it seemed imperative that I resurrect an old dish.  Also making an appearance, but as a new addition were some baby Italian eggplant. Throw in a few aromatics and we have a pasta dish, y'all.  

The main line up.

Ingredients

1 lb pasta (I used gluten free Tinkyada ziti but use whatever you like)
3 small Italian eggplant, cut in 1/2" strips (approx. 4 c)
1 c artichoke hearts, quarters
1/4 c sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, sliced (approx. 1.5c)
2 T Kalamata Olives
3 large garlic cloves, sliced
1.5 T capers
3 T olive oil
1/2 -1 t salt
1/2 t red pepper flakes
2 c basil, chiffonade
Goat or Feta cheese, or Pesto, optional

Instructions

Put a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Sauté the onions in oil, adding 1/2 t salt and red pepper over low heat.  Let soften while you slice the eggplant and garlic. 

Add the eggplant and slightly raise the flame to medium low.  You want to brown the eggplant a bit.  While the eggplant is cooking, prep all the remaining ingredients, and add the pasta to the boiling pot. Once the eggplant has browned, add a tad more oil in the middle of the pan to cook the garlic. Then add the capers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts.  Lower the heat and let warm through. At this point, give it a taste for seasoning.  Capers, olives and sun-dried tomatoes can be salty which is why I only started with 1/2 t salt to start, and then added another 1/2 t before adding the pasta. 

It's important to not overcook the garlic, so only add that once the onions and eggplant are browned.

The aromatic line up: Sun-dried tomatoes, capers, Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts.(Notice I only had a few olives, so that's the amount I used.)

Add them all to the pan so they cozy up together.

By this time the pasta should be ready.  Reserve some of the pasta water, then drain the rest.  Add the pasta to sauce pot, stir together.  Add the pasta water as needed to loosen up. Turn off the heat and add the basil.  Serve immediately. 

Add the pasta to the mix and stir together. Now is the time to add the pasta water to your liking.

Add the basil at the end to keep it from cooking all the way through.

Grate some cheese over top.  This dish would also be delicious with chunks of feta or goat cheese stirred in. I didn't have either but can completely imagine and taste it in my mind.  

Since I had so much basil, I made walnut pesto which I used to warm up the leftover pasta.  Let me tell you that was a winning combination.

Happy Sunday or any day.

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Sardinian Style Spaghetti

Rich with flavors from the sea balanced with sweetness from the tomatoes paired with Spanish wine from Menica, Petalos

One Sunday morning after getting home super late from a wonderful night out with friends, we rolled out of bed at 10am. Indeed, we slept in uber late, waking up still sleepy and without much motivation for anything. But given that we hit our pillows at 3:30a, I feel you understand. We ain't no spring chickens anymore.

So after our morning coffee and a little work, starving pangs hit our stomachs and brains at the same time. JC was jonesing for pasta, and no big surprise, so was I. It was Sunday after all.  Our pasta day.  I do feel quite responsible, and delighted at the same time, as I take full credit for conditioning him to crave pasta on Sundays. The two just go together.

We truly had zilch in the house. Not even parsley, which is considered a constant round these parts. I do, however, try to keep some staples in the pantry for just these occasions.  Knowing we had anchovies, sardines, garlic, red pepper flakes, I suggested a Sardinian style pasta from our stash. When I yammer on about creating something from nothing, this is exactly it.  Scrounging around the pantry, and fridge to see what might be viable options.  It's moments like these that having quality pantry items can be your hunger pangs' salvation.

JC was up for the challenge and immediately ran to carry out our plan.  I must say, he executed this perfectly, creating a spicy, salty mix reminiscent of that sexy Italian island.

Now, there are tons of recipes for Sardinian style pasta.  Some incorporate raisins and spices and other combinations which are all fantastic. And I implore you to experiment with them. But when you want pasta fast, easy and without having much in the fridge, but still delivering bold flavors, then try this one.  It will knock your socks off.  Again, the key is the quality of the canned ingredients. The ones we used truly enhanced this dish to the max. Since I work at Despaña, I have access to some delicious products. (And you can too, the website here ships all across the country.) These tiny tins pack so much flavor that you barely need to add anything else.  I will say that both the Spanish and the Italians have a knack for producing some of the best jarred and canned products. 

JC and me in the Italian countryside. Montespertoli, Tuscany

So with Spain providing a healthy boost to create the sauce, and Italy providing the idea of combining them together for pasta, it was a lovely marriage that resembles the one between this Italian American gal and her spicy Spanish man.

These Spanish fishes are canned at peak freshness and are absolutely delicious.  Despaña carries them both in their stores and website.

Ingredients

1 - 4 oz. tin sardines in olive oil
1 - 4 oz. tin sardines in hot sauce
1 - 4 oz. tin Baby Surimi Eel
2-4 anchovies, optional
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 c roasted tomatoes
1 T capers, drained and wash in water
pinch red pepper flakes
pinch dried oregano
2/3 c olive oil
1/2 lb spaghetti

 

 

Instructions

Start by slowly heating up oil, red pepper flakes, oregano and garlic.    

Add the two tins of sardines with their liquids and eels, but draining the tin of baby eels first.

Add the roasted tomatoes and let the sauce warm through.  That's all it takes.  You should not need to add salt to this dish, but always taste and season according to your taste bud.

This may look strange, but these roasted tomatoes keep in the fridge for weeks due to the amount of oil.  It keeps them cured as it congeals protecting them.  Use some of that oil in the sauce, too.  

Spoon some of the sauce on the bottom of the bowl, swirl the spaghetti on top, then spoon more sauce and add grated cheese.

Honestly, this couldn't be simpler. It's all about using a few good ingredients and warming them up so they can swim together.  Pour yourself a big glass of red wine. We choose a Mencia wine, Petalos from the Bierzo region of Spain. This was the perfect way to stave off the hunger pains and soothe our European souls.

Viva Italia, and ok Spain helped too.

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P.S. Happy birthday to my fellow Piscean friend, Dianne., who is loyal reader and supporter. And although she may not be a fan of sardines, it's still appropriate in honoring the glorious versatility of fish!

Pasta Mescolanza - Mesco What?

Now I bet you are wondering about the title of this post. No, it doesn't mean eggplant which is ironic since that IS the main ingredient. Basically it means mixed up pasta.  This is the word my grandmother used to dub my dishes whenever I made up recipes that seemed odd or foreign to her.  So it seemed quite fitting to give this dish that name since it is typical of my  'what do I have to cook with?' style.

It all began this past Monday as I was driving home from the city right around lunch time.  I was so hungry that my first instinct was to stop on any city street corner and grab some food.  I even considered one of those nasty looking carts that didn't look quite...well, shall we say "healthy". Lucky for me my natural tendency was to not spend money needlessly when I knew there were items at home.  It just required some patience.  I endured the ride home and used the time to mentally survey what contents presently existed in my refrigerator. I knew I had two things that needed to get used soon. Eggplant and feta cheese.  (I zealously over bought fresh feta from our local Armenian market because it looked oh so beautiful and I wanted to do a taste comparison between French & Greek Feta.)

I also knew I had potatoes and for a split second starting building on that.  Until my Italian roots kicked in with deep rumblings from my stomach crying out PASTA. Which is how that became the base for whatever it was I was about to cook up.  As with any 'something from nothing'  creation, you build as you go.  I got home and immediately put water up to boil for my pasta.

Pasta boiling away.Doesn't that look like the start of something heavenly.  

Then I opened the fridge to see what else might tag along on this eggplant, feta, pasta ride.  Staple items sitting in the door shelves screamed out 'Use me, it's been awhile.'  In order of loudest screams were:  sun-dried tomatoes, oil cured olives, and capers. The shallot and garlic were a given to be used.  Earthy, strong, powerful flavors taking a stand for pasta.

While the pasta was boiling away, I cubed the eggplant and in a screaming hot cast iron skillet I added a small amount of oil and the eggplant.  Key here, do not add too much oil or touch the eggplant.  It's a sponge.  The more oil you add the more it will absorb and then it gets mushy.  Not stirring them around allows them to sear, which is what I wanted.  

Whilst that was cooking away, I chopped up sun-dried tomatoes, black oil cured olives, shallot and garlic.  

Once I gave the eggplant a stir, I added a bit more oil along with the shallots and garlic to let them cook.  Then in went the rest of the items.  Do not add any salt to this before you taste it. Between the sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers the salt level is already at a pretty good pitch. (If you like heat, add some red pepper flakes.)

The Mescolanza coming together.

The pasta was just shy of al dente, so it was the perfect time to add it to the eggplant pan and combine.  And a little of the pasta water helps binds it altogether.

As I mentioned I had a ton of feta so that is what I topped this dish with.  However, goat cheese would be great too. This dish has an very earthy flavor to it.  Not for the shy at heart since all those flavors pack a punch.  When you are starving with but one fresh element to work with, pull from your reserves and create your own Pasta Mescolanza.  Perfect for Monday or any day.  

Below are the rough amounts for this dish.  Honestly, I would have never measured a single item for this creation, as a true something from nothing creation is all about whatever you have in whatever amount you have. But I did want to give you a guide, so below is what I used.  This only took 15 minutes to pull together and my stomach was as happy as any Italian could be.

ingredients

1/2 lb pasta
1/4 c approx. Baby eggplant, cubed
1/3 c sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c black oil cured olives, chopped
1/4 c shallots, minced
1 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 t capers
Olive oil
Feta or goat cheese, amount to be determined by you

While writing this post, I ate the whole bowl and forced myself to stay in my office so as not to go back for a refill. The two things I would do differently.  Mince or thinly slice the garlic, and add fresh parsley or basil if I had any. Also, I ate the leftovers the next day and used creamy goat cheese.  I must admit that I prefer that over the feta as it mellows out the intense flavors of all the other ingredients and creates a creaminess to the dish.  A Mangiare!!