Monday, July 20, 2009

Pirated Picnic

It was a beautiful evening to enjoy a picnic dinner in Ashland while watching boy Nik dance with Ballet in the Park (the last dance - Axis - is the coolest but in Salome he plays a king and gets to wear a spiffy green suit. I can't figure out how to make this itty-bitty picture any bigger, so go see the show. It's free).

When Nik’s brother Kosta played trumpet in the Ashland City Band a few years ago, I used to love picking out five or six half-pints of those fancy deli salads at Market of Choice for us to take to the outdoor concerts on Thursday nights. Now with our savings down the drain and paychecks channeled directly into the coffers of an out-of-state university, deli salads at $8 a pound just aren’t happening any more.

So I have become the Salad Sleuth: I channel my inner Sherlock as I spy on deli salads, analyzing ingredients for the purpose of home kitchen replication (“Watson, take a taste and tell me what you think is in this…”) A couple of our faves came to the park with us last night, along with a Caprese salad, the leftovers from a watermelon salad (watermelon, red onion, feta, lime, and mint), and some little sandwiches based on the Brie Bartlett one I had at Saint Honore Boulangerie in Portland a while back (someone in my house ate the pear I had intended for this sandwich but no matter, it was still quite tasty).

Here are two easy copycat salads. Of course, it's also fun to invent your own.


Curried Rice Salad

Great for using up leftover rice. Good as a cold salad, or put a drop of water in, cover and heat in the microwave for a warm side dish.

4 C. cooked rice
3 T. canola oil
2 t. curry powder
2 T. minced parsley
½ C. dried cranberries (unsweetened if you can find them)
½ C. slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
½ t. salt

Cook curry powder in the oil on the stove for about a minute, until it becomes aromatic. Add it to the rice and stir until it is well mixed in. Add parsley, cranberries, and almonds and stir together until evenly distributed. Mix in salt to taste.

Orzo Salad

This one is best served cold.

4 C. cooked orzo
1/3 C. minced parsley
1/3 C. pine nuts (toast in a pan on the stove in a T of olive oil first)
½ C. sliced green olives
½ C. golden raisins
½ C. vinaigrette, made by whisking 4 parts olive oil to 1 part red wine vinegar or lemon juice.
About 1/2 t. salt

Mix all ingredients together. Chill. Salt to taste.

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