Simply Delicious For Spring! Fresh Pesto Caesar Salad

It is finally March in the Carolina's, which means that Mother Nature is starting to show her beautiful signs of spring!   Daffodils and pansies are in bloom, and day lilies are pushing their green leaves out of the warming soil.  After all of the grey days of the "uary" months (as my husband and I call them . . . Jan"uary" and Febr"uary"), we welcome the hints of green that begin to show us hope for spring and the coming warmer days ahead.  We spent the weekend cleaning out all of our gardens, tilling and preparing the soil, and mulching our flower beds.  

To some this seems to be nothing but work.  

Yet for me, it's just a joy to be outside again after feeling confined indoors for months.  

Spring is simply my favorite time of year!

the colors of vibrant blue and yellow just captivate the eyes!

joyful, happy, yellow daffodils announce springtime

and the happy faces of blue/purple pansies that show off this rarest of garden colors!

"Green" is also this month's theme for the March Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club hosted by Val from "More Than Burnt Toast".  A perfectly timed theme!  I chose to make a lighter version of the classic Caesar Salad and was wondering throughout the process how this salad could be 'outstanding' as described on the Cooking Light web-site.

Oh wow, does this salad live up to its definition!  After cleaning my salad plate, I ate the rest of the salad out of the mixing bowl!  

My husband had one piece of lettuce and immediately turned up his nose and said, "Ugh, I taste those little anchovies, but I suppose I could enjoy this."  He just dislikes anchovies like no other!

. . . poor guy!  I just don't know what I'm going to do with him sometimes!

But this salad is just incredible, despite it's reduction in calories thanks to the ingenious folks of Cooking Light magazine . . .  and I'll make it over and over again!  I made a few adjustments by adding a little more olive oil to thin down the dressing and added one more clove of minced garlic (I mean, "why not?").  I also used olive oil-based mayonnaise instead of canola mayonnaise.  After all, this is an Italian salad!

Pesto Caesar Salad

3 oz. Italian bread, sliced, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1-1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil (I doubled this, you need it!)
Italian-blend seasonings (I added this)

Cooking spray

2 ounces Parmigiana-Regiano cheese

1/4 cup canola mayonnaise (I used olive oil-based mayonnaise)

3 Tbsp. refrigerated pesto (I used my own home-made pesto)

4 tsp. water
2 - 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (my addition)

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. anchovy paste

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce (I used Tabasco)

1 garlic clove, minced (I doubled this to two cloves)

12 cups torn romaine lettuce
anchovy slices for garnish (my addition)
freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste (my addition)

Take a fresh loaf of Italian bread

cut about 4 - 5 slices 1" wide, then cut into 1" cubes

place on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven 

toast for 10 minutes 

(watch them carefully so the bread cubes do not burn)

toss the warm toasted bread cubes with the olive oil

I also added some 'Tuscan" Italian-blend seasonings

grate fresh Parmigiana-Regiano cheese

prepare dressing with olive oil-based mayonnaise

using pesto and the following fresh ingredients.

I freeze tiny little containers of basil pesto every summer 

(click on 'basil pesto' for the link)

this holds about 3Tbsp. of pesto . . . just perfect!

squeeze 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

mince 2 cloves of fresh garlic

in a medium mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients

add anchovy paste, Dijon mustard, Worcesteshire sauce, 

lemon juice, and minced garlic

place freshly cut romaine lettuce in a large salad bowl

add the dressing

toss well

add the toasted bread cubes, toss well

serve on pretty plates

garnish with grated Parmigiana-Regiano cheese

and anchovy fillets

Crack fresh black pepper and sea salt all over to taste!

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place bread in a large bowl; drizzle with oil. Toss to coat.
Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until golden, turning once.
Grate 2 tablespoons cheese; shave remaining cheese to equal about 6 tablespoons. Set shaved cheese aside.
Combine grated cheese, mayonnaise, and next 8 ingredients (including the pesto, through garlic) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Combine croutons and lettuce in a large bowl.
Drizzle mayonnaise mixture over lettuce mixture; toss to coat.

Place individual portions of the salad on each plate.
Top each serving with 1 tablespoon shaved cheese.

Now here are the other "Green" and lighter, fresh recipes that the others brought to the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club this month:

• Val of More Than Burnt Toast prepared a Creamy Feta Spinach Dip that is perfect served with flat pita bread.
• Susan of The Spice Garden prepared a Salad with New Hampshire Maple-Mustard Dressing.
• Sarah of All Our Fingers in the Pie brought the main entree of Shrimp in Green Sauce.
• Jerry of Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants put together a delicious Salmon with Cucumber Salad and Dill Sauce.
• Sandi of Whistlestop Cafe Cooking accompanied the menu with refreshing Lemony Snap Peas. 

Here are some other delicious salads that I have prepared that I know that you will enjoy:

Panzanella Salad with Pancetta, Tomato and Basil

Spring Salad with Strawberries and Balsamico Vinaigrette

Prosciutto, Goat Cheese, and Cherry Summer Salad

and

Fresh Fig, Gorgonzola, Arugula and Balsamico Vinaigrette Salad

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Pork Chops alla Marsala with Risotto alla Milanese

Nothing is so fine as the flavor that is enhanced by the simple addition of Marsala wine!  It's distinctive sweet flavor when combined with the savoriness of a piece of meat, onions, and garlic is unbelievably memorable.  From the moment of first tasting a sauce with a Marsala base, you'll know that unique flavor forever!  I have to thank my blogging friend, Marie from Proud Italian Cook, for inspiring me to elevate some ordinary pork chops to some sublime pork chops in a Marsala sauce.  I never thought to substitute veal or chicken for pork chops and now I realize how much I have been missing out!  Thanks Marie!

Don't be intimidated by the name of this recipe.  I think that all in all, I prepared this entire dinner in less than one hour.  This recipe has all the elements that both chefs and cooks enjoy:  over-the-top flavor, ease and simplicity, beauty to the eye, and an aromatic aroma . . . plus it seems as if you spent countless hours and work in the kitchen for your family and/or guests!

With a few adjustments (more Marsala!) I combined this Pork alla Marsala entree with classic golden, creamy Risotto alla Milanese.  I had some precious saffron in the kitchen, the most expensive spice on the planet, since the 'threads' are picked by hand from each crocus flower.  I can't remember what the price was for the saffron, but I know that it was a splurge!

Totally worth the expense though!

a heavenly sight to one's eyes on the plate and 

the aroma and flavor is so incredible!

Pork Chops alla Marsala with Risotto alla Milanese

6  Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced 

3 - 4 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 container of freshly sliced crimini mushrooms

salt and pepper

2 - 4 'bone-in' thick-cut pork chops

1/2 cup chicken broth + 3 Tbsp. beef bouillon (I use "Better Than Bouillon", but some recipes call for "brown sauce"

1 cup Marsala wine

3 Tbsp. Mascarpone cheese (some chefs use heavy cream).

freshly diced thyme

freshly diced Italian parsley

Melt the butter along with olive oil in a large skillet.

Add pork chops to brown on both sides; when finished, place the chops in a warm oven for the remainder of the process.

Add diced onions and garlic, saute for a few minutes.

Add mushrooms, saute' until brown and reduced in size.

Allow the mixture to thicken up a bit.

Add Marsala wine.

Add chicken broth plus beef bouillon or 'brown sauce'.

Add the Mascarpone cheese and blend well.

Add thyme and cook for a few minutes to blend all of the flavors.

In a medium-sized baking pan, place a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Place the pork chops on sauce.

Pour all of the remaining mushroom-onion-garlic sauce all over the top.

Place everything back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or more, or place on low to simmer while you set the table or are preparing a salad or side dish.

Serve with a pretty sprig of fresh thyme and/or chopped Italian parsley.

Serve with Risotto Milanese.

saute' the pork chops until a nicely brown color is achieved in the melted butter and extra virgin olive oil

remove the chops and place on a warming platter in a warm oven 

while sauteing the onions and garlic

add the mushrooms and sauté until browned and cooked well, usually 5 - 10 minutes

add Marsala, other liquids and mascarpone cheese after mushrooms are cooked enough

cook the mushroom-Marsala sauce until thickened

in a pretty baking pan, place a little bit of the mushroom-Marsala sauce on the bottom

and place the browned pork chops on top

pour all of the remaining mushroom-Marsala sauce on top

bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 - 15 minutes

.

Risotto alla Milanese, the creamy rice dish that achieves its vivid golden color and flavor from saffron, is the perfect pairing for Pork Chops alla Marsala.  This tremendously classic risotto recipe from the northern region of Italy became famous from it's golden color that was presented to guests in the year 1574, at a chef's daughter's wedding dinner during which he surprised everyone with 'golden' colored risotto in honor of gold, the ultimate of wedding gifts.

Risotto alla Milanese 

the classic Risotto Milanese gets its extraordinary flavor from 

beautiful reddish-orange saffron, the most expensive spice in the world

that is picked by hand from each flower.

Saffron crocus flowers thrive in the hot, dry summers of the Mediterranean.  To produce just ONE pound of dried saffron requires the harvest of 50,000–75,000 flowers; forty hours of labour are needed to pick 150,000 flowers!

6 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp. saffron threads
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 small yellow onions, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat stock and saffron in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat; keep warm. 
Heat butter in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. 
Add onions; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. 
Add rice; cook until lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. 
Add wine; cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. 
Add ½ cup warm stock; cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. 
Continue adding stock, ½ cup at a time, and cooking until absorbed before adding more, until rice is tender and creamy, about 16 minutes total. 
Stir in Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. 

I sprinkle just a little more saffron in though!

Magnifico!

Here are some other risotto recipes that I've prepared that I know you will enjoy:


Creamy Risotto with Lemon, Asiago Cheese, and Rosemary

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms

Risotto con Quattro Formaggio (with Four Cheeses)

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Polenta, Creamy or Fried!

While The Feast of The Seven Fishes is celebrated among many Italians on Christmas Eve, my family prepares a large pot of creamy, golden polenta that we place slices of Fontina cheese on top and then pour on a hot Italian stew.  The hot polenta and stew melts the cheese so that the polenta becomes this cheesy, creamy dream under the stew.  

We reserve Christmas Eve for this dish because my family in Montecreto, Italy had never heard of the Feast of Seven Fishes and because they lived in the mountains, they were nowhere near the sea to even purchase the fish.  The roads  in the mountains at the time were also only traveled by foot, so the distance and the difficulty added additional reasons for not obtaining fish to eat for Christmas or any time for that matter.  

Polenta, now being so trendy in the food world, was literally one of the foods of the poor.  It was not luxury food at all, it was a humble necessity!  And a delicious necessity at that.

The wonderful thing about serving polenta on Christmas Eve is that if you make a large pot-full, as we do, then you have extra polenta to FRY the next day for Christmas morning.  This is truly my absolute favorite way to eat polenta . . . fried and crispy, and yes, with a slice of cheese melted on top!  

To make polenta is quite easy; it just takes time.  Here is the very simple recipe that my family uses and that I am sure is followed by many other people as well:

Polenta

6 cups water

2 cups ground polenta or yellow cornmeal

2 tsp. salt

Bring water to a boil with salt in a 4-quart heavy pot.

Slowly add polenta, whisking while pouring. 

Cook over medium heat while whisking for 2 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer polenta, stir for 1 minute after every 10 minutes of cooking.

Cook for a total of 45 minutes or until there is no 'gritty' texture, when it is 'creamy soft, very thick, and fairly firm, not runny.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

Place slices of Fontina on top to melt all over the hot polenta.

For polenta to be fried:

Place clear wrap in a bread baking pan.

Pour in the polenta.

Cover it with the wrap.

Place in the refrigerate to get nice and firm.

When the polenta is chilled and firm, remove it from the baking pan and clear wrap.

Slice it and place in a large frying pan sprayed with oil on medium heat.

Fry each side until nicely browned.

Serve hot.

Pass slices of cheese around to melt on top of the hot, fried polenta.

Fry until golden brown and crispy!

Place Fontina cheese on top of each slice of polenta to melt.

You may also need to add a little extra heat from placing these in the microwave if the polenta cools off.

Mangia!

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Home ~ Made Chicken Pasta Noodle Soup!

"Oh the weather outside is frightful"  . . . NOT!

It's 70 degrees here today on the 8th of December!

"and my dear, you're so delightful" . . . NOT!

My dear husband is sick with a horrible cold.  Yes, he's still as delightful as one can be when one is sick.

Singing the rest of this Christmas song might have brought a 'slight' smile to my congested and stuffy-headed husband, but for a little physical assistance, I knew that it would be better if I helped nurse his head and chest cold with some humble home-made chicken broth and wonderful pasta noodles that I brought home from Italy.

Plus, I don't have a great voice for singing!

As they say in the old wives's tale, eat chicken soup to help cure the common cold.

Whether there is any truth to that wisdom or not, I know that chicken soup certainly helps 'mentally' when a loved one is under the weather.

I picked up this package of 'Spaghetti Tagliati' while on the Amalfi Coast this past October 

because I felt that this pasta shape closely represented the pasta shape for chicken soup  

that Americans are accustomed to purchasing in the market 

for 'package-ready-made' chicken soup (i.e:  Lipton's)

The recipe for homemade chicken broth follows, but in general,

fill up a HUGE pot of water and insert lots of fresh onions, carrots, celery, and 

Italian parsley . . . then add

a really good cut-up chicken (see recipe link below)

and beef (if you like) to the veggie-filled water

after several hours of cooking on low heat,

STRAIN all of the meat and veggies into a strainer 

and then filter several times through a light, paper-thin tea towel

to remove (what we call) the 'gunk' out of the broth

in order to make it clean, clear and pure broth!

Refrigerate the chicken broth overnight.

The fat will rise to the top and harden.

The next day, remove the hardened fat and discard.

this is the beautiful result that you will have!

This DOES NOT take a lot of work

and is so worth it!

While you're blogging, or reading a foodie magazine or watching a favorite foodie TV show,

get this broth going on the stove,

freeze it,

and have it on hand for whenever you might need it!

Home-made chicken broth TOTALLY outshines store-bought chicken broth!

And now here's the link to my post in 2009 for a complete step-by-step tutorial on making homemade "brodo di pollo" (chicken broth).  I hope you enjoy my family chicken broth recipe (click the link) that has been passed down through many generations!

Once you have made and/or frozen your chicken broth, 

either use the freshly made broth or heat up the frozen broth on the stove

add your favorite pasta or tortellini

cook until 'al dente' and no longer

while the pasta is cooking, 

grind some fresh Parmigiana-Regiano cheese 

to sprinkle on top of your soup!

Never use the pre-packaged, canned varieties of Parmesan sold in stores!

Freshly ground Parmigiana cheese makes such a noticeable difference!

Sprinkle the freshly grated Parmigiana on your hot chicken noodle/pasta soup!

and enjoy !!!!

Wishing you a healthy and Merry Christmas season!

And if any of your loved ones happen to catch a bad cold,

this delicious soup will help them so that they too can

 better enjoy the festivities of this wonderful holiday!!

.

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