Here is one of my fav. recipe…

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients Amount

Balsamic vinegar 1/2 cups
Red wine vinegar 1/2 cups
Pommery grain mustard 1/4 cup
Olive oil 1 -1/4 cups
Salad oil 1- 1/4 cups
Virgin olive oil 3/4 cups
Salt 2 tablespoons
Coarse black pepper 2 tablespoons
Garlic cloves 1 each
Shallots 1 each
Parsley, chopped 1/4 cup

Optional Herbs

Basil as needed
Rosemary as needed
Oregano as needed

Method:

1. Combine the vinegars and mustard in a large bain marie and puree with a Braun mixer. While the machine is running, add the oils.
2. Season to with salt and pepper.
3. Add the cloves of garlic and shallots and puree until smooth.
4. Finish the dressing with chopped parsley and any combination of the optional herbs.

Have had a long day of work, so this post will be short, tangy and exotic!
I love eating salads but they have to be out of the ordinary and vivid. Many people fail to appreciate Salads. Often I feel that you can take nuts and bolts like the greens, some fruits, cucumber, onions and tomato and make it exotic with some funky dressing. We always have fruits lying around and basics like vinegar, oil…a little concoction can do wonders try it. Just be innovative and adventurous.
Top it with nuts or croutons…a quick meal ready! Add fruits like mango and litchi to add sweetness.

FYI: The jargon Salad days meaning a “time of youthful inexperience” (on notion of “green”) was first recorded by Shakespeare.

Accompany your salad wit a refreshing FRUIT SMOOTHIE!!
Take all the fruits you like, put them in a blender; add some mint and some yogurt! Voila…a tropical summer delight:)

PINEAPPLE GINGER VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients/Amount

Pineapple 1/4 each
Ginger 30 Gms
Mustard 15 Gms
Champagne vinegar 1/2 cup
Cilantro, coarsely chopped 1/8 cup
Olive oil 1 cup
Salad/vegetable oil 1 cup
Salt 2 tsp.
Coarse black pepper 1 1/2 tsp.

Method:

1. Peel pineapples and process in grinder until smooth.
2. Remove pineapple and puree ginger.
3. Transfer pineapple, ginger, mustard, and vinegar into bowl and do a double boiler
4. Puree with a Braun mixer and slowly incorporate the oils.
5. Add the cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Am lazy today, don’t feel like working don’t feel like doing anything to be spot on. If I crave something I wish it would fly and just come right in front of me. If I thought hills I wish was in hills. Guess I am on a fantasy spree today. The heat is getting to me. I was thinking – vacation -lavish hotel-tapas style food-comfy cosy bed-cool breeze-walk around the pool-Mediterranean village…..oh wow if only thoughts could be reality as quickly as one thinks! The wonders that happen in a brain!
Okay so getting back to my real world. Here is a fabulous lazy sunday recipe.
Take some greens add in fresh peaches and cherry and just add some of this dressing!
Enjoy while I get back to my movie…

GOAT CHEESE DRESSING

Ingredient/Amount
Ricotta cheese, 150 gr.
Goat cheese 180 gr.
Yogurt 240 gr.
Cider vinegar 75 gr.
Fresh ground black pepper 1/8 tsp.
Ground cayenne pepper 1 pinch
Salt 1 tbsp.
Chives, fresh 30 gr.

METHOD:
1. Puree ricotta and goat cheese until smooth, add yogurt and blend. Add vinegar and blend.
2. Remove from blender and mix in all other ingredients except chives
3. Add chives at the end.

Herb oil is uncomplicated to put together, appealing to look at, endlessly useful in food preparation and make delightful gifts for adventurous friends who love to cook.

Ingredient/Amount
Oregano, thyme, basil leaves, fresh ¼ cup.
Garlic clove 2 ea.
Olive oil 1 cup
Canola oil 1 cup

Method
1. Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Heat to 200°F. Maintain at that temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Put in a bottle and store.

P.S. – You can also add pink peppercorns, fresh chillies or allspice berries and store in a transparent bottle!

I am posting this a day late…why??? Blame it on the electricity cuts!
Dry skin and hot weather. What a combo! Came home rushed to my room switched on the AC and stood in front of it and thought of some cold place like Russia. A friend just called me few days back and was like let’s go to Moscow…and I thought of it more than a few times what a jaunt it would be, food/vodka etc etc. Being on a plane -a new city- New world- always has given me a high other than food. Wish it was as easy/fast as thoughts and one could just pick up there bag and vanish. Anyway let’s make a salad!

Coming to the food part…Saw Boston lettuce in market and also got some beautiful pink rosy radish. Not really the weather for radish but oh well. India people tend to eat radish in winters with Sarso ka Saag. (North Indian Cuisine).

I thought of making the salad with lemon dressing.
Lemon is just always super cool and refreshing…last minute addition -basil which is growing outside in a big boat style pot in my house.
(I have basil, sweet Thai basil, coriander and mom has just put some lemon grass in a new pot-fresh plucked herbs are always better)

BOSTON LETTUCE AND RADISH SALAD
Ingredients/Amount
Boston lettuce 1 head
Radishes, wash it a lot 1 bunch
Lemon dressing 1 recipe follows
Salt and black pepper t.t.

Method for the Salad
1.Remove the leaves of the Boston lettuce and leave them whole. Wash and drain well. Let it dry out. Chill it if you want.
2.Slice the radishes very thin, leaving in a disc shape – 1/16″ thick.
3.Prepare the Lemon Dressing
4. Toss the lettuce and radishes with the dressing, salt and black pepper as needed.

LEMON DRESSING
Vinegar 2 tbsp
Fresh squeezed lemon juice ½ Cup
Sugar ¼ Cup
Olive oil 1 Cup
Salt and white pepper t.t.
Basil leaves fresh ¼ cup

Method for the Lemon Dressing(store it if you have extra -it’s good for next day too)
1.Combine the vinegar (I have white wine/apple cider- I opted for white wine), lemon juice and sugar and mix well to dissolve the sugar completely
2.Whisk in the oil, salt and pepper add the basil leaves which are thin julienne. Why julienne and not just chopped or minced coz It looks pretty! Can add mint if you don’t have basil!

Q:You know what’s the best part I like about salad??
A:+ or – what ever you like!It’s simple math to wow salad!

PS- I write t.t. – which means to taste
Some info courtesy Wikipedia: In American culture, a popular phrase for saying that a gadget can do many things is, “It slices! It dices! It makes Julienne fries!” This phrase is a parody of Ron Popeil’s 1960s television advertisements for the Veg-o-Matic kitchen tool. A common U.S. urban legend holds that julienne is named after Julia Child.