Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

Nick wanted Caesar Salad to accompany our handmade Veal Cannelloni last night, which I will post and share separately.  I went through every one of my favorite cookbooks and could NOT find a recipe for Caesar Dressing.  I was really surprised.  Then I turned to my Cooking Light cookbook and was pleasantly surprised.  This is a refreshing, easy, simply and zingy dressing that is light on fat, and heavy on flavor.

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

6 tbsp light mayonaisse (I used Hellman's)
3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)
1 1/2 tbsp anchovy paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Simply mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, and then refridgerate until serving.  I served this with a variety of Artisan Lettuces in green and purple with fresh shaved Parmesan Reggiano.  I topped the salads with Texas Toast Garlic Croutons.  Yumm!

Pear and Goat Cheese Salad

This salad was a hit on Christmas day.  The Bosc pear with the Goat Cheese and simple, simple lemon viniagrette, tossed lightly with mixed greens was the perfect way to start our large family gathering.

Pear and Goat Cheese Salad

1 Bosc Pear, pitted, sliced thin wedges
6 oz plain goat cheese, crumbled small
1 head butter/bibb lettuce, or mixed mesclun
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
9 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste





I'm a huge fan of the Costco mesclun mix, which includes several delicate varieties of lettuces, and also has a really nice color and texture variation.  If you can't find that, one to two small heads of delicate lettuce varieties work well (butter and bibb lettuce are two really nice options).

Rinse and spin or blot lettuce dry.  In a large serving/salad bowl, place lettuce.  If lettuce is in larger leaves, tear into 2-3" pieces for a more rustic presentation than chopping.  These smaller varieties of lettuce often don't require chopping, however, so if you can leave it in its original state - all the better. 

At this point, season lightly with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.  In a small bowl, combine fresh lemon juice with olive oil.  This should be a 1 to 3 ratio of lemon juice to olive oil.  Then add a little salt and pepper, and using a fork or small whisk, mix the dressing into an emulsion, whereby the lemon juice and olive oil are not separated but fully incorporated. 

Drizzle about 1/2 of the dressing over the lettuce, and toss lightly to incorporate.

Top salad with Bosc pear slices and crumbled goat cheese.  Serve remaining dressing on the side.  I also served extra cheese crumbles in a small ramekin so that my guests could further dress their salad.

This salad got high praises from all of the guests.  The subtle sweet of the pear against the acid of the lemon viniagrette and savory goat cheese was a really nice balance.

Orzo Caprese Salad

One thing I like to do, to mix things up is adapt some of my favorite salads into a pasta side dish.  These work great for summertime gatherings, BBQ's and more...and add more of a filling quality to otherwise light salads.  This time I decided to work with Orzo Pasta because I like the texture and shape of the pasta, its very much like rice, but in pasta, and think it lends itself to a cool summer salad dish.

Orzo Caprese Salad

Here's what I used:

1 box orzo pasta
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed small
1/2 red onion, fine chopped
6-8 fresh basil leaves, rough chopped
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
S&P

Here's what I did:

Set large pot to boil with liberal sprinkling of salt in water.  Cook orzo 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.  Drain and add olive oil to pasta, to keep small pieces from sticking.

Once pasta has cooled to a luke warm, add all ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm or cold.

Umbrella Fun: Caprese and Greek Salad Appetizers

I recently received my first issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and was inspired by a small description and photo of a Caprese (fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil) salad skewered onto a fun little twistie skewer.  I thought it would be a great idea for Father's Day dinner, as an appetizer.  Then I expanded the idea to a Greek (feta, kalamata olive, baby cucumber) salad skewer as well...and so I went shopping!

My hopes were dashed when I realized that my local grocery didn't have cute twisty skewers.  I went home, empty skewered. 

Setting all the ingredients out on my counter, I pushed aside a large box of little Umbrella's, you know, for drinks and such.  OOHHH!!!  IDEA!!  Use the Umbrella's as skewers!  How cute!! 

And so I did.  And they were loved by all. 

Umbrella Fun: Caprese and Greek Salad Appetizers

Caprese Salad Skewer

1 container small mozzarella balls (or larger and halve or quarter)
2 stalks fresh basil, or about 20 leaves
1 container cherry tomatoes
2 yellow tomatoes, cubed small
3 tbsp olive oil
S&P

Greek Salad Skewer

1 8 oz block feta, cubed small
2 baby cucumbers, halved lengthwise and then again widthwise
20-ish pitted kalamata olives
3 tbsp olive oil
S&P

Simply combine ingredients for each of the two salads in separate bowls and stir to coat ingredients.  Then, skewer your umbrella's with alternating ingredients to create a varied appearance on the serving tray.  Wrap the basil leaves around the mozzarella ball/slice for a pretty effect.  You could also have fun with this and stick the umbrellas in an upturned cantelope or cucumber half for a fun presentation.