Panzanella (Bread Salad)

I wanted to fix myself a sandwich this afternoon when I noticed that the baguette I was going to use had gone incredibly stale and hard. Most of the food I cook in my kitchen tends to be a way for me to use or salvage ingredients I already have. What better way to save this once delicious garlicky baguette than to toast it into croutons and make a salad with it?


I started by cutting the bread into one inch cubes.


Then I slid them into a bowl and tossed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Then I heated my cast iron skillet and toasted the bread until the cubes were golden brown.


In a separate bowl, I assembled the dressing: dijon mustard, one clove of minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. The recipe called for champagne vinegar, but it's really just schmansy white wine vinegar (which is a lot easier to come by), so I used three tablespoons of that instead.

The rest of the salad can be more or less vegetables of your choice. You can stay with the staples: tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, and red onion. I wanted the salad to be really colorful, so I used some beautiful vine cherry tomatoes:


Some adorable mixed baby bell peppers of different colors:


I also used a hot house cucumber, otherwise referred to as European cucumbers. I like them because you can leave the skin on, they're less bitter, and they have very few seeds. I also added some chopped basil. Add your vegetables to the toasted croutons, top with dressing and mix it. Difficult as it may be to wait before diving in, this salad is best enjoyed if you set it aside and let the dressing soak a bit into the croutons. This is especially essential if you started with really stale bread. The ingredients meld, and the flavors become a lot bolder.


I love this salad. As I was mixing it I literally gasped out loud because the colors were so beautiful. The basil adds a delightful freshness to the vegetables, but it's very difficult to not pick out and eat all the croutons. They get infused with a wonderful aroma and the crispiness mixed with the dressing is very satisfying.

I based my recipe on Ina Garten's Panzanella Recipe. As I stated earlier in this post, I substituted white wine vinegar for champagne vinegar. It's just easier to acquire.

Skirt Steak Tacos with Guacamole

Summer is upon us, and with it- grilling season. I love just about anything off the grill. Roasted vegetables, chicken, buttery vidalia onions, kebabs... I could probably list items forever. One my favorite items is the seriously underrated skirt steak. Its economical, easy to cook, lean and grills beautifully. I like to pick some up and make tacos out of them. Again, it's very easy and is a big crowd pleaser.

If you have been keeping abreast of my entries, you'd know I enjoy a good marinade because of the amount of flavor you can pack into your dish. my favorite way to marinate skirt steak, particularly for tacos is simply with some citrus, a bit of garlic, cumin, and cilantro. Simple flavors.

First things first, I place my steaks in a bowl, drizzled a little bit of olive oil over them, because it helps the spices stick. I sprinkled some salt, pepper, cumin and the minced garlic over them and rubbed all the seasoning in.

I topped this off with citrus juice. You can use any and all citrus you have in the house. I generally use lemon and lime juice, though orange would be good too.


Zest from the citrus is excellent too, it smells wonderful and a little goes a long way. Roll your lemons or limes on your counter or work surface, it helps release the juice.


Zest them first, and then squeeze the juice out of them being careful to avoid getting the seeds in your food. You can do with or without the crushed garlic. I add garlic to everything, so I used some. You can also add some red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. You will want to marinate this for at least an hour or two before grilling, so the meat tenderizes and absorbs all the different flavors.

I grilled these on my stove top grill, though obviously a real grill would be great. About 10 minutes on each side should suffice if you like your steak medium rare. Grill it until the outside is charred and the center is cooked to your liking.


When you remove it from the grill, it's important that you let it rest for a few minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. It will also be softer if you let it rest properly.


Once the steaks were grilled, and had time to rest, they were sliced and the tacos were assembled. I used hard taco shells, shredded cheddar cheese (though pepper jack would also be excellent), and some mixed greens on top of the sliced steak in my tacos.


I served them with some homemade guacamole, the recipe is below:

Guacamole
This guacamole is the perfect accompaniment for the tacos. I can't overstate how much better guacamole is if you keep it simple. I like to go with the basics: lime juice, cilantro, and a little bit of garlic for sharpness.

I like to use Haas avocados because they have a creamy richness that I haven't detected in other avocados. Right after I slice them open, I always drizzle a little bit of lime juice on them, because I don't want them to oxidize and turn brown. Brown guac is not very appetizing.

After the avocados have been scooped out of their husks, I added a handful of chopped cilantro, more lime juice, salt, pepper and minced garlic. If you find that your avocados are a bit under ripe, you can add some olive oil to smooth it out.


Use a fork to mash the avocado, you can keep it as smooth or as chunky as you like. Garnish with some cilantro and lime and you're done! You can add chopped tomatoes, or a spoonful of salsa, but the most important thing is to keep it simple and let the nutty taste of the avocados shine through.

*A helpful tip. If you want to store any leftover guacamole, put it in a ziplock bag and squeeze out as much air as possible- this will keep it from turning brown in the refrigerator.

Red Wine Marinated Lamb Chops

Variety is the spice of life. In addition to cooking chicken, fish and other lean proteins, it's nice to treat myself to a nice piece of meat every now and then. Lamb has a lovely flavor and takes to different spices well. A good marinade helps eliminate a little bit of the game-y taste, in addition to infusing it with good flavor, though it certainly helps to cook it properly.


One of my favorite ways to prepare a good lamb chop is by marinating it in red wine. The sweetness compliments the meat very nicely, and if you pan sear the chop, it caramelizes beautifully. For complexity and depth I add some minced garlic, and some dried rosemary since I always have some in my kitchen, though if you have fresh rosemary you can certainly use that too.

Place the chops either in a bowl and seal it, or use a large zip lock bag. Give them a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, top with the minced garlic.


Pour the red wine over them. Use just enough to cover them. I like to use a good dry red wine, like Shiraz or Cabernet though a dry Spanish wine like Rioja would be excellent, or a Bordeaux. You won't use the entire bottle for your chops, so it helps to buy something that you would like to drink afterwards. Remember that using good quality ingredients makes for better food. I never cook with a wine I don't like, because its taste will permeate throughout the dish.


Let the chops marinate for a least an hour or two in the refrigerator. The longer they soak, the stronger it will taste. I pan seared mine today because I didn't want to fuss with a grill, though they are excellent on the grill. Remove them from the marinade and let the liquid drain off a bit, preheat a nonstick skillet with two tablespoons of olive oil until the pan is piping hot. Cook them for 4 or 5 minutes if you like them slightly pink in the middle, a little longer for a more well done chop. Don't overcook them, the meat will dry out and become rubbery. Also try to avoid flipping them over more than once, it will keep them cooking evenly, and ensure they get nice and brown.


I was feeling rather indulgent today, so I served them with my grilled potato salad with bacon and a mustard vinaigrette. Yum. The recipe for the potato salad is below.


Warm Potato Salad with Bacon & Mustard Vinaigrette
The idea for this salad came to me after watching a marathon of grilling shows, Bobby Flay's in particular. He grilled his potatoes after partially boiling them, a step I skipped. I simply boiled them, the way you would for a regular potato salad. You can find the original recipe here.

This side is really easy to put together. Boil baby red potatoes whole in a big pot of water for about 18 minutes. You want to cook them until they are fork-tender, but not mushy.


Slice them into wedges:


Add bacon lardons to your potatoes. Lardons are pieces of bacon that have been cut into rectangular pieces. Cook them until they are golden brown and reserve some of the pan drippings for the dressing.

While the lardons cook, you can start to assemble the vinaigrette. The dressing consists of a tablespoon or two of mustard, some olive oil, chopped parsley and basil, salt and pepper, and red wine vinegar.


Whisk it all together, add your potatoes and bacon, stir and you're done! This salad is perfect alongside something off the grill or a nicely cooked piece of meat. The acid in the dressing counteracts the fat in the lardons leaving a smoky, savory but balanced flavor.