Radicchio Almond Caesar Salad

Radicchio Almond Caesar Salad

Another of Spouse's specialties and my favorite salad these days. Many chefs claim that a perfect dish combines sweet, salty, bitter and sour tastes. Perhaps this is why I love this one so much; even more than a standard Caesar salad. The sweetness of the golden raisins, the saltiness of the bacon, the slightly bitter edge of the radicchio and the pungent, slightly sour note of good Parmesan cheese all combine to make what may be the perfect salad. Add to that sweet red onion and the nutty flavor of toasted almonds and you will probably omit the "may" portion of that last sentence. Highly recommended!!

Originally published on Feb 20, 2009.

Use your favorite recipe for Caesar Salad dressing or try mine. Find it here:

http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/04/caesar-salad-dressing.html


Serves 4

1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped, washed and dried
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 slices sugar cured smoked bacon, crisp fried and chopped
1 small head radicchio chopped, washed and dried
½ cup good Caesar salad dressing

Toss all the ingredients very well together just before serving.

Radicchio Almond Caesar Salad

Another of Spouse's specialties and my favorite salad these days. Many chefs claim that a perfect dish combines sweet, salty, bitter and sour tastes. Perhaps this is why I love this one so much; even more than a standard Caesar salad. The sweetness of the golden raisins, the saltiness of the bacon, the slightly bitter edge of the radicchio and the pungent, slightly sour note of good Parmesan cheese all combine to make what may be the perfect salad. Add to that sweet red onion and the nutty flavor of toasted almonds and you will probably omit the "may" portion of that last sentence. Highly recommended!!

Originally published on Feb 20, 2009.

Use your favorite recipe for Caesar Salad dressing or try mine. Find it here:

http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/04/caesar-salad-dressing.html


Serves 4

1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped, washed and dried
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 slices sugar cured smoked bacon, crisp fried and chopped
1 small head radicchio chopped, washed and dried
½ cup good Caesar salad dressing

Toss all the ingredients very well together just before serving.

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Lemon and Bacon Glazed Chicken Caesar Salad on Whole Wheat and Oatbran Mozzarella Pizza

Lemon and Bacon Glazed Chicken Caesar Salad on Whole Wheat and Oatbran Mozzarella Pizza

Today's recipe incorporates a number of my individual recipes. The Lemon and Bacon Glazed Chicken recipe makes an excellent club sandwich as well.

Originally Published on April 17, 2008.

Lemon and Bacon Glazed Chicken

Serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 strips smoked bacon
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, finely minced
½ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to season, if necessary

Begin by fully cooking the bacon in a large heavy bottom skillet. Remove the bacon and set aside. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and fully cook them over medium heat, about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the size of the breasts. Remove the chicken breasts, pat off the excess bacon fat with paper towels and set aside to rest while you make the glaze.

To make the glaze, drain off all the bacon fat from the skillet. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Cook only for about a minute until the glaze thickens. At this point you can return the breasts to the pan to glaze them or cut in slices and toss in the glaze, depending upon how you wish to serve them.

To prepare the pizzas:

Prepare Whole Wheat and Oatbran Pizza dough.

 MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 LARGE OR 6 INDIVIDUAL PIZZAS

3-4 cups soft whole wheat flour
½ cup oat bran
1 packet instant yeast
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
½ tsp sea salt

Mix dry ingredients together except for one cup of the flour. Add the warm water and mix very well with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until dough forms. Remove to a floured breadboard or your counter top and knead for an additional 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest for ½ hour, covered in a warm place. Knead again for 5 minutes and split dough into 2 portions and allow to rest for 20 minutes before rolling your dough into the desired size.

Preheat your pizza stone in middle rack of your oven for half an hour at 450 degrees F.
Stretch or roll your pizza dough into 8 inch rounds (5 oz dough) and place one on a wooden peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal will allow the pizza to slide off the peel (I’ve even used a thin piece of cardboard in a pinch if you do not have a peel.) Make sure your pizza is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings. Brush each dough round with:

1 tbsp garlic olive oil

Top each pizza with:

4 ounces grated part skim mozzarella cheese
Grind some black pepper over the whole pizza.

Shake your peel to make sure the pizza is not stuck. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel.
Bake for 8-12 minutes depending upon your oven. Bottom and top should be nicely browned.

Garlic Olive Oil

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves chopped garlic

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the chopped garlic and immediately remove from heat and allow the oil to cool.

To assemble the dish:

Toss freshly washed and dried spinach with the caesar dressing and place on top of the cooked pizza. Top with the precooked bacon, glazed chicken and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Serve.

Lemon and Bacon Glazed Chicken Caesar Salad on Whole Wheat and Oatbran Mozzarella Pizza

Today's recipe incorporates a number of my individual recipes. The Lemon and Bacon Glazed Chicken recipe makes an excellent club sandwich as well.

Originally Published on April 17, 2008.

Lemon and Bacon Glazed Chicken

Serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 strips smoked bacon
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, finely minced
½ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to season, if necessary

Begin by fully cooking the bacon in a large heavy bottom skillet. Remove the bacon and set aside. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and fully cook them over medium heat, about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the size of the breasts. Remove the chicken breasts, pat off the excess bacon fat with paper towels and set aside to rest while you make the glaze.

To make the glaze, drain off all the bacon fat from the skillet. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Cook only for about a minute until the glaze thickens. At this point you can return the breasts to the pan to glaze them or cut in slices and toss in the glaze, depending upon how you wish to serve them.

To prepare the pizzas:

Prepare Whole Wheat and Oatbran Pizza dough.

 MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 LARGE OR 6 INDIVIDUAL PIZZAS

3-4 cups soft whole wheat flour
½ cup oat bran
1 packet instant yeast
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
½ tsp sea salt

Mix dry ingredients together except for one cup of the flour. Add the warm water and mix very well with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until dough forms. Remove to a floured breadboard or your counter top and knead for an additional 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest for ½ hour, covered in a warm place. Knead again for 5 minutes and split dough into 2 portions and allow to rest for 20 minutes before rolling your dough into the desired size.

Preheat your pizza stone in middle rack of your oven for half an hour at 450 degrees F.
Stretch or roll your pizza dough into 8 inch rounds (5 oz dough) and place one on a wooden peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal will allow the pizza to slide off the peel (I’ve even used a thin piece of cardboard in a pinch if you do not have a peel.) Make sure your pizza is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings. Brush each dough round with:

1 tbsp garlic olive oil

Top each pizza with:

4 ounces grated part skim mozzarella cheese
Grind some black pepper over the whole pizza.

Shake your peel to make sure the pizza is not stuck. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel.
Bake for 8-12 minutes depending upon your oven. Bottom and top should be nicely browned.

Garlic Olive Oil

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves chopped garlic

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the chopped garlic and immediately remove from heat and allow the oil to cool.

To assemble the dish:

Toss freshly washed and dried spinach with the caesar dressing and place on top of the cooked pizza. Top with the precooked bacon, glazed chicken and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Serve.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Fried Chicken Caesar Salad

 

Who doesn't love a good Caesar salad? This standard crowd-pleaser can get a little...well...boring, so any time you can find a new twist on a classic, I consider that to be a very good thing. An outstanding example would be one that's legendary at our house, our Radicchio Almond Caesar Salad

 

Last week when we featured the outstanding recipe for Tabasco Brined Smoky Spiced Fried Chicken I added a couple of extra chicken breasts to the brine in order to make this idea for a Fried Chicken Caesar Salad, borrowing a couple of ideas from our radicchio salad to create yet another excellent Caesar variation. Brining the chicken adds extra levels of flavor and moisture but  this recipe can be made with plain, unbrined boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces as well.

You can use your own favorite Caesar dressing if you like or if you want to try your hand at a fantastic homemade version, find my standard Caesar Salad Dressing here. Besides the fried chicken I added some thinly sliced red onion and for little sweet chewy bursts of taste and texture, some golden raisins sprinkled in. Toasted almonds would also be a good addition.

Fried Chicken

Boneless skinless chicken breasts ( this recipe can accommodate 6 -8 breasts or more if you are making this for a large crowd. As long as the chicken is completely covered in brine, it is fine)

Tabasco Brine Mixture

Begin with 2 quarts (liters) of water

Add:

1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

Stir until the salt and sugar is dissolved, then add:

3 tbsp black peppercorns

8 cloves thinly sliced garlic

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup Tabasco sauce (add more if you like)

Cover and place in the fridge. After 48 hours, remove the chicken from the brine mixture and cut it into one inch strips. Toss the strips into the flour and spice dredge.

Flour and Spice Dredge

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 heaping tbsp smoked paprika

2 heaping tbsp chipotle powder

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until very well combined. Add the brined chicken pieces. Toss well and press the chicken pieces into the flour dredge with your palms to get good contact with the meat. Let stand for ten minutes, then toss again and press down with your palms again. Now it's time to warm up your oil.

In a 12 inch cast iron skillet heat 1 inch canola or corn oil with 1/2 cup real dairy butter until it reaches 35O degrees F. Just below medium heat works well on my stove but use a thermometer to be sure.  A cast iron skillet is the best for fried chicken. Be extra careful to regulate the heat properly of using anything other than cast iron. Even cooking is essential.

Drop the dredged chicken pieces into the hot oil/butter mix and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces, turning at least once halfway through the  cooking time. I always use my meat thermometer to ensure that the largest pieces have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, which is perfect for fried chicken. The chicken should be a beautiful golden brown when it comes out of the oil. Let it rest on a wire rack to drain for 5 minutes before serving.

Caesar Salad ( 4 servings)

1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped, washed and dried
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 slices sugar cured smoked bacon, crisp fried and chopped
½ cup good Caesar salad dressing

Toss all the ingredients very well together, place the fried chicken pieces on top just before serving. Dust with a little extra parmesan cheese.

 

Who doesn't love a good Caesar salad? This standard crowd-pleaser can get a little...well...boring, so any time you can find a new twist on a classic, I consider that to be a very good thing. An outstanding example would be one that's legendary at our house, our Radicchio Almond Caesar Salad

 

Last week when we featured the outstanding recipe for Tabasco Brined Smoky Spiced Fried Chicken I added a couple of extra chicken breasts to the brine in order to make this idea for a Fried Chicken Caesar Salad, borrowing a couple of ideas from our radicchio salad to create yet another excellent Caesar variation. Brining the chicken adds extra levels of flavor and moisture but  this recipe can be made with plain, unbrined boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces as well.

You can use your own favorite Caesar dressing if you like or if you want to try your hand at a fantastic homemade version, find my standard Caesar Salad Dressing here. Besides the fried chicken I added some thinly sliced red onion and for little sweet chewy bursts of taste and texture, some golden raisins sprinkled in. Toasted almonds would also be a good addition.

Fried Chicken

Boneless skinless chicken breasts ( this recipe can accommodate 6 -8 breasts or more if you are making this for a large crowd. As long as the chicken is completely covered in brine, it is fine)

Tabasco Brine Mixture

Begin with 2 quarts (liters) of water

Add:

1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

Stir until the salt and sugar is dissolved, then add:

3 tbsp black peppercorns

8 cloves thinly sliced garlic

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup Tabasco sauce (add more if you like)

Cover and place in the fridge. After 48 hours, remove the chicken from the brine mixture and cut it into one inch strips. Toss the strips into the flour and spice dredge.

Flour and Spice Dredge

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 heaping tbsp smoked paprika

2 heaping tbsp chipotle powder

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until very well combined. Add the brined chicken pieces. Toss well and press the chicken pieces into the flour dredge with your palms to get good contact with the meat. Let stand for ten minutes, then toss again and press down with your palms again. Now it's time to warm up your oil.

In a 12 inch cast iron skillet heat 1 inch canola or corn oil with 1/2 cup real dairy butter until it reaches 35O degrees F. Just below medium heat works well on my stove but use a thermometer to be sure.  A cast iron skillet is the best for fried chicken. Be extra careful to regulate the heat properly of using anything other than cast iron. Even cooking is essential.

Drop the dredged chicken pieces into the hot oil/butter mix and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces, turning at least once halfway through the  cooking time. I always use my meat thermometer to ensure that the largest pieces have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, which is perfect for fried chicken. The chicken should be a beautiful golden brown when it comes out of the oil. Let it rest on a wire rack to drain for 5 minutes before serving.

Caesar Salad ( 4 servings)

1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped, washed and dried
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 slices sugar cured smoked bacon, crisp fried and chopped
½ cup good Caesar salad dressing

Toss all the ingredients very well together, place the fried chicken pieces on top just before serving. Dust with a little extra parmesan cheese.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad