Catherine Jones Cooks

Homemade Rocks! Delicious Caesar Salad Dressing

Posted on November 4, 2010

caesar-salad

Who doesn’t love a great Caesar salad packed with crispy romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, Parmesan shavings, and a perfectly tangy dressing. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Here’s a recipe for a delicious homemade Caesar salad dressing from the second edition of Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today’s Mothers-to-Be, my Mom’s Choice Award-Winning cookbook. My family begs for this dressing and I’m sure yours will too.

Makes about 1/2 cup
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small garlic clove, squeezed through a garlic press or minced
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablepsoons canola oil

Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil and canola oil in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the olive oil and canola oil, whisking until emulsified.

Note: This salad dressing will separate as it sits. Whisk or shake it to re-emulsify it. The dressing will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Approximate Nutritional Information: Serving size: 1 tablespoon salad dressing: Calories: 117 cals; Protein: 0; Carbohydrates: 0; Fat: 13 g; Fiber: 0; Sodium: 96 mg; Diabetic Exchange: Fat 2.5

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The Art of Eating Artichokes

Posted on November 19, 2009

artichoke1

My favorite way to serve large globe artichokes is steamed or boiled, cooled to room temperature, gently pried open to look like a blooming lotus flower, then drizzled with homemade vinaigrette that reaches right down to the heart. Or, I sometimes put the vinaigrette in a tiny dish and I dip the wider base of the leaves, one by one, into the sauce before scraping the nub of pulp with my teeth.

Watching others eat artichokes is almost as fun as eating them myself. I can tell the control freaks by how they neurotically stack their leaves in neat piles, all the same height, concentrically around the edges of their plate (I’m guilty, I admit). And then there are the slobs, whose leaves get scattered about like debris after a storm.

I always remind my children that reaching the inner sanctum of the artichoke is the fun part. We take time to marvel over nature’s amazing security system: endless overlapping layers of needle-tipped leaves protecting a soft, delicate heart. As one of my children aptly noted, “No animal could ever reach this part.” I walk them through the gentle process of pulling off the tender, light green, smaller leaves concealing the spiky choke. We cut the cone-shaped heart in half, then using our fingers, carefully pull off the hairs to expose the “bumpy part” of the heart, as they call it. We slice this, and dip it in the vinaigrette too.

Apart from being loads of fun to eat, artichokes are a powerhouse of antioxidants, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and fiber. For more information visit http://www.oceanmist.com/health/vitamin.aspx

Vinaigrette for Artichokes
Makes about ½ cup (enough for 4 artichokes)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or your favorite)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Tiny pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon full-bodied olive oil
5 tablespoons canola oil

Mix the mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl, then whisk in the olive oil and canola oil. Adjust the seasoning. Whisk again before serving.

More about Antioxidants, Artichokes, Recipes, Vinaigrette

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Homemade Salad Dressing Made Easy

Posted on September 9, 2009

Take the guess work out of salad dressing and make a fool-proof batch every time. Feel free to substitute ingredients, including fancy oils (walnut, avocado, hazelnut) and flavored vinegars (tarragon, raspberry, white balsamic). Instead of crushing the garlic clove, smash it with the blade of a knife, so you get the garlic flavor without small pieces clogging the squirt bottle opening. To produce consistent results, purchase a wide-mouthed plastic squirt bottle (minimum one-cup capacity) and mark lines on the side of the bottle to indicate how much vinegar and oil to add. Here’s a classic vinaigrette recipe to get you started.

Catherine’s Classic Vinaigrette
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, to taste
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil

Combine the mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar in a squirt bottle. Seal the top and shake vigorously Add the oil and shake again. Keep refrigerated. The dressing will last about 1 month refrigerated.

More about Garlic, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Salad, Vinaigrette

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Sun-Soaked Tarragon Vinegar

Posted on May 20, 2009

Infusing vinegar with fresh tarragon raises salad dressings to a whole new level. Combine 1 cup lightly packed fresh tarragon sprigs, ends trimmed, washed, and bruised leaves removed, with 2-1/2 cups of distilled white vinegar in a jar. Seal the jar and place it in a sunny spot for 1 day and then at room temperature for 5 more days. Remove the tarragon sprigs and strain the vinegar. Return the vinegar to the jar and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

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