NONTRADITIONAL GREEK
SALAD WITH CHICKEN
CROQUETTES
6 TO 8 SERVINGS
Here’s a different twist on the classic Greek salad—with an added surprise. I took some liberties here, and I know I’ll hear about it from the Greek side of my family. Maybe I shouldn’t mess with the tried and true, but I wanted an alternative to the traditional Greek salad. I’ve kept all the lovely flavors, but I substituted tender baby greens for the romaine lettuce. I cut the vegetables into smaller pieces and added a lot of fresh herbs, and as an added bonus I included chicken croquettes stuffed with feta cheese on the side. I tried this dish on my Greek husband, and he really loved it—whew! Now I just have to get by the family back east.
Dressing
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon medium shallot, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Croquettes and salad
8 chicken croquettes (Chicken Croquettes With Feta Cheese Filling)
½ pound mixed baby greens, rinsed and dried in a salad spinner, and chilled in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
2 celery ribs, cut at an angle into bite-size chunks
2 cucumbers, 1 ½ peeled, seeded, and diced, ½ cut into slices with skins on
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced thin
5 thin slices of red onion
10 sprigs of fresh mint, chopped coarsely
10 sprigs of Italian parsley, chopped coarsely
Leaves from 6 sprigs of fresh oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups Greek feta cut into chunks
16 Greek olives
Kosher salt
Cracked pepper
8 lemon wedges for garnish
To make the dressing, in a bowl whisk together olive oil, shallot, onion, vinegars, and lemon juice. Set aside.
Make the croquettes, and keep them covered with foil until you’re ready to serve.
To assemble the salad, put the greens into a wooden salad bowl. Add the celery, diced and sliced cucumbers, bell pepper, onion, mint, parsley, and oregano leaves.
Sprinkle salt on top of the greens, and drizzle on 5 tablespoons of dressing. Toss well.
Top the salad with chunks of feta cheese and olives. Add kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste.
Serve on salad plates with a chicken croquette on the side of each plate. Add a lemon wedge to squirt on the croquette. Opa!
BUTTER LETTUCE
WITH FETA, WALNUTS,
AND OLIVE OIL AND
LEMON DRESSING
4 TO 6 SERVINGS
This is a beautiful and delicate salad that I usually serve after the main course; it’s a lovely way to finish a great meal.
Handle the leaves delicately while you rinse them in cool water. Use a salad spinner to spin the leaves dry, and make sure to get as much water as you can off the leaves. Too much water left on the leaves will make the salad taste flat because the dressing won’t adhere to the leaves properly. It helps if you place the butter lettuce back into the refrigerator after you spin it dry. Chilling the leaves for about 15 minutes helps to retain their texture.
½ cup walnuts, chopped
2 heads butter lettuce, rinsed and spun dry (place back in the refrigerator to keep the leaves cold)
Kosher salt
cup Shallot Vinaigrette (Shallot Vinaigrette) plus additional if desired
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Pomegranate seeds to sprinkle on top of the salad (if pomegranates are not in season, you can use dried cranberries or cherries)
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
Toast the walnuts by placing them in a small dry frying pan. Turn the heat to medium, and toss and shake the nuts back and forth until they have browned and released their fragrant oils, about 4 to 5 minutes. You will be able to smell the aroma. Be careful not to burn the walnuts; they will end up tasting rancid. Place in a small bowl and set aside.
Place the butter lettuce in a salad bowl.
Sprinkle salt over the lettuce. Pour 5 tablespoons of the dressing over the lettuce, and gently toss. If you feel the salad is too dry and needs more dressing, add 1 tablespoon at a time.
Evenly distribute the lettuce among 6 to 8 plates. Garnish with feta cheese, pomegranate seeds, parsley, and walnuts.
Serve with a piece of crusty sourdough baguette that you have warmed in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes.
COOK’S NOTE: Goat cheese goes nicely with this salad too, if you prefer it instead of feta.
CHICKEN TOSTADA
SALAD
6 SERVINGS
I love to make this salad with leftover chicken (or substitute grilled sliced beef, shrimp, or turkey). It’s so easy to do, and with my staple and pantry items (Pantry And Staple Items), I can make this dish anytime.
I eliminate extra calories with this recipe, without compromising great flavor, by using low-fat whole wheat tortillas. Instead of frying them in oil, I bake them in the oven until they are crispy and crunchy.
If you want to make your own salsa, you can make it the day before (although store-bought salsa and guacamole are perfectly good). It will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Lemon dressing
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Bean salsa
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium red bell pepper, diced small
1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced small
2 celery ribs, diced small
2 scallions, chopped small
1 tablespoon diced jalapeño
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cracked pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Assembly
6 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
2 cups Tomato Salsa (Tomato Salsa)
2 cups Guacamole (Guacamole)
6 cups wild arugula or baby greens
3 cups chopped roasted chicken breast (1 ½-inch pieces)
1 ½ cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
6 lime wedges
8 fresh cilantro sprigs
1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray the tortillas on both sides with cooking spray. Place them in the oven on the rack and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and set aside.
To make the lemon dressing, in a glass bowl combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and kosher salt, and mix well. Set aside.
Make the tomato salsa and guacamole if you are not using store-bought. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.
To make the bean salsa, in a bowl, combine the beans, red and yellow peppers, celery, scallions, jalapeño, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper to taste, and cilantro. Mix well. If you have the time, cover and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour; it will bring out the many layers of flavors. Any leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days.
When you are ready to serve, drizzle 3 tablespoons of lemon dressing over the arugula or baby greens and mix well. Place one tortilla on each plate. Spread 2 tablespoons of guacamole over each tortilla. Add ½ cup of bean salsa toward the middle of the tortilla. Add 1 cup of arugula or greens over the bean salsa. Top with ½ cup chopped chicken, as much of the tomato salsa as you like, and 2 tablespoons of Monterey jack (more if desired). Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs and diced jalapeño. Serve with lime wedges.
SOUPS
I keep fresh chicken stock in my refrigerator at all times. I use it
in so many of my recipes—from dishes made with chicken and beef to sauces and gravies. Whenever I’m looking for a quick meal that’s satisfying and easy too, I pull out my supply of stock from the fridge or pantry and whip up one of my recipes for a delicious bowl of goodness.
There is nothing I enjoy better than sitting down to a hearty serving of piping-hot soup. In fact, I like to start my meals with a serving of soup, hot or cold. Many nights, actually, I have what I call “a meal in a bowl” because everything I love is in one delicious bowl—hearty vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or beef, beans, and pasta or rice!
Practically everything in my refrigerator ends up, sooner or later, in a pot of soup. I never throw away vegetables, no matter how old or sad they may get; I just make them into a fantastic bowl of soup before they turn the corner and have to be tossed. You know the ones I’m talking about, the carrots that bend slightly and the celery that has just begun to lose its crispy crunch, the broccoli that has seen better days, the squash that is starting to look squashed, and the onions that are starting to sprout new leaves. Save them; don’t toss them. You can turn them into creamy, velvety soups; there are recipes in this chapter for soups like that using carrots and butternut squash that will surprise you. Of course, I try to never get to the point of having to use veggies that have lost their spark, but sometimes you have to be creative so you don’t waste anything!
Roasted Chicken Stock
Revised Italian Wedding Soup
Chicken Soup with Chicken Meatballs and Pastina
Chicken Soup with Tortellini Filling in Wonton Wrappers
Soba Noodles in Lemon-Ginger Chicken Broth
Avgolemono Soup with Orzo
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Pumpkin Soup
Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Soup
Caramelized Carrot Soup with Green Apples
Tortilla Soup
Pozole
Gazpacho
Creamy, Velvety Tomato Soup, No Cream
Tuscan Bread Soup
Hearty Vegetable Minestrone Soup
ROASTED
CHICKEN STOCK
3 QUARTS
There isn’t a better way to stretch your meals than by using a simple roasted chicken. I always have chicken stock in my refrigerator. It’s a lifesaver because I know I can always use it to come up with something fantastic, even in an emergency. There are so many ways to convert a simple stock into great meals.
To be perfectly honest, I often use the prepared roasted chickens from the grocery store to make chicken stock. I prefer to use the bones from a roasted chicken because the stock turns out heartier. Using store-bought is also convenient, and saves time and money. I can bring two chickens home and know that I can use them to make at least five great meals and freeze them. The many recipe suggestions in this book will help you do so too.
Enjoy!
1 (4- to 5-pound) roasted chicken, homemade or store-bought
2 medium-size onions, cut in half, skin on
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped in quarters
6 pieces of celery, tops on, cut in quarters
½ bunch of Italian parsley, rinsed
3 garlic cloves, skin on, smashed
1 tablespoon table salt
4 slices fresh lemon
4 to 5 black peppercorns
3 quarts water
Remove the meat from the bones of the roasted chicken. Place the meat in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
In a large stockpot combine the chicken bones, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, garlic, salt, lemon slices, and peppercorns. Add 3 quarts of water. On high heat bring the soup to a boil; then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour.
Pour the soup through a colander into a large pot to separate the broth from the bones and vegetables; discard the bones and vegetables. If you are going to put the stock in the fridge instead of using it right away, make sure you cool it to room temperature before you do. Pour the cooled stock into a container, cover, and refrigerate. It will last for a week in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer. If you have refrigerated the stock overnight, you will notice that all of the fat has risen to the top. Simply skim it off the top and discard.
I never throw out chicken bones. If I’m too lazy to make the stock right away or don’t have the time, I just put the bones in a plastic bag and pop it in the freezer until I’m ready. I also freeze chicken stock in ice cube trays. I use blocks of frozen stock when I’m making sauces or gravy, or deglazing a pan.
REVISED ITALIAN
WEDDING SOUP
6 TO 8 SERVINGS
When I was a little girl, my mother and grandmother would make a soup that I just didn’t like at all. It was a traditional soup called Italian wedding soup, with little beef meatballs and spinach. I so disliked it, I swore I was never going to get married because I thought I would have to eat it on my wedding day. I have since revised the recipe and taken some liberties, and now I can’t get enough. And yes, I would serve it at my wedding if I were to marry my Tony again!
Meatballs
¾ pound ground chicken
2 mild Italian sausages, casings removed
½ cup plain bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, plus additional to sprinkle over the soup
¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
Soup
8 ounces small pasta (small tube pasta, baby bow ties, or small shells)
4 quarts Roasted Chicken Stock (Roasted Chicken Stock) or store-bought organic chicken broth
3 cups baby spinach
16 chives
Make the chicken stock first.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, Parmesan and Romano cheese, parsley, milk, and egg in a bowl. Mix well.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Using a teaspoon, drop meatballs onto the baking pan, spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake for 30 minutes, until lightly browned.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain, rinse, and set aside.
Bring the chicken stock to a gentle boil. Add the cooked pasta. Add the meatballs, and simmer for 1 minute. Add the spinach and bring back up to a gentle boil. Cook for 1 minute. Taste for enough salt, and adjust the seasoning.
Ladle into warm bowls, sprinkle on plenty of Parmesan cheese, and garnish with chives.
CHICKEN SOUP WITH
CHICKEN MEATBALLS
AND PASTINA
8 TO 10 SERVINGS
I could always tell when my kids weren’t feeling well. The first thing they would say to me before they told me their throat hurt was, “Mom, would you make me some chicken soup with pastina?” To this day, even though they are adults, when they’re not feeling well they ask me if I would make chicken soup with pastina and bring it to them. Of course, I can’t get there fast enough.
But you don’t have to have a fever to enjoy this soup. I make it all the time and serve it to company as well. It’s a conversation starter, too; guests look down at their bowl of piping-hot soup and ask, “What are those little things in the soup that look like stars?”
When you grow up in an Italian household, pastina is a must. It is one of the very first foods we were given as babies: teeny, tiny bits of pasta that my grandmother used to say were piccole stelle dal cielo—little stars from heaven.
3 quarts Roasted Chicken Stock (Roasted Chicken Stock)
Approximately 2 cups of cut-up cooked chicken (you can use the chicken you put aside when you made the stock)
1 egg yolk
2 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup Romano cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cracked pepper
1 cup uncooked pastina, orzo, or any small pas
ta
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or parsley (or both)
Make the chicken stock first.
In a food processor, combine the chicken, egg yolk, scallions, parsley, Parmesan and Romano cheese, salt, and pepper to taste. Process until the chicken pieces are small. Finish mixing everything together with a spatula. Do not overprocess, and do not overmix. Shape the mixture into tiny meatballs about the size of a large purple grape. Set aside.
Cook pastina or desired small pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse, and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a gentle boil; then bring to a simmer and add meatballs (boiling will break up the meatballs). Cook for 10 minutes.
Add the cooked pastina, and heat through until hot. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Sprinkle chopped chives and cracked pepper on top. Serve piping hot.
CHICKEN SOUP WITH
TORTELLINI FILLING IN
WONTON WRAPPERS
6 TO 8 SERVINGS
I was taught as a little girl how to make pasta dough. It’s fun, but who has the time anymore? Now you can buy fresh pasta dough at the market, and using ready-made wonton squares is a lifesaver! They’re so easy to work with, and whatever you fill them with always turns out light and delicate!
3 ½ quarts Roasted Chicken Stock (Roasted Chicken Stock) or store-bought organic chicken broth
Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love Page 4
