Salad – Penelope Cooks

by PenelopeCooks - December 12, 2018December 12, 2018

Chicken salad with pasta and pomegranate

Pomegranate is one thing I enjoy a lot and it’s so festive. It gives a holiday look to everything it’s on and I find it irresistible! So the other day I improvised a bit and put together a not so difficult chicken salad. I used leftover roast chicken, so that’s a plus. But you can use ham or turkey if you prefer. I also added some chorizo that gave it a nice kick.

To make the chicken salad

To make the vinaigrette

In a bowl put the mustard and 3-4 tbsps of the olive oil. Mix really well until the two ingredients are nicely combined. Thereafter, you add the rest of the olive oil and mix again. Finally, add the balsamic vinegar, sesame oil and orange juice and give it a last mix. Depending on the type of olive oil you are using the vinaigrette will be less or more bitter. If it’s too bitter, you can balance it out with more orange juice. Personally, I like it bitter because it gives a nice taste to the salad when poured. Keep in mind that it will dilute a lot when mixed in the salad, therefore the taste will be weaker.

Chicken salad with pasta and pomegranate

I made this chicken salad with green, leftover chicken, pomegranate and pasta the other day improvising a bit I admit. But it came out really good and I wanted to share it with you! It is perfect to complete your holiday table. You can also use ham or turkey instead of chicken.

150 g (5.3 oz) dry pasta ((uncooked))
500 g (1.1 lbs) chicken meat, shredded ((can also use ham or turkey))
200 g (7 oz) lettuce, roughly chopped ((about 1 small lettuce head))
10 brussel sprouts, thinly sliced
80 g (abt 3 oz) chorizo, sliced
1 pomegranate, seeded

For the vinaigrette

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tsp mustard
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup orange juice

Firstly boil the pasta according to packet instructions, dry in a colander and set aside.
Secondly chop the lettuce into chunky pieces. Thinly slice the brussel sprouts, shred the chicken meat and slice up the chorizo.
If you have whole pomegranates, slice of the two edges first. Then peel off the skin as if you were peeling clementines then the pomegranate will come apart in pieces. You can deseed it easily. Alternatively you can buy pomegranate seeds from the store.

To make the vinaigrette

In a bowl put the mustard and 3-4 tbsps of the olive oil. Mix really well until the two ingredients are nicely combined.
Thereafter, you add the rest of the olive oil and mix again. Finally, add the balsamic vinegar, sesame oil and orange juice and give it a last mix.

Depending on the type of olive oil you are using the vinaigrette will be less or more bitter. If it’s too bitter, you can balance it out with more orange juice. Keep in mind that it will dilute a lot when mixed in the salad, therefore the taste will be weaker.

by PenelopeCooks - October 8, 2018October 21, 2018

Savory Greek Salad Cheesecake

I am a food lover, but you already know that. 🙂 What I mean is, I love good food no matter what the cuisine. I always love learning about new ingredients and techniques from around the world. However, I’m totally in love with the foods of my homeland. Greek food is delicious, welcoming, nutritious and in short, amazing. So I wanted to take a few simple ingredients and bring something different to the plate. To elevate presentation in a way that matches the wonderful taste.

One big favorite of mine is classic Greek salad. It is a dish in which one can actually taste Greece – in the ripe and sweet tomatoes, and the sourness of the extra virgin olive oil. So I named my dish Savory Greek Salad Cheesecake.

I had this idea in my head to make something tall and elegant. My notion here is not to change the taste of the dish, but to merely give it a different perspective. Greek cuisine is among the best and the healthiest. It is full of traditions and recipes that date a looooong way back. But that doesn’t mean it cannot be for the modern era that likes cleaner lines and different ideas.

So there it is my friends, my Greek Salad Cheesecake! I loved making it. Find the steps here.

Prepping

Start by slicing the tomatoes. Remove most of the seeds and fluid. Crumble the feta cheese with your hands and put aside. Take the potato peeler and peel off thin slices of cucumbers. Get the spring onions and cut them in taller and shorter pieces lengthwise.

Making the Greek Salad Cheesecake

You will need a cake ring. Preferably the adjustable size one. This way you can make it as big or small as you like. I opted for 15.5 cm / 6.1 inc diameter.

So place the ring on the actual serving plate and make the first layer with the tomatoes. Tuck them in nicely, 2-3 layers of tomatoes should be enough. Thereafter, you will add the crumbled feta. Spread it all around squeeze it just enough to come into shape. The next thing to to do is to arrange the cucumber slices on top. It’s a free style design so go crazy. 🙂 🙂 Lastly, get the onion pieces and stick them in the feta on whichever side you like, making a nice design.

Refrigerate in the cake ring until serving. Whereupon you just remove the ring slowly and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and maybe some oregano on top. Enjoy!

Greek Salad savory Cheesecake

This is my take on a Greek classic. Greek salad transformed into a savory Cheesecake. It is a beautiful little thing that will decorate your dinner or party table in an elegant way. Go ahead and try something different!

3 tomatoes, sliced
650 g (1.4 lbs) feta, crumbled
2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 spring onion, cut lengthwise
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

You will need a cake ring. Place the ring on the serving plate and layer the tomato slices. Tuck them in nicely, 2-3 layers of tomatoes are enough.
Thereafter add the crumbled feta. Spread it all around squeeze it just enough to come into shape.
Arrange the cucumber slices on top. It’s a free style design so go crazy. 🙂 🙂 Lastly, get the onion pieces and stick them in the feta on whichever side you like, making a nice design.
Refrigerate in the cake ring until serving. Whereupon you just remove the ring slowly and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and maybe some oregano on top. Enjoy!

by PenelopeCooks - September 28, 2018December 15, 2018

Mozzarella salad with Sausage and tomatoes

I love mozzarella, in fact I’m a sucker for it. Give me mozzarella and tomatoes and I will love you forever. So I made this mozzarella salad the other day, in quest of a lighter meal. When I said to Rob that we are having salad for dinner, he didn’t say anything (because he is so sweet), but I could hear him holding his breath at the other end of the phone lol. I don’t think he really minds anyway, he always loves my cooking 🙂 But this is a hearty salad full of protein with beautiful cherry tomatoes, potatoes, eggs, greens and some meat. I like using sausages, but you can use whatever you like: chicken, prosciutto or beans if you wanna go veggie. So let’s go ahead and make it.

Prepping your ingredients

Peel or scrub the baby potatoes, and boil them in a pot for around 10 mins. They should be tender and a bit soft to the touch of a fork. But not too soft, or they will be mashed in the salad. After the potatoes have been boiling for about 5 mins, add in the eggs, all 5 of them. In this salad I like my eggs soft boiled, so they can “sit” nicely on top of the salad, but have an appetizing and delicious runny yolk. So boil them around 4.5-5 mins. Tip: did you know that when you add salt to the boiling water it actually makes peeling the eggs a lot more easier? Try it!

In the meantime, get your sausages going. I used regular spiced English pork sausages. Sooo darn good! Feel free to use whatever sausages you crave. Put those little beauties in a pan and sauté them for around 10 mins, until they have a nice brown color.

Once done put all your cooked ingredients aside and keep them handy for your mozzarella and sausage salad.

Making the mozzarella salad

Wash your greens, tear them in big pieces and put them in a bowl. Add the halved cherry tomatoes. Take the boiled potatoes and cut them in two or three pieces. In the bowl they go too! Next you want to add your mozzarella slices. One ball of mozzarella is more than enough. Thereafter, take your sausages, cut them in big chunks and arrange them on top. Lasty, you add the eggs. Peel them and cut them in two carefully. Place them on top of everything else. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with some chopped spring onions.

This salad is complicated with so many different flavors going on. Therefore, I prefer to have a simple dressing like olive oil and maybe some lemon or vinegar.

Mozzarella Salad with sausage and tomatoes

This is a perfect salad for a lighter dinner option. Mozarrela goes perfectly with the ripe tomatoes and the succulent sausages. It’s served warm and it’s full of ingredients bursting with flavor!

10 baby potatoes, halved
5 eggs
4 pork sausages, cut in big chunks
1 ball mozzarella, sliced
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
2 whole gem lettuce, teared in bug pieces
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
lemon or vinegar
2 spring onions, chopped

Prepping

Peel or scrub the baby potatoes, and boil them in a pot for around 10 mins. They should be tender and a bit soft to the touch of a fork. After the potatoes have been boiling for about 5 mins, add in all the eggs. Boil eggs for about 4.5-5 mins.
Sauté the sausages for around 10 mins, until they have a nice brown color.

Once done put all your cooked ingredients aside.

Making the salad

Wash your greens, tear them in big pieces and put them in a bowl. Add the halved cherry tomatoes. Add the potatoes and mozzarella.
Lastly arrange the eggs on top cut in halves. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with some chopped spring onions. Dress with olive oil and maybe some lemon or vinegar.

Boil the potatoes together with the eggs tucked in tightly together. This way the eggs have less of a chance to break!

by PenelopeCooks - August 30, 2018

Zesty Spinach Salad with Chorizo

So we are back to Dubai. Happily. While it’s still tooo hot to be here, we are so happy to be home. However, it is only a tad cooler than June and July. Slowly the temp is going down and good weather is on the horizon! Woohoo!

I realized this week that I need to shed a few pounds. Which is due to the fact that I ate everything in Greece. Like EVERYTHING. I didn’t know where to begin and definitely not where to end. But I loved it! The fruit, especially peaches were so aromatic, my dad’s garden tomatoes and eggplants, the souvlakis that I put on my Insta. Nom nom! Guilt (ish) free! Haha. So today there’s salad on the menu. Spinach salad with chorizo (to keep things spicy!) and a zesty vinaigrette.

This salad is light and packed with flavor. I love chorizo in everything – salads, breakfast, even stews. Moreover, the vinaigrette is somewhat spicy due to the mustard. But, the orange juice balances it out with it’s sweetness. It’s got a nice bite to it. The dish takes less than 15 minutes to make! Yayyy! Light salad dinner (or lunch) here I come 🙂

To make the vinaigrette

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, mustard, white vinegar and honey until combined. You can make ahead and keep it in the fridge.

Assembling the spinach salad

Thoroughly wash the green leaves and dry the greens with a salad spinner or paper towels and put them in a bowl. Slice your chorizo and scatter it on top. Season with salt and pepper and grate some parmesan cheese. That’s it! Easy peasy. Dress your salad with the vinaigrette and it’s ready.

Tip: Though the salad is quite quick to make, you can also make ahead If you want. Make sure you dry the leaves very well and keep the salad ready in the fridge. Dress it at the last moment, so it doesn’t soak.

Zesty Spinach Salad with Chorizo

Zesty salad and so simple to make. Lots of Spinach, chorizo and parmesan cheese. Simply deliciousnees on your plate!

1 pack spinach leaves (ard 80 g or 3 oz)
1/2 pack rocket or arugula (ard 40 g or 1.5 oz)
salt and pepper
120 g / ard 4 pz chorizo, sliced
grated parmesan

For the Vinaigrette

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tsps regular mustard
the juice of half an orange
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp honey

For the vinaigrette

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, mustard, white vinegar and honey until combined. You can make ahead and keep it in the fridge.

To assemble the salad

Wash the green leaves and dry them with a salad spinner or paper towels and put them in a bowl.
Slice your chorizo and scatter it on top. Season with salt and pepper and grate some parmesan cheese.
Tip: Though the salad is quite quick to make, you can also make ahead If you want. Make sure you dry the leaves very well and keep the salad ready in the fridge. Dress it at the last moment, so it doesn’t soak.