Caesar Salad

There is something splendidly decadent about a well-made Caesar salad. By a lot of people's reckoning, it shouldn’t be a salad at all. It’s rich and dense, full-flavored, full bodied and all the things a salad mostly shouldn’t be.

As a result, the classic caesar tends to go in and out of fashion -- like mini skirts and wedged soles -- because as much as we tell ourselves we loathe it, there’s a part of us that just can’t get enough.

Don’t kid yourself, either: it may be a salad and it may be green, but if you’re looking for a light dinner, you’d best keep looking. On the other hand, with a caesar salad at its base, it’s possible to make a fast and even somewhat elegant supper by whipping it together quickly and plopping some protein on top while you’re plating. A chicken breast or grilled salmon filet are classic, but here’s a fun twist: try throwing a handful of peeled shrimp in while you’re toasting the croutons.

This is a creamy variation of caesar, my own favorite. It’s also a fast approach. Many recipes call for raw egg as you make the dressing, but I’ve encountered so many people who are unnerved at working with raw eggs. In any case, using the mayonnaise is a shortcut that provides a more than acceptable result.

Caesar Salad

For the croutons:

4 slices white bread or two dinner rolls, cubed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
paprika, garlic powder, pepper, cumin or a popular spice blend: two teaspoons in total

Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add spice and toast briefly before adding bread. Saute until bread absorbs oil and browns. Set aside.

For the dressing:

4 large cloves garlic
1 tablespoon Djon mustard
1.5 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 light salad oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine garlic, mustard, vinegar, mayonnaise, anchovy paste and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. While the processor is running, drizzle the oil into the bowl in a steady stream. Correct the seasoning.

For the salad:

1 large or 3 small heads romaine or cos lettuce
caesar salad dressing
croutons
shaved parmesan cheese

Prepare the lettuce. In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce with as much of the dressing as seems appropriate (dress to taste, is what I mean to say here) and the croutons. Top with shaved parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

Spring is Sprung: Nettle Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Stinging nettles offer the first peeks of green after winter’s grey-brown. They offer a promise, but not without bite. This year, a nasty cold raged through our house days after I saw the first spiny shoots. I hastened to make a healing broth, adding finely chopped baby nettle leaves to the tonic right before serving. They are so full of everything you need to recover from winter, that cold didn’t stand a chance once I’d hit it with a mittfull of nettle leaves.

By now, in my neck of the woods, the nettles are beginning to grow tall and strong. I pluck only the very tender tips of the plant, and only in the brightest part of spring. When first picked, they smell exactly as they look: bright green and filled with promise.

The problem in our house is that, even though we know stinging nettles are super good for us, no one here likes them very much. It’s something about the fine fuzz on the leaves. Even though even light cooking takes the sting out, the fuzz is unpleasant to certain palates; mine among them. I do a very finely chopped creamed nettle-type of dish that I don’t mind very much. It’s inspired by the Austrian preparation of spinach that my mother used to do: very finely chopped nettles are added to a roux (in this case, equal amounts of butter or olive oil and flour) with water as needed and seasoning to taste. This creates a bright green paste that is slightly evil-looking, but surprisingly delicious.

These Nettle Chocolate Chip Biscotti are about as far opposite of that evil green gruel as can be imagined. If you like biscotti, you’ll love these: and never mind if you like nettle or not. Even though I use quite a bit, you can’t taste anything beyond a slight and pleasant earthiness.

Nettle Chocolate Chip Biscotti

3.5 cups unbleached flour
2.5 cups sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup chopped, boiled nettles, with liquid squeezed out
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in food processor. Blend dry ingredients. While processor is running add eggs, then nettles. Blend until ingredients are roughly blended. (Some of the flour mixture will appear bright green, some will be pale but moist from the eggs.) Turn out into a large bowl. Add chocolate chips and mix until roughly blended and holds together when packed. If the mixture does not hang together, beat another egg and add it to the mixture a very small amount at a time until the a dough forms when handled.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and form a large ball. Separate into two even pieces and form a log from each, about 1-inch high and three or four across. Pack each log portion very tightly, to remove excess air or cracks. Transfer to a heavy parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the logs are dry and firm. Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow to stand for up to half an hour, until logs are cool enough to handle. Using your best bread knife, cut the logs into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a baking sheet. Reduce heat to 265F and bake for 10-15 minutes, turning the biscotti halfway through baking.

Remember: the longer the second bake, the sturdier, harder and drier the cookie will be, so adjust this to your own taste.

Use Your Dishwasher to Go Green!

I always suspected that running a full dishwasher was more environmentally friendly than hand-washing. And now I have proof: Epicurious told me so!

Appliances might seem energy-intensive, but running the dishwasher when it's completely full is actually more energy- and water-efficient than hand washing. For an extra green measure, skip the heated dry cycle and let your dishes air-dry.

This from an article and video offering from the magazine by author and Better Homes & Gardens editor Danny Seo who offers up several suprisingly easy tips for greening up your kitchen. There’s tips on countertop and sponge cleaning, acceptable kitchen paints and this little snippet on choosing countertops that is not so easy, but is deeply interesting:

Choosing kitchen countertops is tricky business because many of the options can be harmful for you as well as the environment. For instance, granite is mined deep from the earth's surface (scarring the land and leading to erosion) and may emit high levels of radon gas into your home. Fortunately, there is an eco-friendly option: countertops made of recycled glass mixed into concrete. This durable composite doesn't require mining, uses mostly recycled materials, emits zero VOCs, and when tested for radon emissions, gets the lowest possible score. In addition, using this type of countertop can contribute to LEED certification—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a green building rating system. Recycled-glass-and-concrete countertops are available in a variety of styles and colors. Two of Seo's favorite sources are IceStone and Vetrazzo.

There’s lots more in the piece, as well as lots more to the series. You can find it all on the Epicurious Web site here.