Crowd Pleaser (Cilantro-Lime Pepita Dressing/Dip)

We got together with friends last night for a fantastic dinner of InstantPot  pork tacos (cooked with plums and peppers - it was amazing!), great wine and conversation that ranged the gamut from belly laughs to solving the problems of the universe. So much fun.

Ready for dipping...

When I was asked to bring an app, my mind immediately went to a crisp and cool (it's freaking hot here) veggie platter. First I thought bleu cheese dip. Then I thought yogurt ranch. And then - boom!- I thought about my very favorite dressing recipe that I created way back when we lived in Brea, California. Cilantro-Lime-Pepita dressing that is reminiscent of the fantastic Mexican Caesar Salad served at the El Torito restaurant on the hill above the town, by Brea Olinda High School. 

While I often just throw this together, I wanted this batch to be just right. So, I searched the blog and couldn't find it. Thankfully I had a copy on my laptop from when I tested it for Southerly Magazine. 

So here it is, two ways - photographed as a dip and as a dressing with grilled shrimp and garnished with Cojita Cheese. (I used to put 1/8 of a cup of the cheese into the dressing, but lately I've been leaving it out and really like the light and press taste that results. Your call to leave it in or leave it out!

.... and as a salad with grilled shrimp and Cojita cheese

Here's how you can make it: 

Dressing/Dip Ingredients

(makes a little more than 1 cup, plenty for dipping with leftovers)

• 1 large garlic clove, peeled
• 1 7oz  Greek Yogurt (full-fat, 2%, 1% or 0% - it doesn't matter as long as it's Greek Yogurt - I use Fage brand)
• 1 T mayonnaise
• 1/8 cup cider vinegar
• Juice and zest of one lime
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro, washed, dried and stems removed (just twist ‘em off; no need to get crazy about removing every little stem)
• 1/8 cup pepitas (Mexican pumpkin seeds, found in the nut section)
• 1/8 cup queso fresco (Mexican cheese that you can crumble, available at most grocery stores), plus the same amount for garnish.

Dressing Directions:

In the food processor with steel blade:

• Blitz all of the ingredients except the cilantro until smooth
• Then add the cilantro and pulse until cilantro is finely chopped and incorporated into the mixture
• Check the seasoning and add more salt to taste if needed.

Girl's Trip (Steak Lover's Salad with Steak Sauce Vinaigrette)

They had me at "Steak Sauce Vinaigrette" - I recreated
the salad at Old Ebbitt Grill with a few tweaks of my own  

One of the things that most excited us when we moved to North Carolina was the opportunity to explore the "other" coast. As SoCal natives, had pretty much explored every nook and cranny of the western half of the country. The east coast, not so much. Moving to North Carolina was our chance to change that.  What I didn't anticipate was that we'd also expand the travel horizons of family and friends. 

Earlier this month I had the awesome opportunity to do just that, with my Bestie from the  Westie, Sheryl. Truly friends for life, Sheryl and I try to get away every year or so. And when I learned that she'd never experienced Our Nation's Capital, that pretty much cinched the destination for this year's trip. 

Besties for Life
Holly & Sheryl at Old Ebbitt Grill

Over the course of four days we walked, laughed, ate and drank our way though museums, monuments, and some amazing restaurants and watering holes. The salad recipe I'm sharing today was inspired by one of our favorite spots, Old Ebbitt Grill, which is located just a few blocks from the White House. 

An iconic DC restaurant and bar that is frequented by the powers that be, Old Ebbitt Grill is exactly what one might expect. Slightly Victorian with a bit of an "old boys club" air, but with a totally up to date vibe and menu.  

Picture perfect day at
The National Mall

Sheryl opted for the Steak Salad, and after one bite passed it over to me for a try. Wowzer! One taste of the Steak Sauce Vinaigrette and I had to figure out how to make it! 

Today, I had the opportunity to give it a shot, and deemed the result blog-worthy. The restaurant serves its version with bleu cheese and filet mignon, but we prefer New York strip and feta, so that's what you'll see below. I bet it would be good with chunks of a nice, aged cheddar or pieces of goat cheese as well. I honestly don't remember if they had pickled red onions on theirs, but I'm kinda on a picked onion kick and I gotta say, it adds a nice bit of zip. Ditto the pecans - seemed like a good way to add some crunch, so I sprinkled a few and really liked the result.

Here's how I did it:

Steak Lover's Salad with Steak Sauce Vinaigrette - Inspired by the Steak Salad at Old Ebitt Grill in Washington, DC

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 2 New York strip steaks, seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil and grilled to your liking - we like our medium rare (about 4-5 minutes on each side depending upon the thickness of the steaks) and allowed to rest under a loose piece of aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Cut the steak into bite sized pieces.
• 8 cups of mixed field greens (2 5oz bags)
• 12 asparagus spears, woody ends cut off and blanched in boiling salted water and then removed to a bowl of ice and water to chill and then cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 8-10 mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 oz feta cheese, cut into cubes

For the Steak Sauce Vinaigrette

• 1 5oz bottle of A1 Steak Sauce (about 2/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 TBS Dijon mustard
• 1 TBS honey
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

For the Pickled Onions:

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 TBS Kosher salt
• 1 TBS sugar

For garnish - this salad need some crunch!:

• 1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted in a dry pan

Method

• At least one hour before you assemble the salad, mix the ingredients for the pickled onions in a jar. If you are doing the day of this can rest on the kitchen counter for an hour. If you are doing it ahead, you can stash it in the ‘fridge. They should keep for a week or so.
• At the same time, shake the dressing ingredients in a small jar. It too can sit out for an hour or go into the fridge for a couple of weeks.
• When you are ready to serve, toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl with enough of the dressing to coat, but not drench the greens. 
• Portion the salad on four plates, and then top with the steak, pickled onions and pecans

Enjoy!

Y'all Come! (Carolina Taquitos with SoCal Slaw)

Carolina Taquitos with SoCal Slaw 

Makes 12 taquitos - 4 entrée servings or appetizers for 6-8 people

We love having folks come to visit. Full stop. It’s like combining the best of two worlds - our wonderful area here in Durham, with friends and family from SoCal, work friends from around the world, our son (who now lives in Florida). You name it. We’ll take it. We love having company.

A taste of home - both SoCal and North Carolina

With this as a backdrop, you’ll understand how happy we were when our SoCal friend Sheryl (and my BFF from Cal State Fullerton) decided to come for a long weekend. This was her fourth trip in the nine years (!) we’ve live here, so she already knows the drill. But as Durham continues to evolve, we continue to have new places to go, areas to explore. It’s a blast.

Her arrival also gave me an excuse to try out a recipe I’ve been writing, which transforms the vinegary and slightly sweet and spicy pork barbecue that is common here into crispy crunch taquitos like the ones we loved in SoCal, served up with a refreshing lime and cilantro coleslaw and guacamole. Oh yeah.

We made the dish last night. It earned a Steve Barnett “Home Run, Honey!” In fact, he said it might just be a grand slam! So here it is for you.  

Here's how you do it.

For the taquitos

12 corn tortillas (try to get fresh corn tortillas from a Mexican market, but packaged tortillas from the store will do.

1 pound of barbecue pulled pork (we get this from the barbecue place up the road) 

1/2 cup Carolina vinegar-based barbecue sauce (if your pork comes unseasoned with sauce)

Corn oil to fill a skillet to 3/4 of an inch

toothpicks for securing the taquitos while frying (2 per taquito)

Garnishes - take your pick, or do them all:

Guacamole - fresh or pre-made (for a quick guac, mash a ripe avocado with the juice of 1/2 a lime, about a TBS each of diced onion, and cilantro, plus a good pinch of salt and a bit of your favorite hot sauce or salsa)

Sour cream

Mexican queso fresco (dry white cheese that crumbles well) or shredded cheddar cheese f

Method:

• Break up the barbecue into thin bite sized pieces and mix in the sauce. Set aside
• For each taquito, 
• Warm a tortilla for about 10-seconds per side over a gas flame or dry frying pan to make them pliable and easy to roll. 
• Put about 2 TBS of the barbecue mixture on a tortilla, towards one side. Then working from that side, roll the tortilla over the barbecue like a cigar. Push two toothpicks through to secure, leaving long on one side.This will come in handy when frying.
• To fry, heat the oil in a heavy skillet until a piece of a tortilla that is placed in the oil begins to bubble. Then use tongs to carefully place 3 taquitos in the oil, seam side down and long end of the toothpick up, into the oil. Fry until golden brown (about 45 seconds) then pull out the toothpicks and flip to fry the other side until done (about 30 seconds). Remove to drain on paper towels. 
• Serve with a small pile of the slaw and garnishes of your choice.

For the slaw

1/4 cup sweet onion, quarter-inch diced

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 lime, juiced (about 2 TBS)

1 1/2 TBS jalepeno, seeded and diced

1/4 tsp kosher salt

15 grinds black pepper

1/4 level tsp coriander 

1/4 level tsp cumin

1 14 oz bag of tricolor coleslaw mix (red and green cabbage with carrots - no dressing)

2/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Method

• Mixture first eight ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. 
• Add the bag of cabbage/carrot slaw mix and the cilantro
• Stir well and chill at least 30 minutes

Enjoy.

Indoor Easter Picnic (Cole Slaw and a lesson that we don't care for sweet tea brined fried chicken)

One of the things a SoCal Ex-Pat needs to learn when they move  to North Carolina is to remember to order your iced tea “unsweetened.” Unless you want something closer to a soda than the iced tea you grew up drinking, that is. 

Sweet tea brined fried chicken: Picture perfect, but
not blog-worthy.  Sweet potato biscuits don't rise
like normal ones but are amazing!

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not judging. But I’m not a sweet lover, so I learned this one quickly. 

Sugar aside, the iced tea in the South is the very best. Amber brown and clear as the Pasadena sky on New Year’s Day (which is when thousands of people freezing their tails off in the midwest and northeast watch the Rose Parade, pack their bags and add to the LA traffic just in time for the winds to shift and the smog to settle back into the valley).  Wow, I am full of rants today!

This crisp and refreshing Coleslaw
never fails me

Why the tea discussion?  Well, today is Easter and we are just the two of us for dinner.  So I thought I’d make a little indoor picnic complete with Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken (a first for me) served with my go to side, a crunchy cole slaw made with mayo, Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar and celery seeds. Oh.  And biscuits.  Sweet potato biscuits. Because we can.

But here's the deal.  The chicken was good, but you know, I really don't think the sweet tea brining is up my alley.  Not blog worthy.  So, I'll post the pretty pictures, but skip the recipe.  

I will share my cole slaw recipe and a link to  Bobby Flay’s sweet potato biscuits.  They are absolutely relish. So VERY tender.  They don't rise quite as high as a normal biscuit, because of the moisture in the sweet potatoes but, dang, they are good. 

Holly's Cole Slaw Method

I love love love to dice. And this 
method makes it super easy.

This is a staple in the Barnett household.  I change it up lots of ways - lemon or lime juice rather than the vinegar, chopped cilantro or parsley, green onions or chives in place of the diced onion. And often I go straight mayo rather than mayo and yogurt.  Any way you do it, it’s refreshing and a great accompaniment to meat, fish, poultry, burgers, lamb… or with canned tuna mixed in for lunch.

Make the dressing - to a large bowl add:

• 1/4 diced onion - I like a sweet onion like the Visalia onions we get in here NC and the Maui onions we got in SoCal.  
• 1/4 cup Best Foods/Helmans or Duke’s Mayonnaise 
• 1/4 cup plain, fat free Fage Greek Yogurt
• 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• pinch salt 
• a bunch of grinds of black pepper
• Mix thoroughly and taste.  Adjust the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

Quick & Easy Cole Slaw -
fresh makes it best

Add the crunchy stuff:

• Toss in1/4 of a large head of cabbage, sliced thin and then cropped.  You can also use a bag of pre-shredded cabbage.
• Stir and check the seasoning again, and add salt and pepper if needed.  If it is too dry, add some more mayo and/or yogurt.  

Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly.  Stir and serve. 

Enjoy!

Go-To Winter Salad with a California Twist (Romaine Salad with Citrus, Avocado, Pomegranate Seeds and Walnuts & Tarragon Citrus Vinaigrette )

Recipe updated - October 2017

Heads up.  If you invite us over for dinner this winter and ask me to bring a salad, chances are this is what you’ll get.  So far, no one has complained.  But you’ve been warned.

So very colorful.  So very SoCal.

This was by far the most spontaneous Christmas break we have ever had, and it was defiantly one to remember.  From Will surprising me on my birthday by coming home five days early, to our decision over coffee to jump in the car and drive up to DC for the weekend, to Chicago style pizza and a bon fire with friends on Christmas evening, it seems like flexibility was the order of each day.  

Plans made weeks ago were dashed, quick decisions were made.  The tree never was purchased let alone decorated and the box with the stockings is still high on its shelf in the garage.  Santa still came and we spent incredible time with family and friends.  My lesson of the season: Perfection is over rated; and always have grapefruit, oranges and avocados on hand.

What?

Well, that last bit refers to the stars of the show from my Winter rift on my Summer Farmers Market Salad that made an appearance at the Bon Fire on Christmas night as well as the Boxing Day Dinner we enjoyed with another set of friends last night. Both dinners featured rich main courses – Chicago Style Pizza (shipped direct from Lou Malnatis in the Wind City) and Oyster Stew, respectively –  and the wonderful clean flavors of this citrus based salad proved to be the perfect complement.  It is also the perfect ode to our SoCal homeland, with Winter in California favorites:  grapefruit, orange, avocado walnuts and pomegranate seeds. 

Here’s how you can do it yourself:

Ingredients

Serves 6

Ingredients

Serves 6

Salad

2 hearts of romain lettuce - cut into bite sized pieces

1 large grapefruit, cut into segments

1 navel orange, cut into segments

1 avocado, sliced

1/2 pomegranate, seeded

1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted

Dressing

1 TBS grated shallot

1 TBS fresh tarragon, minced (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1 TBS grainy mustard

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 TBS honey

1/4 cup walnut oil

1/2 cup of the juice that remains from the sectioning of the citrus fruit

1 TBS apple cider vinegar

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Method

Prep the fruit:

• Working over a small bowl to catch the juices, segment the grapefruits and oranges.  To do this, put the fruit on a cutting board, slice off the bottom and the top to stabilize, then use a sharp butcher knife to cut off the rind.  Then pick up the fruit and use a sharp paring knife to cut the individual segments.  This is called "supremeing" an it sounds a heck of a lot more difficult than it is.  The results are worth honing this skill.
• Slice the avocado. My favorite way: Slice the avocado down the middle, twist to divide, then remove the pit.  Now use a knife to slice thin slices lengthwise and make a single slice horizontally to cut those segments in half. Take a large spoon and run it along the inside of the avocado, between the flesh and the skin. The slices will come out nice as can be.
• Release the pomegranate seeds – another task that seems daunting, but is not.  Fill a large bowl with cold water.  Submerge the pomegranate and slice it into four pieces. (doing this under water keeps the juice from squirting all over). Working under water, twist and turn the quarter of the pomegranate to release the seeds.  Pick and pull as you go.  The white membrane will float to the top.  The seeds will sink to the bottom. Your kitchen and your clothes will not be splattered with red stains.  Simply strain the seeds and you’re good to go. (Or buy them already removed from the fruit, but where is the fun in that?)
• Toast the walnuts:  put the walnuts into a pan over a low heat and warm then, shaking the pan now and then, until they are toasty and fragrant.  Do not leave the unattended… they will burn and it will not be good. When you are happy with the results, tip them out to a cutting board to cool.  Then copy them into medium sized pieces…. Not walnut dust, but nice crunchy bites that will add great texture to the salad.

Make the vinaigrette

• Put the shallot, tarragon, mustard, honey, walnut oil and juice/vinegar mixture in a jar
• Shake shake shake
• Taste and adjust.  Maybe a little more honey, maybe a tad more salt.... make it your own. 

Assemble the salad

Layer in a large salad bowl in the following order

• Layer In a large salad bowl in the following order:
• The lettuce, tossed with enough dressing to coat but not drench
• The oranges and grapefruit
• The avocados
• The pomegranet seeds
• The walnuts
• Stand back, admire at how pretty the whole thing is
• Toss well to distribute the ingredients evenly
• Serve
• Say “Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoy it,” as people shower you with compliments.

I Love Summer! (Summer Farmers Market Salad with Walnut Honey Mustard Vinaigrette) 2 WW ppts

I never thought I'd acclimate, but I'm here to proclaim that I,  Holly Billings Barnett, Southern California Native - where the heat is a dry heat and the summer nights are cool - have grown to appreciate a sultry summer day in the South.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not abandoning my SoCal roots. But there is something special about stepping outdoors, feeling your body and soul slow down, and hearing those cicadas in the trees scream out that summer is here!

Summer in North Carolina also means amazing produce.  Yesterday I scored a garden fresh cucumber from a friend, and then hit the Farmers Market for tomatoes, corn, basil and sweet sweet vadelia  onions.   Together with a bit of watermelon and a yummy vinaigrette made with one of my secret ingredients, walnut oil, this baby is a winner.

I can't wait to get back from the pool this afternoon and dig into a big ol' helping served along side grilled chicken.  Yeah Summer!

Here's how I did it:

Prep and combine the salad ingredients:

Cut the corn off of the cob:

• On a paper towel or tea towl:  Hold the corn cob horizontally, run a sharp knife along the cob to shave off the kernals.  Pull the sides up on the side of the towel and pour into the bowl.  

Cut into about 1 inch dice:

• 1 cup of peeled cucumber
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cup watermelon

Cut into very very small dice

• about 2 Tbs of valdalia onion (Maui onion or any other sweet onion from your region will do)

Chop finely

• 3 or four fresh basil leaves

Mix it all together gently, add a pinch of Kosher salt, cover and stash in the 'fridge.

Make the vinaigrette
Put the following in a jar and shake shake shake - then taste and adjust.  Maybe a little more honey, maybe a tad more salt.... make it your own.

• 2 or 3 TBS grated valdalia onion
• 1 TBS grainy mustard
• 1 TBS honey
• 1/4 cup walnut oil (keep this in the fridge between uses to keep fresh)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of Kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper

To serve - toss the salad with the dressing and dig in.

Enjoy. 

Time to Relax (Raw Corn, Tomato and Zucchini Salad with Lime Vinaigrette)

Even Maggie the Lab knows
how to relax on the lake

 There are a few places on the planet where I am able to relax within minutes of arrival.  Hyco Lake is one of them.  So needless to say I was very happy to receive an invitation to spend the Fourth of July there with our good friends Rusty & Debi.

Casual is the order of the day at The Lake.  As it should be.  Nothing is really planned out – we have a general idea of what we’ll do and who will be there, but beyond that things happen as they may and everyone is happy.

Crunchy, tangy and refreshing.
This summer salad is a crowd pleaser.

Case in point – I prepared a raw summer salad before we left Tuesday night, thinking we’d have it for dinner that night.  But as evening closed in a boat ride, a few hors ‘d oeuvres, and some early fireworks was a much better idea.  

The salad finally made its debut Wednesday afternoon served alongside a grilled pork tenderloin. What little was leftover made a nice dipper for tortilla chips as we eased into evening.

Use a sharp knife to slice
the corn kernels off the cob.

That’s what makes a salad like this a great thing to make ahead when you’re not really sure about a weekend schedule.  You can prep it well ahead of time, and dress it when (expected or unexpected) guests arrive.  And once you add the dressing, it gets better with time.   Heck, I think you could even toss it in a skillet and cook it up for a hot side dish with great success.

I hope you give this a try this summer.  And feel free to make adjustments along the way.  I think it would be great with cucumbers rather than zucchini and cilantro or even dill rather than basil.  The main thing–relax and have fun this summer!

Raw Corn, Tomato and Zucchini Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Salad Ingredients

(Serves 10 - 12)

• 4 years of fresh corn, kernels cut off (see photo)
• 1 pound cherry tomatoes, some cut in half and some cut into quarters
• 2 zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2/3 cup green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped fine
• 2 pinches of Kosher Salt
• Lots of fresh cracked black pepper
• Lime vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Salad Method

• If making ahead, put all of the ingredients in a large zip lock bag and refrigerate.
• When ready to serve, toss with lime vinaigrette

Lime Vinaigrette

Mix in a glass jar:

• 3 large limes, juiced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 big squeezes of honey from a Honey Bear (probably 3 tablespoons)
• Pinch Kosher Salt
• 6 grinds of black pepper

Taste and adjust seasoning – you may or may not want to add more honey, salt or pepper

Refrigerate until ready to toss with salad.

Enjoy!