Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

You might think that the name 'Cooking in Cashmere' is meant in a metaphorical sense or even in a satirical sense, but you would be wrong, it's completely literal. I can't tell you the number of times my mother has berated me for not changing my clothes before cooking, and it should come as no surprise to you that I splashed balsamic dressing on my cashmere cardigan. At least it's charcoal grey right?

On to the salad. When trying to write down this recipe we realized that it's more of a template than a recipe, it changes to whatever you have on hand, or whatever you love. I adore goat cheese in a salad, my mother can't stand it, sometimes we make it with baby spinach or whatever is in that giant box of greens at Costo called "spring mix". We swap apple for pear, or when we are feeling really fancy and indulgent, candy the nuts.

It's really the dressing that is important, and there are somethings we just feel very strongly about. Use a 2:1 ratio of oil to vinegar and don't skimp on the salt. The flavor of the garlic is great, but don't leave the clove in the salad - no one wants that bite - especially my mom. We also don't get crazy about the balsamic vinegar. I've bought the $50 bottle from Whole Foods and while it's nice, I don't like feeling as though my vinegar is some precious commodity - the two pack of the Costco brand is great and lasts forever.

Mix it up, play around with the add-ins, and enjoy!

-Lydia

   

Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
By Cooking in Cashmere

The vinaigrette is the key to the recipe, you can play around with the other ingreedients.

Prep time: 30 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes

Yield: 4 Servings as a side

Ingredients:
1 Head of Romain Lettuce (approx. 7 oz) (according to my kitchen scale)
1 Medium Apple (Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp)
2-3 oz Crumbled Feta Cheese (I'd go 3, obviously)
1/4 Cup Crasins
1/8 Cup Coarsely Chopped Pecans

Vinaigrette
4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar (we love the Kirkland signature balsamic)
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt (use less if using a finer crystal salt)
1 Small Clove of Garlic


Instructions:

1. Peel garlic clove and either score with a knife, or just cut in half. Combine in a small bowl with oil, vinegar, and salt. Allow to sit while preparing the rest of the salad.
2. Wash the lettuce, gently dry with a paper towel. Tear up the leaves into small pieces and place into the serving bowl.
3. Peel, core, and slice the apple; crumble the feta; chop the nuts.
4. Add all to the serving bowl along with the crasins.
5. After the vinaigrette has had at least 10 minutes to sit, remove the garlic clove. Pour over salad, toss and serve.

Italian Tomato Sauce

When it comes to food traditions, what is better than Sunday Dinner? For us, that means a pot of sauce simmering on the stove, soon to be spooned over pasta - vermicelli or capellini if we have our way. This is the recipe of our family, and while we've come to realize that every Italian family likely has their own special recipe they would never dream of deviating from, we wanted to share ours all the same.

This will be the first of several Sunday Dinner recipes to share, and the base of many future recipes as well.

-Cindy & Lydia

  

Italian Tomato Sauce
By Cooking in Cashmere

Simple tomato sauce.

Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 1 1/2 Hours
Total time: 2 Hours

Yield: 6 cups

Ingredients:
2 28 oz cans of whole Italian plum tomatoes (no puree, but with basil is okay)
3 oz Italian tomato paste
1/3 cup of olive oil
4 whole cloves of garlic
8-10 leaves of fresh basil or half a teaspoon dry
1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Special Equipment
Food Mill
Flame Tamer

Instructions:

1. In a 4 quart sauce pot on low, heat olive oil. 
2. Add the whole garlic cloves, and allow to slowly sauté until golden. If cloves are not completely submerged, I like to use the flame tamer to prop the pot up at an angle. Do not allow to brown. Approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your cloves. 
3. Place food mill over pot and turn heat up to medium. You want it to be hot enough that the tomatoes will sizzle a bit when you put them in.
4. Run the tomatoes through the mill until nothing remains in the mill but skins and seeds.*
5. Add in basil, paste, salt and pepper.
6. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer, and place flame tamer** under pot.
7. Simmer with lid slightly ajar for 1 1/2  hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste.

*If you don't have a food mill, run the tomatoes through the blender briefly. If you prefer a chunky sauce, put the tomatoes in a bowl first and crush with your hands.

**If you don't have a flame tamer, be diligent about the stirring, you don't want it to burn in the middle.