Everything Salad

Everything at the Olive Bar anyway. Just kidding. I do love the olive bar. A couple grocery stores in the city have fantastic olive bars and I am totally like a crack addict when I go in there and grab a plastic tub and start shoveling olives into it. I almost never stop at one tub. Sometimes I get in trouble at home........

Hey, I love olives of all kinds. At the olive bar I can make my own mix of any kind of olive that's on the bar that day, plus whatever other delicious tidbits are hanging around- marinated mozzarella pearls, pickled baby pattypan squash, cubes of feta cheese or provolone, even Peppadews. I am absolutely smitten with Peppadews. A friend introduced me to these guys about ten years ago and I have been munching them, stuffing them, chopping and adding to dishes ever since. They are a bright red little round pepper with a sweet hot flavor that's just fantastic. Love em stuffed with goat cheese or Boursin. Yum.

Pasta salads are always popular around here and so are salads with grains. Naturally I happen to love that little pasta that looks like a grain- orzo. I love orzo in salads. Yes, it's just a pasta shape but it fools my brain into thinking it's nutty and toasty like a grain. So ya, I think it's nutty and toasty. It's just a shape and size that I really like and it fools my brain into thinking I'm eating something really good for me (not that pasta isn't.....)

Why "Everything" salad? Short version- I went to the big store in the city, bought lots of fresh produce, couldn't decide which ones to toss in my salad bowl so I decided to use everything. Clever, huh? Freshly cooked orzo, a couple summer squashes, chopped bell peppers, chopped scallions and more go into this colorful- and delicious- summer salad. It's a great side dish with dinner or a lunch entree. Let's make some.

Everything Salad

1 package orzo

1 small zucchini

1 small yellow summer squash

big handful cherry tomatoes

small bunch scallions

1 cup sugar snap peas

1/4 cup chopped Peppadews

1/4 cup chopped mixed olives

1/3 cup chopped bell peppers (I used green, yellow and red)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup vinegar*

palmfull herbs of choice**

salt and pepper

small log goat cheese (or feta if you prefer)

*I used my own infused vinegar to make the dressing. I used chive blossom. Use any vinegar you like.

** I used thyme, parsley, chervil and chives plus a big pinch of Montreal Steak Seasoning

Get a big pot of salty water going for the orzo.

Quarter the zucchini and summer squash lengthwise and cut into slices. Place in large salad bowl. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and throw them in the bowl. Slice the scallions- in the bowl with them also. Cut the sugar snap peas in half, I did on the diagonal for an interesting look, and in the bowl. Add the Peppadews, olives and chopped bell peppers. Toss veggies to mix.

In a jar with a screw top lid combine the oil, vinegar and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Pop the lid on and shake it up. Set aside.

When the orzo is done cooking, drain thoroughly; rinse in cold water and drain again. Add to the bowl with the veggies and toss. Pour dressing over and toss again. Break up the cheese with a fork and sprinkle over. Toss to coat. Chill or serve immediately.

It is deeeeelicious. I made this batch kind of late one evening so I'd have lunch for the next few days at work, and I had to sneak a bowl for a bedtime snack. The orzo is so delicious coated with the dressing and slightly melted mooshy goat cheese. The veggies are crispy- those sugar snap peas- wow, what a sweet bite they add. The olives are salty and briney and delicious and those Peppadews- yum!! You have to try this salad- just use whatever vegetables you have and what you like. Make it yours!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Jumping Off the Bacon Bandwagon

Are you as tired as I am of the Bacon Bandwagon? Don't get me wrong, I love the stuff, but it's everywhere. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, even cocktails and candy. We've done the bacon-wrapped thing here too but I was looking for something a little different, a little more refined. Prosciutto came to mind when I was pondering my options. I knew I was going to use it to roll something, but exactly what I wasn't sure yet.

Exactly what is prosciutto? Well, the short answer- ham. It's a dry cured ham that's usually cut super thin and served in many different dishes. It's cured and not cooked. Typically made from the leg of a pig or wild boar, it can take as long as two years to cure and craft the perfect prosciutto. You need a cool and damp environment to have a good prosciutto. Too warm and the meat is going to soil and be inedible. If you don't have a lot of humidity, you're just making jerky.

What do you do with it? Almost everyone has seen it wrapped around wedges of juicy melon. It might be wrapped around bread sticks or asparagus and roasted. It might be tossed with pasta and a creamy sauce, or cut up and sprinkled on a pizza when it comes out of the oven. Saltimbocca is a classic Italian dish in which pieces of veal are topped with a sage leaf and wrapped in prosciutto. Of course, many a panini is made with prosciutto too. I thought about using it in an appetizer using cubes of chicken and a sage leaf but we just don't need that many appetizers for the two of us. Instead, I have decided to stuff my chicken breasts with a garlicky, herby goat cheese and wrap them, baking until the prosciutto is crispy and brown and so delicious. So non-bacon.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Prosciutto

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
• 3 oz goat cheese, room temperature
• 1 tsp minced garlic (one small clove)
• butter
• 1-2 tsp minced fresh thyme, chives, parsley, plus more
• prosciutto
• salt and pepper

Butterfly the chicken breasts- this makes pounding so much more efficient and you don't have to beat the heck out of the chicken to get it the right size for rolling. 

It's super easy to do-place your hand flat on the top of the chicken breast; using a sharp knife, slice the chicken breasts horizontally but NOT all the way through. Lay open the chicken- voila! Place the chicken between sheets of plastic. Lightly pound them with mallet or heavy rolling pin to 1/4 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small skillet melt a tablespoon or so of butter. Saute the garlic for a couple minutes until softened but not brown. Crumble the goat cheese into a small bowl. Add the garlic and herbs, mix well. 

Divide between chicken breasts. Spread or pat the goat cheese evenly over the chicken. It doesn't have to cover every bit of the meat, just evenly. Roll up the chicken.

Using slices of prosciutto, wrap the chicken rolls, and secure with picks. Place on shallow sheet pan. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of melted butter. Note: If you use a high-sided pan it's much harder for the prosciutto to crisp up nicely. It sort of steams the rolls and we don't want that.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes until chicken is done. While the chicken is in the oven, get your sides together. Sprinkle chicken with additional fresh herbs and serve.

I served the chicken with mashed potatoes made with a little roast garlic, minced fresh herbs, drizzled with the pan drippings from the chicken, and sauteed baby zucchini. It was so delicious! It smelled amazing in the oven- like Thanksgiving dinner- seriously, like a roast turkey, and the prosciutto was SO MUCH BETTER than bacon- super thing, crispy, no flab even on the bottom. The goat cheese added the delicious tangy twist that chicken needs, and is really a blank canvas for you to play with herbs, spices, flavors. Give it a try!