So I was browsing through the SLO Veg recipe file, looking for something to do with strawberries. I found a strawberry green salad with a strawberry vinaigrette and decided that was the ticket. That, and some stir fried sugar snap peas with bok choy. Oh, yeah, and the main entree thing: whole chicken legs. Probably better start them first.
So I lined a baking sheet with foil, drizzled the chicken with olive oil and seasoned it with a blend of salt, pepper and garlic powder (Santa Maria seasoning). Then I read a grilled chicken recipe and decide to brush the chicken with melted butter and diced fresh basil, and lemon pepper. Into a 375 degree oven you go.
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| Strawberry vinaigrette gets a little help from the Hearst Ranch "Julia" Rose wine. |
Now it was time to play with the vinaigrette. The recipe called for 2 teaspoons Strawberry jam, 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar, 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper to taste. So that how it started out. I put the jam into a saucepan and tried to melt it down. I decided it needed some liquid, so I added a splash of water. When it had dissolved into a syrup of sorts, I put it into the blender and whisked it up. Then I drizzled in about a 1/4 cup of EVOO while the blender was running to emulsify it, added some a shake or two of Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Now for the taste test: Lee? He tried it, thinking. More vinegar, I prompted? Mmmhummmm. Okay, so I added another shot of Balsamic vinegar and whirred some more, then tasted. I think I need some mustard, Dijon mustard. So a squirt of mustard went into the blender and I whirred some more. Taking a teaspoon, I offered another taste to the hub. "That's good," he proclaimed. It might be missing something, but I can't place it. The color was a mocha brown, also. Oh well. Okay, I will add a splash of lemon juice. How about that? "It's good, don't mess with it anymore," Lee said. Of course I didn't listen. I thought it was still a little blah...well, not exactly blah, just not quite zingy enough. Oh, maybe some of this delicious Rose wine I have been sipping on would help it out, so I poured in a generous splash of that, and added a couple shakes of dried Basil, for good measure. Now what does he think? KILLER! Should've used wine instead of water with the jam in the first place, I am thinking.In all, it made about a cup of vinaigrette, enough for more salads this week.
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| Both ends of the snap peas are cut off along with the strings. | | |
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Next, I rinsed my bok choy in the salad spinner, after cutting off the bottoms of the bunches. I cut the stem parts up into 1/2 inch pieces and the leafy parts into 1/4 inch ribbons. Next, I rinsed and trimmed the sugar snap peas, tearing out the strings. I pulled Lee's wok pan out of the back of the cabinet and added a small amount of oil to the pan. Then I diced up two slices of onion, two cloves of garlic and a couple of slices of fresh ginger. Those would infuse into my oil when the time comes.
Now, the salad: I rinsed a basket of strawberries and cut the top off, then quartered each berry. I took about 6 leaves of curly leaf lettuce and rinsed it in the salad spinner, then tore each leaf into bite-sized pieces. Then lettuce went into individual salad bowls, topped with the strawberries. The vinaigrette would go on top just before serving.
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| Salad spinner is my best friend for rinsing all the greens! |
I check the chicken which has been baking for almost an hour. Needs a little more browning and crisping of the skin, I decide. Perfect. Time to start the stir fry. So I heat the oil and scoop the onion, garlic and ginger that I had pre-diced into the wok. I let that cook for about 2 or 3 minutes, then I scooped it all out so it wouldn't burn. Then I added the chopped stems and sugar snap peas and let them cook in the oil for a couple of minutes. Next, a generous pour of soy sauce and then I put the onions and garlic back into the mix, but I discard the ginger. I just didn't want to dice it up finer. I let the vegies cook in the juice for about 3 more minutes, then turned off the heat. A little grind of pepper and shake of sea salt finished the dish. I check the chicken, using the meat thermometer...170 degrees, just right! Dinner is on!
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| Green salad and strawberries with Strawberry Vinaigrette, stir fried Bok Choy and Sugar Snap peas, and Baked Basil Butter Chicken |
KILLER STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
2 tsp. Strawberry Jam, plus a splash of water
2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 C Rose or White wine
Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper, to taste
Melt jam over low heat, adding a splash of water to thin. Pour into blender and add Balsamic vinegar, mustard, lemon juice and wine. Blend for a minute, then while still blending, add the olive oil in a thin drizzle until emulsified. Stir in salt and pepper and taste, adjusting if necessary.
Serve with fresh salad greens and quartered strawberries.
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