Warm Calamari Salad � The Best-Laid Plans of Squid and Men

There was nothing wrong with this warm calamari salad, except the most important thing. I�ve had �cast-iron calamari� before, which featured gorgeously seared, almost charred, pieces of squid. While well caramelized, the calamari was still tender and moist, which means it was only cooked for a few minutes, over what must have been dangerously high heat.

I figured as long as I got my pan hot enough, I should be fine. Wrong. Well, technically right, but wrong because I added way too much into the pan at one time. I really needed to do a single order at a time, and it probably would have been fine, but once that whole pound went in, the temp dropped, and you saw the results.

I still enjoyed a flavorful, healthy lunch, but not the one I�d dreamed about. The good news however, was that I ate the leftovers cold, tossed with the same salad ingredients, and it was actually better. So, if you are planning on doing the same recipe, as shown, I would suggest serving it chilled instead. I hope you give this, or that, a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Warm Calamari Salads:

1 pound cleaned calamari

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder

pinch of cayenne

1 packed teaspoon light brown sugar

1 sliced jalapeno, seeded

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste once cooked

For the salad base:

4 handfuls baby arugula

1 can (15-oz) cooked white beans, drained, rinsed

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

Under My Panzanella, ella, ella, ella�

I�ve never been a big fan of panzanella salad. I love the flavors in the dish, but stale, soggy bread just isn�t something I crave. The sogginess is understandable, as this dish was invented as a way to ingest rock-hard bread, but now that we�re just making it for fun, and not to avoid starvation, we can tweak a few things for texture�s sake.

The key is frying the bread cubes in loads of olive oil, in a skillet, which obviously makes them crispy, but the healthful fat also soaks in and renders them semi-waterproof, or should I say dressing-proof. The same goes for the dusting of Parmesan we apply halfway through.

You may be tempted to save some work and bake them in the oven, but don�t. By using the pan, you get nice, crispy surfaces, but the very center of the crouton stays just a touch chewy. The oven tends to dry the bread out, and you don�t get the same texture.

The gorgeous pool of tomato juices, oil, and wine vinegar will still soak in, and soften the bread, but you�ll still get a little crunch in each bite. For me this makes all the difference in the world. I know adding things like peppers, onions, and cucumbers is quite common, but I think they simply get in the way.

Having said that, it�s your �little swamp,� which is what �Panzanella� translates to, so throw in what you like. Speaking of which, I�m not giving ingredient amounts. I�ll give a ratio, and maybe a recommendation or two, but this isn�t the kind of recipe where you should be washing measuring cups and spoons. Taste and adust, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients:

(I like equal parts bread cubes to tomato salad)

For the bread:

stale bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, soaked well with olive oil

enough finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano to cover bread

-- fry until crispy and browned

For the tomato salad:

cherry tomatoes, halved

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of sugar
a little minced garlic

equal parts red wine vinegar and olive oil, to dress generously (add enough to create a very �swampy� mixture)

freshly sliced basil

Stacked Tomato & Mozzarella Salad � Now 100% Mozzarella Free!

There�s absolutely nothing wrong with using a nice, fresh mozzarella in your Caprese salad, but once or twice a summer, you simply must treat yourself to the natural wonder that is burrata cheese.

Comparing mozzarella and burrata is a little unfair, as burrata is significantly richer and creamier. It�s not like comparing apples and oranges; it�s more like apples and supermodels. In fact, burrata means �buttered,� which is really all you need to know.

Like I said in the video, if you do use burrata, please try it �as is,� before pouring over any vinegar. The subtle sweetness of this mildly tangy cheese is a delicate flower; so don�t crush it with a heavy hand.

Burrata used to be a specialty item, but I now see it next to the fresh mozzarella at all of your nicer grocery stores. While it will cost a little more, and may take a drive across town to find, I believe you'll find the extra effort well worth it. I hope you give this a try soon...before it snows. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 1 serving:

1 perfect vine-ripened tomato (don�t even bother using a supermarket tomato!)

4-6 tablespoons burrata cheese, or fresh mozzeralla

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and torn basil to taste

Yuba Noodle Salad � Do You Believe in Miracles?

So many things are touted as �miracle foods� these days, but invariably you find out the claims were false, the benefits exaggerated, and that Dr. Oz was full of crap again. I sure hope that doesn�t turn out to be the case with these grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, low-cal, and quite delicious, yuba noodles.

You can use any dressings/garnishes you like, but I prefer these flavors, since texturally this closely resembles those wide, flat, Asian-style noodles we�ve all picked up from the neighborhood take-out place. Of course, those come loaded with massive amounts of bad carbs, a million calories, and enough MSG to choke a panda.

Occasionally, I have no problem with that, especially if I�ve been drinking, but generally this is a smarter option. Believe it or not, one giant portion of these noodles (not counting your dressing or sauce) only has 150 calories, just 7 grams of carbs, and almost no fat. So what�s the catch? It�s tofu.

But like pasta and noodles, tofu skin is very bland, so it�s really more about the texture, and being a �starchy� base for other ingredients, including non-vegan things like grilled chicken or shrimp. If you keep that in mind, I think you�ll really enjoy experimenting with this incredibly cool product. I hope you try this soon. Enjoy!

For 2 large portions Yuba Noodle Salad:

5 oz package yuba tofu skins, sliced into noodles

handful of carrot shavings

handful of thinly sliced cabbage

1/2 cup freshly torn cilantro leaves

1/4 sliced green onions

black sesame seeds

For the dressing (makes about 1 cup, about enough for 2 large salads):

2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp fresh, finely grated ginger

1 tsp sambal chili sauce (or any hot ground chili sauce)

1/3 cup warm rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Asian-Style Grilled Flap Meat Salad � You Heard Me, Flap Meat

Memorial Day marks the official opening of American grilling season, and what better way to celebrate than with this unique, and delicious flap meat? Hilarious name notwithstanding, this classic �butcher�s cut� is every bit as flavorful and tender as flank or skirt steak, and is usually cheaper as well.

This is not something they keep in the meat case, so you�ll have to ask them to cut you a few pounds, but it�ll be worth it, and they�ll think you�re cool. Most people haven�t heard of flap meat or flap steak, but it�s hardly an exotic cut. 

If you like Mexican food, and order carne asada,you�ve enjoyed grilled flap meat. While it did make for some extremely tasty Asian-style lettuce wraps, you can use this in so many other wonderful ways. Half the fun is playing around with different marinades and spices, but regardless of how you flavor yours, you should try this in tacos, as well as for an amazing Philly cheesesteak. 

Just be sure to get that grill really hot before you slap down your flap. This needs to be cooked hot and fast, and as close to the coals as you can get. Since everyone asks, I�m using a charcoal Weber �Q,� which is unfortunately not made anymore. Hey Weber, please make this grill again. Thank you. Anyway, if you�re looking for a fun, new meat for your Memorial Day cookout, I hope you give this grilled flap meat a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 4 portions:

2 pounds flap meat

2 tbsp green curry paste, or as needed

2-3 tbsp fish sauce

2-3 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp coconut milk

freshly ground black pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

salt if needed
Lettuce, carrots, red onions, chopped peanuts, and cilantro leaves for salad
--Marinate for 4-12 hours in fridge, or an hour out at room temp.

*For the dressing, into the reserved meat juices, I added sambal, fish sauce, and rice vinegar to taste. I didn�t measure anything, and neither should you. Taste, adjust, repeat.

Green Goddess Dressing � Oh. My. God.

What's the difference between Green Goddess dressing and Green God dressing? Green Goddess dressing takes a lot longer to get ready. Sorry, but I couldn�t fit that joke into the voice over. Anyway, here�s my take on San Francisco�s very own, Green Goddess dressing.

This creamy, herby, addictively delicious sauce is not only my favorite salad dressing, but also one of my favorite dips as well. You can of course tweak the acidity with more or less lemon, as well as play with the salt and pepper, but please, do not change the trio of herbs. The way the parsley and chive play against the sweet tarragon makes this unlike any other herb dressing.

This is truly fit for a Goddess, and with Mother�s Day coming up Sunday, what better way to make your mom feel like one? That, and a complete spa package with extra long foot massage, and she should be set. I hope you give this Green Goddess dressing a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 cups of Green Goddess Dressing:

(all the following amounts should be adjusted to your tastes)

1 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/3 cup chopped tarragon leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

Spicy Coconut & Calamari Salad, Formerly Know As Failed Squid Ceviche

There�s nothing quite as satisfying in the kitchen as snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. I was playing around with some squid ceviche preparations, and while it did �cook� in the acidic marinade, I really didn�t enjoy the texture. I actually hated it. 

I�m not sure if it needed more time, or more acid, but it wasn�t good. Not wanting to toss it, I decided to fry it up, and maybe hide it in some pasta, or something. I went with �or something,� and this cold, coconut-spiked salad was the result. I haven�t been this happy about a failed recipe in a long time.

Not only did it make a fantastic, sort of Thai-like salad, I can see this being quite versatile as well. It was very tasty hot, and would be great over rice with some of the cooked-down marinade. It would also be amazing over a big bowl of crunchy greens. Just don�t skip the toasted coconut, as it really does make the dish. I hope you give this delicious accident a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions Spicy Coconut & Calamari Salad:

1 pound calamari, cleaned, cut into thin rings

1 small green Serrano pepper, minced

1 red Fresno pepper, sliced thin

2 tablespoons green onion

1 teaspoon palm sugar (aka coconut)

1 generous tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons Coconut milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil to cook calamari

- After calamari is marinated and cooked:

1 tsp Lime juice, or to taste

1 tbsp chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes (unsweeted)

Shaved Asparagus Salad with Fried Pastrami and Mustard Dressing � Keeping it Raw

This shaved asparagus salad actually started out as an asparagus wrapped with pastrami recipe, but when that didn�t work out, my wife Michele saved the day, and convinced me to go raw � and I do mean convince.

I really dislike under-cooked asparagus, and in virtually every video I�ve used it, I�ve pleaded with the audience to make sure the spears get to the sweet and tender stage. I�ve always felt that the main reason most people who don�t like asparagus, is that they grew up eating it crunchy, barely warm, and bitter.

However, when you shave it thin with a peeler, and give it a quick curing/pickling in the dressing, those harsh attributes mellow out substantially, and the sweet, grassy flavor comes through. In fact, it was so delicious that I contemplated serving it without the fried meat.  Happily, that passed.

Thanks to the pastrami�s aromatic spices, subtle smokiness, and peppery finish, it was a perfect match. Of course, you can substitute with bacon or ham; but the cured beef brisket was a nice change of pace to those much more common, pork-based choices.

Just be sure to not dress your raw asparagus until you�re ready to eat. The couple minutes it takes to fry the meat is all the marination time you�ll need. Anyway, peak asparagus season is almost upon us, and if you�re looking for a new way to enjoy it, I hope you give this shaved asparagus salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

24 large asparagus spears (save bottoms for soup)

salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

4 oz pastrami, sliced thin

For the dressing:

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (or regular rice vinegar with a pinch of salt and sugar)

3-4 tbsp olive oil, or to taste

�Local� Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Walnuts � Kill Once, Cook Twice

They say if you video blog long enough, you�ll eventually post a snuff film. Okay, so no one says that, but that�s what this roasted beets with goat cheese and walnuts kind of felt like, as I harvested my homegrown, and completely defenseless beet.

I was obviously kidding about vegetables being able to sense pain, but the more I think about it, who knows? Anyway, until I find out otherwise, I�ll assume the bloody root didn�t suffer for my pleasure, and just enjoy its incredible goodness. It�s the same assumption I use when eating chicken wings.

There are very few things that pair as perfectly as roasted beets and goat cheese. Simply a match made in occasional-vegetarian heaven. When you toss in some crunchy walnuts, foraged greens, and a simple walnut oil/vinegar dressing, you have something that�s way beyond the sum of the parts. 

I really can�t think of a more perfect fall lunch. By the way, in addition to making a great mid-day meal, this would also work nicely as a fancy side dish come holiday time, and you have plenty of time to practice. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions:

1 or 2 tbsp walnut oil

1 roasted beet (*about 8 oz)

2 oz goat cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup roasted chopped walnuts

2 tbsp champagne or sherry vinegar

thinly sliced beet greens and fresh chives to top

toasted walnut bread to serve with

*Note: Since beets come in all sorts of sizes, you�ll just have to go by feel. Roast a beet or two, slice it up, see how much you have, pick a baking dish that large enough for one layer, cover the bottom with walnut oil, toss in the beets, fill in between with goat cheese, season, bake and dress as you see fit.

Salad Lyonnaise � A Super Salad from a City of Meat

How great is Salad Lyonnaise? Lyon is considered the meat capital of France, and yet the city�s most famous, and reproduced dish is probably this simple frisee salad. Now that�s some delicious irony.

Don�t worry�this salad is far from vegan. The mildly bitter greens are dressed in a shallot and Dijon dressing, it�s spiked with a generous handful of crispy lardons, or bacon in my case, and topped with a runny egg.

By the way, unless you�re some kind of crazy person, you�re going to need some crispy croutons or crostini to finish this masterpiece off. Here�s a link to the ones I used for this, sans Parmigiano-Reggiano. You�ll also want to taste and adjust the dressing to your liking. I use a 2-to-1, oil to vinegar ratio, as I think you need some acidity to cut the richness of the bacon and egg yolk, but you may not want it as sharp.

As I joked about in the video, this is so tasty, it may be the only salad that has a chance to be picked as someone�s last meal. There�s good, and then there�s death row good. Anyway, I�ve been dying to film this old favorite, and I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

For 4 generous portions:

2 heads frisee lettuce, aka curly endive, or use arugula

8 oz bacon (or pancetta if you want to experience something closer to real lardons)

4 large eggs

1 tbsp chives

For the dressing (makes extra, about 3/4 cup total):

1 generous tbsp minced shallots

1 generous tbsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1/2 cup lightly flavored olive oil

A Tomato and �Dirt� Salad You�ll Really Dig

It�s not unusual for me to steal a recipe idea from a local restaurant, but it�s not everyday that I�m inspired by something I eat at a bowling alley. This happened recently at the Mission Bowling Club, a fun and funky, six-lane bowling alley located just a few blocks from our home, which despite the cacophony, features some of the City�s best bites.

In addition to an otherworldly fried chicken appetizer, and a �granulated,� aged beef burger some (including my wife Michele) consider the best in the City, the MBC also features daily specials, and one such offering was described as an �heirloom tomato salad topped with a crispy rye crumble.�

That sounded great to us, and our server vouched for its excellence, so we happily included it among our starters. What we didn�t know at the time, was that our server had defied the kitchen and refused to use the dish�s official name, �tomatoes and dirt.�

She made this stunning admission as we raved about its deliciousness, and admitted to going rogue and changing the name because she just didn�t think that �dirt� sounded appetizing. What?! I thought this plate of tomatoes and �dirt� was just about the most creative thing I�d heard/seen/tasted in a while.

I was this close to going into that kitchen, ratting her out, and maybe getting a free dessert for my trouble, but thought better of it, and decided to quietly finish the salad, knowing that I would share it here, dirty name and all.  Anyway, this is my version, and I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Small Portions:

8 oz burrata cheese, or fresh ricotta

Enough freshly sliced tomatoes for 4 portions

Wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Fresh sliced basil leaves

For the crumbs:

2 tbsp olive oil, more if needed

3 large brown mushrooms, minced fine

big pinch of salt

3 slices of dark rye, made into crumbs

1 rounded tablespoon ground almonds (aka almond meal, almond flour, or just crush your own)

The Old Empty Mayo Jar Dressing Trick � Scrap the Scrape!

They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade; but what about when life gives you empty mayonnaise jars? Mayonade? No, of course not. We�re going to make salad dressing instead, and �scrape the scrape.�

I�ll often add a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise when I make a vinaigrette, to help emulsify things, as well as provide a little extra creaminess to the dressing. With that in mind, when I get down to the end of a jar, I don�t scrape, I shake.

I�m posting the ingredients I used below just in case you�re curious, but this post isn�t really about a recipe, but simply a tip for using up the last of that mayo without all that annoying butterknifing. Now, I just need to work on a recipe for using up the last of the dressing clinging to the inside of the jar. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 1 1/2 cups of dressing:

1 empty mayo jar, with at least 1 tbsp of mayo inside

1 clove minced garlic

1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley, thyme, and chives)

1/2 cup wine vinegar

1 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

pinch of Herbes de Provence

View the complete recipe

Spicy Peach Coleslaw � An Apple Is an Excellent Thing � Until You�ve Tried a Peach

You may remember this peach coleslaw from such video recipes as, Grilled Coffee and Cola Skirt Steak. It was a beautiful match, and as I ate, I couldn�t help but wonder why you don�t see peaches used in these cold cabbage salads more often.

People have no problem loading up their �slaws with grated apple and diced pineapple, so it can�t be an anti-fruit bias. I think the real reason is that a perfectly ripe peach is such an incredible experience, that it seems almost criminal to consume it any other way.

I think George du Maurier put it best when he said, �An apple is an excellent thing � until you have tried a peach.� So, is that it? Just too good to not eat as is? That could explain some of it, but just in case the real reason is that you simply hadn�t thought of it before, I�m posting this. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6-8 portions:

1 pound thinly sliced cabbage

2 diced peaches

1 tbsp thinly sliced chives

for the dressing (everything is �to taste�):

2 generous tablespoons mayo

1 rounded teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon sambal chili sauce

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

salt and cayenne to taste

View the complete recipe

Shrimp & Pasta Shells Salad � And They (incorrectly) Called It Macaroni

I really wanted to call this a "macaroni salad," since that�s what people sitting around picnic tables call it, but I decided to be technically correct (for once) and call it a shrimp and pasta shells salad. Hey, I'm no slave to Google's algorithm.

Macaroni is a specific type of elbow-shaped pasta, so while all macaroni is pasta, not all pasta is macaroni. Raise your hand if you missed that one on your SAT. Anyway, now that I have enough �macaroni�s� in here for the search engines, we can move on.

Actually, there�s not a lot left to discuss. This is a very straightforward, and quite adaptable recipe. I list a few potential additions in the video, but this is the kind of thing you can really make your own. Hey, you could even do it with macaroni. I hope you give this easy, and crowd-pleasing summer salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

For the dressing:

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp ketchup

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 lemon, juiced

1 tsp salt, or to taste

cayenne to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

The rest:

12-oz package pasta shells

1 pound bay shrimp, or other small cooked shrimp, drained well

1/2 cup small diced red bell pepper

3/4 cup diced celery

salt and pepper to taste

View the complete recipe

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing � Chicken Wings Sold Separately

Some of you might think I�m posting this creamy blue cheese dressing recipe while on vacation, just so I don�t have to answer questions as to why it took five years for this popular food wish to appear. And, while I don�t have a great answer for that, I do have a �grate� answer.

That�s right, a cheese grater and a wedge of frozen blue cheese is real the secret behind a perfect creamy blue cheese dressing. Not only is crumbling blue cheese a messy operation, but those larger chunks sink to the bottom, and don�t become one with sauce. 

Using this technique produces a dressing exploding with the funky goodness of whichever blue-veined cheese you decide to use. I used a Maytag blue cheese, but any of the World�s great blues, like Roquefort or Stilton, will work beautifully. I hope you give this great method a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes about 3 1/4 cups Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing:
 *Please note: everything in this recipe is �to taste,� so adjust to your liking!
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
cayenne to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 ounces frozen blue cheese, grated

View the complete recipe