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When the summer is fiercer, we turn to salads. Almost any food is appropriate for making a salad.
Combine an assortment of greens, vegetables or fruit and almost in an instant, a salad is born. It is one of the easiest things to plan and make and in most instances, requires little or no cooking and very little time.
Some of the things we need to remember when making salads are quite basic:
Always wash greens and vegetables well before storing or using.
Dry greens gently so as not to bruise them and roll them up in clean kitchen or tea towels then place in refrigerator until ready to use or line your refrigerator crisper drawer or vegetable bin with several layers of paper towels (*) to absorb excess moisture.
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Make sure the greens you use are perfectly dry and the dressing will cling better. A small salad spinner is a very good investment. Your greens will shed excess liquid and remain crisper longer after spinning dry.
Never use a knife to cut lettuce. Always tear it apart and it will not brown so quickly. Wrap tea towels or small kitchen towels around celery stalks and they will last crisper longer in the refrigerator.
Remember that you can't freeze whole celery stalks, but you can if you cut them into small pieces. Store them, washed, dried and cut, in freezer quality plastic zipper type bags.
If you are fortunate enough to grow your own greens or salad vegetables, be sure to add four tablespoons of salt to a gallon of water when you are washing them. By washing off the greens in this solution, you will get rid of any uninvited little critters that came along for the ride.
Another good piece of advice to remember is, to keep salads fresh until guests arrive, cover with a damp, clean tea or kitchen towel and store in refrigerator. Also, to keep your salad fresher longer, don't add the dressing until you are ready to serve….or better yet, let your guests serve their own dressing when they are ready to eat.
(*) At home we have eliminated using paper towels for several reasons, the biggest one being to live a 'greener life', conserve trees and using mostly things that are recyclable or can decompose in our compost pile.
Even though outdoor grills are a year-round fixture here in Hawai'i, we seem to rely on them more during the summer months, keeping the heat outdoors, where it belongs! The following are several recipes that are wonderfully simple to prepare, leaving you more time to spend sipping coolers by the beach.
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GRILLED MOJITO SHRIMP-MANGO KEBABS
Try these dipped in the Papaya-Mango Salsa that follows. Yields 4 kebabs. Recipe can easily be doubled for larger groups.
1 cup No-Cook Mojito
1 teaspoon ground achiote seeds or paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon dark honey
3 large slightly green mangoes
2 large sweet onions
36 medium raw shrimp (about 2 pounds) shelled and deveined
For the glaze, combine first four ingredients in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil, and then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside. This can be done earlier in the day.
Cut mangoes and onions into chunks about 1/4 inch in diameter.
Thread onto skewers, alternating with the shrimp.
Allow your coals or gas grill to heat to medium (300oF-350oF).
Brush the grill rack with oil to prevent food from sticking.
Grill until shrimp is opaque, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Just before removing skewers from grill, brush both sides generously with the reserved glaze. Leave the kabobs over the fire just long enough for the glaze to color. Serve on a ti leaf covered platter.
NO-COOK MOJITO
Mojito (moh-hée-toe) is the seasoning of preference in the Caribbean.
It is used like ketchup in North America. All sorts of meats, fish, seafood and vegetables lend themselves to being sprinkled or smothered with mojito!
4 cups fresh squeezed Seville orange juice (*) about 20 oranges
Fresh squeezed juice of 4 limes
2 cups olive oil
12 cloves garlic, crushed
8 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
4 Tablespoons dry Sherry
4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup minced fresh gingerroot.
Stir together the citrus juices and whisk in the oil, then the garlic, onion, sherry and spices. Last add the minced ginger.
Place in a bottle or jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate at least 1 day before using. Keeps in the refrigerator about 2 weeks
(*) Valencia oranges are quite tart. If not available, use equal portions of freshly squeezed orange and lime juices.
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PAPAYA-MANGO SALSA
Complements fish, grilled shrimp, cold roast beef or chicken
1/2 papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size cubes
1/2 mango, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
1 fresh jalapeño pepper seeded and minced
1 green onion, minced, with some of the green
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tablespoon finely chopped sweet red pepper
Papaya seeds to taste (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
The papaya seeds will impart a nice crunch and a mild peppery flavor.
If you would like to use this salsa as a dip, pour in the bowl of a processor or blender and process smooth.
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Comments: 18
Take care.
Marie
Enjoy your salad, Audrey!
Mango is my favorite fruit of all, so I try to use them often...
Today I will be leaving shortly to travel to the other side of the island for the weekend....I will be buying lobster tails at the NELHA seafood farmers market (held once a month at the NELHA facility) and Saturday to the mango festival at the Keauhou Outrigger hotel also in Kona side....so I will be bringing lobsters home and possibly all sorts of things mango for future picnics and salads.....