Romaine And Gorgonzola Salad With Roasted Garlic Dressing And Spiced Pecans Food

APPLE GORGONZOLA SALAD (BUCA DI BEPPO COPYCAT)

Steps:

• Start by making the candied walnuts. Preheat your oven to 225. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until foamy, about 30 seconds.
• Add the walnuts and stir to coat.
• Add the walnuts to a strainer in your sink. Try to prop it up on something so that the walnuts can drain, and leave it there for 2-3 minutes.
• Meanwhile in a large ziplock, shake together sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Add the egg white-coated walnuts, seal, and shake. Make sure they all get coated really well.
• Dump the walnuts on the prepared pan and spread them out in a single layer, breaking up clumps.
• Bake at 225 for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• In a blender, add the white wine vinegar, oregano, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, and red onion (if you think you can eyeball it pretty well, you don't have to finely mince it first, just throw in what looks like it will be 2 tablespoons minced. Be conservative!)
• Blend together. Open the spout while the blender is running and slowly pour in 3/4 cup olive oil. Set aside.
• Wash and chop the lettuce into bite size pieces, drying it in a salad spinner if you have one. (I love my salad spinner. It's so fun!)
• Core the apples. Chop one into bite size pieces, and thinly slice the other one. Put them immediately in a medium bowl with the lemon juice, stirring to coat. (This is to prevent browning, and is only necessary if you are interested in pretty presentation.)
• Add all the romaine to a large serving bowl. Add at least 1/2 cup of the dressing, or more. Stir to coat. Add the chopped apples, 1/2 to 1 cup candied walnuts, most of the gorgonzola, and most of the cranberries. Toss together.
• Top the salad with additional walnuts, gorgonzola, and cranberries. Layer the sliced apples on top however you like.

GRILLED ROMAINE WITH SPICY CAESAR DRESSING

Steps:

• Place mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, vinegar, onion, garlic, anchovies, chipotle, hot sauce, honey and salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified. Add the Parmesan and blend a few seconds longer.
• Heat grill to high.
• Brush romaine with oil and season with salt and pepper; place on the grill cut-side down and grill for 30 to 40 seconds or until slightly charred. Arrange lettuce on large platter, drizzle with the dressing and garnish with shaved Parmesan.

GRILLED ROMAINE WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING

Steps:

• For the balsamic dressing: In a blender, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Gorgonzola, basil, garlic, a pinch each of salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons water. Blend until the dressing is creamy and the garlic and basil are finely chopped.
• For the grilled romaine: Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.
• Lightly brush the cut sides of the romaine with the canola oil. Place the romaine on the grill cut-side down and cook until grill marks form and the leaves are slightly charred, 1 to 3 minutes. Arrange on a platter cut-side up.
• Drizzle the romaine with the dressing. Sprinkle with the Gorgonzola and torn basil and serve.

PEAR & GORGONZOLA SALAD

Steps:

• To make Vinaigrette------------------.
• Mix vinegar, salt, mustard in a blender or food processor.
• Very slowly pour in the oil while processor is on.
• Process until an emulsion forms.
• Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Add shallots& pepper.
• Best to make it fresh but may be stored for a few days in the fridge.
• ---Salad-----------------------.
• Toss greens with most of the vinaigrette.
• Divide among 4 plates.
• Decorate with pear slices and crumbled cheese.
• Coarsely chop the walnuts and put on top of salad.
• Drizzle the last of the vinaigrette over top.

ROMAINE WITH PAN-ROASTED GARLIC DRESSING

Steps:

• In a small skillet, combine the garlic cloves and the oil. Over a low heat, caramelize the garlic until browned and soft, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer garlic cloves to a blender or food processor. Add the vinegar and mustard. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour in the reserved garlic oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put in a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the lettuce and toss to coat. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top and serve immediately.

CLASSIC GOULASH

Steps:

• Cook and stir the ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown, about 10 minutes. Skim off excess fat, and stir in the onions and garlic. Cook and stir the meat mixture until the onions are translucent, about 10 more minutes.
• Stir water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and seasoned salt into the meat mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir macaroni into the mixture, cover, and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and serve.

ROMAINE SALAD WITH CREAMY GARLIC DRESSING

Steps:

• Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces, you should have about 12 cups.
• Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
• Combine garlic and salt in a small bowl and mash with the back of a spoon into a paste, or (and this is what I do), mash with a mortar and pestle and transfer to a bowl.
• Mix garlic paste with lime juice, add egg* and beat until foamy.
• Stir in mayo and worcestershire.
• This can be made ahead, just cover and refrigerate.
• Just before serving, peel, pit and dice avocado.
• In a large salad bowl, combine avocado, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions and croutons.
• Stir dressing and pour over salad then toss until well mixed.
• *If you are pregnant or nursing, or have a compromised immune system you may want to consider using a purchased pasteurized egg product.

GORGONZOLA AND TOASTED WALNUT SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine lettuce with cheese and walnuts.
• Combine and whisk together dressing ingredients.
• Toss salad with enough dressing to coat but avoid over-dressing.
• Serve.

ROMAINE AND GORGONZOLA SALAD WITH ROASTED GARLIC DRESSING AND SPICED PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss oil with garlic in small baking dish. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake until garlic is golden and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic from skins. Reserve oil.
• Transfer roasted garlic to processor. Add honey, vinegar, cider and mustard and blend well. With processor running, slowly add reserved garlic oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
• Toss lettuce with 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese and enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and Spiced Pecans and serve.

VEGETABLE NOODLE SALAD WITH SESAME VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil, and season generously with salt.
• In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, ginger and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well.
• Once the water boils, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup pasta cooking water, then drain. Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add half the dressing and 1/4 cup pasta water, season with salt and pepper and toss to evenly coat.
• Meanwhile, in a large deep-sided saucepan, heat safflower oil over medium. Add onion and bell peppers, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Add snap peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, 1/4 cup pasta water and the remaining dressing. Stir to deglaze the pan and lift the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, then add vegetable mixture (with sauce) and scallions to pasta and toss until well combined (add more pasta water if thinner sauce is desired). Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds, if using.

GORGONZOLA CHEESE, WALNUT, AND ROMAINE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 and toast the walnut pieces (on baking sheet) for a few minutes.
• Pour lettuce into bowl.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and mustard in small bowl.
• Add cheese and toasted walnut pieces to lettuce.
• Pour salad dressing over salad and toss well.

LEMON-GARLIC VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Combine 3/4 cup oil, 5 tablespoons vinegar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake until well blended.

ITALIAN VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Place the first 11 ingredients in a blender. Cover and process until pureed. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Refrigerate leftovers.