The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (22 page)
Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
SERVES 4 TO 6
This salad comes together quickly, so have the ingredients ready before you begin cooking. When adding the vinegar mixture to the skillet, step back from the stovetop—the aroma is quite potent.
6 | ounces (6 cups) baby spinach |
3 | tablespoons cider vinegar |
¹⁄ | teaspoon sugar |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Pinch salt | |
8 | slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | red onion, chopped medium |
1 | small garlic clove, minced |
3 | FOOLPROOF HARD-COOKED EGGS |
1.
Place spinach in large bowl. Stir vinegar, sugar, pepper, and salt together in small bowl until sugar dissolves; set aside.
2.
Cook bacon in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. Pour fat into heatproof bowl, then return 3 tablespoons fat to skillet. Add onion to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes; stir in garlic until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add vinegar mixture, then remove skillet from heat; working quickly, scrape bottom of skillet with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Pour hot dressing over spinach, add bacon, and toss gently with tongs until spinach is slightly wilted. Divide among individual plates, arrange egg quarters over each, and serve.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Cucumbers can make a cool, crisp salad, but often they turn soggy from their own moisture. For a cucumber salad with good crunch, we found that weighting salted cucumbers forced more water from them than salting alone. After many tests, we determined that 1 to 3 hours worked best: Even at 12 hours, the cucumbers gave up no more water than they had after 3 hours. For a bit of zip, we like pairing cucumbers with onion—and found that salting and draining the onion along with the cucumbers removes its sharp sting. Whether we dressed them with a lively vinaigrette or rich, creamy dressing, our cucumbers retained maximum crunch.
SERVES 4
Fresh dill is essential to the flavor of this salad; do not substitute dried.
3 | cucumbers (2 pounds), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced ¹⁄ |
1 | small red onion, sliced very thin |
1 | tablespoon salt |
1 | cup sour cream |
3 | tablespoons cider vinegar |
1 | teaspoon sugar |
¹⁄ | cup minced fresh dill |
1.
Toss cucumber and onion with salt in colander set over large bowl. Weight cucumbers with gallon-size zipper-lock bag filled with water; drain for 1 to 3 hours. Rinse and pat dry.
2.
Whisk remaining ingredients together in medium bowl. Add cucumbers and onion; toss to coat. Serve chilled.
SERVES 4
3 | cucumbers (2 pounds), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced ¹⁄ |
1 | small red onion, sliced very thin |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | cup plain low-fat yogurt |
2 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
¹⁄ | cup minced fresh mint |
1 | garlic clove, minced |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground cumin |
1.
Toss cucumber and onion with 1 tablespoon salt in colander set over large bowl. Weight cucumbers with gallon-size zipper-lock bag filled with water; drain for 1 to 3 hours. Rinse and pat dry.
2.
Whisk yogurt, oil, mint, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste in medium bowl. Add cucumbers and onion; toss to coat. Serve chilled.
SERVES 4
3 | cucumbers (2 pounds), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced ¹⁄ |
1 | tablespoon salt |
¹⁄ | cup rice vinegar |
1 | tablespoon lemon juice |
2 | tablespoons toasted sesame oil |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
¹⁄ | teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste |
1 | tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted |
1.
Toss cucumber with salt in colander set over large bowl. Weight cucumbers with gallon-size zipper-lock bag filled with water; drain for 1 to 3 hours. Rinse and pat dry.
2.
Whisk remaining ingredients together in medium bowl. Add cucumbers; toss to coat. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
SERVES 4
Based on a common Thai relish served with sautés, this salad is also great with grilled salmon or grilled chicken breasts.
3 | cucumbers (2 pounds), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced ¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | red onion, sliced very thin |
1 | tablespoon salt |
¹⁄ | cup rice vinegar |
2¹⁄ | tablespoons sugar |
2 | small jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced (or more, to taste) |
1.
Toss cucumber and onion with salt in colander set over large bowl. Weight cucumbers with gallon-size zipper-lock bag filled with water; drain for 1 to 3 hours. Rinse and pat dry.
2.
Bring ²⁄
3
cup water and vinegar to boil in small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar to dissolve; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
3.
Meanwhile, mix cucumbers, onion, and jalapeños in medium bowl. Pour dressing over cucumber mixture; toss to coat. Serve chilled.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Cherry tomatoes can make a great salad but they often exude lots of liquid when cut, quickly turning a salad into soup. To get rid of some of the tomato juice without throwing away flavor, we quartered, salted, and drained the tomatoes before whirling them in a salad spinner to separate the seeds and jelly from the flesh. After we strained and discarded the seeds, we reduced the jelly to a flavorful concentrate (adding garlic, oregano, shallot, olive oil, and vinegar) and reunited it with the tomatoes. Cheese adds richness and another layer of flavor to this great all-season salad.
FETA CHEESE
Within the European Union, only cheese made in Greece from a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk can be legally called feta, but most of the feta in American supermarkets is made from pasteurized cow’s milk that has been curdled, shaped into blocks, sliced (feta is Greek for “slice”), and steeped in a brine. Feta can range from soft to semihard and has a tangy, salty flavor. Feta dries out quickly when removed from its brine, so always store feta in the brine in which it is packed, and never buy the blocks sold shrinkwrapped on the Styrofoam tray packaged without brine. It’s a good idea to rinse feta packed in brine just before serving to remove excess salt.
SERVES 4 TO 6
If in-season cherry tomatoes are unavailable, substitute vine-ripened cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. Cut grape tomatoes in half along the equator (rather than quartering them). If you don’t have a salad spinner, after the salted tomatoes have stood for 30 minutes, wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and gently shake to remove seeds and excess liquid. Strain the liquid and proceed with the recipe as directed. The amount of liquid given off by the tomatoes will depend on their ripeness. If you have less than ¹⁄
2
cup of juice after spinning, proceed with the recipe using the entire amount of juice and reduce it to 3 tablespoons as directed (the cooking time will be shorter).
1¹⁄ | pounds cherry tomatoes, quartered |
Salt and pepper | |
¹⁄ | teaspoon sugar |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
¹⁄ | teaspoon dried oregano |
1 | shallot, minced |
1 | tablespoon red wine vinegar |
2 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
1 | small cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup chopped pitted kalamata olives |
4 | ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup) |
3 | tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
1.
Toss tomatoes, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and sugar in medium bowl; let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to salad spinner and spin until seeds and excess liquid have been removed, 45 to 60 seconds, stirring to redistribute tomatoes several times during spinning. Return tomatoes to bowl and set aside. Strain tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
2.
Bring ¹⁄
2
cup tomato liquid (discard any extra), garlic, oregano, shallot, and vinegar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Whisk in oil and pepper to taste until combined. Taste and season with up to ¹⁄
8
teaspoon salt.
3.
Add cucumber, olives, feta, dressing, and parsley to bowl with tomatoes; toss gently and serve.
Substitute balsamic vinegar for red wine vinegar and omit garlic and oregano in step 2. Substitute 1¹⁄
2
cups fresh basil leaves, roughly torn, and 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into ¹⁄
2
-inch cubes and patted dry with paper towels, for cucumber, olives, feta, and parsley in step 3.
Substitute cider vinegar for red wine vinegar, omit garlic and oregano, and add 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and 4 teaspoons honey to tomato liquid in step 2. Substitute ¹⁄
2
cup roughly chopped toasted pecans, 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese, and 1¹⁄
2
tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves for cucumber, olives, feta, and parsley in step 3.
Substitute white wine vinegar for red wine vinegar, omit garlic and oregano, and substitute vegetable oil for olive oil in step 2. Substitute 1 cup watermelon, cut into ¹⁄
2
-inch cubes, and 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint for cucumber, olives, and parsley in step 3.
Substitute 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon curry powder for garlic and oregano in step 2. Substitute 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into ¹⁄
2
-inch dice, ¹⁄
2
cup toasted slivered almonds, and 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro for cucumber, olives, and parsley in step 3.