Ramshackle Ranch Salad

— Posted in: Chicken, Recipes, Salads, Sauces
Ramshackle Ranch Salad

It’s been years since a good, simple ranch dressing has graced the menu at Estia’s Little Kitchen. Inspired by Julia Moskin’s article “Ranch Nation” (Sept. 2018 NY Times) I put this recipe into play. The dressing is not original ranch style in that it doesn’t contain mayo. Instead, yogurt and red wine vinegar have been added, along with egg yolks to tighten it up.

For years my dinner menu has featured a Crisp California Chicken, finished with agave/chili sauce which has been made to order. Fingers crossed that this new salad finds an audience. The agave/chili sauce will now be prepped in advance and used on both dishes. I think it goes as close as our kitchen will to a simple, light buffalo chicken wing sauce. With that in mind, the salad is finished with just enough blue cheese to counter point the sweetness that the agave lends to the salad. Read More »

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Sweet corn & rye berry salad

— Posted in: Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian
Sweet corn and rye berry salad
Serves 10

Ingredients:

  • 6-8 corn cobs
  • 1 cup dried rye berries (or wheat berries)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 2 cups diced zucchini
  • 1 cup chopped scallion
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

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Grilled Montauk Fluke over Mrs. B’s Kale Salad

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish, Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads, Videos
Grilled Montauk Fluke over Mrs. B’s Kale Salad

Serves 4

Herb mayonnaise is a great way to flavor a fish fillet or steak while still keeping in the moisture as it cooks. This is a super easy recipe that can be adapted to whatever fresh herbs you have in your kitchen or garden. Serving grilled fish over a kale salad keeps the healthy component of your diet in check. It’s also an easy riverside preparation: just slice the kale, organize ingredients in advance then add vinaigrette as you start the fire.

Ingredients:

For fish & coating:

  • 2 thick fluke or flounder fillets, 8-12 oz each
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • Zest of one lemon

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Musky Country Salad

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Main Dishes, Meat, Salads
Musky Country Salad with bratwurst

Serves 4 hungry eaters

Ingredients:

For the Bratwurst:

  • 8 Bratwurst
  • 12 small red potatoes, golfball size
  • 2  12 oz cans Scotch lager or Amber beer
  • 2 T vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ bunches spring onions or scallions
  • 4 pretzel buns (optional)

For the salad:

  • 1 lb. small snap peas
  • ½ lb. English shell peas
  • 1 ½ bunch spring onions or scallions
  • 1 – 12 oz. jar mild Kimchi (available in Korean specialty stores)
  • 1 cup pickled beets , sliced and cut in half

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Finding “{the} Lost Kitchen” in Freedom, Maine

— Posted in: Fish and Shellfish, Restaurant Visits, Salads, Soups
The Lost Kitchen

cowsIn late March, on a quiet Wednesday morning an Estia breakfast customer overheard me describing my daughters summer job in Maine. As I moved back toward the kitchen he quietly suggested I look into a far away dining room in Freedom, Maine called {the} Lost Kitchen, “it’ll be well worth the effort” he said.

Freedom, Maine

If you passed the Post Office in Freedom, Main you missed the sign to the Lost Kitchen

So I did. That night, on the internet I read a story in Food & Wine about a sharp woman named  Erin French who followed her dream back to the town she grew up in. A few weeks later my new breakfast customer was back, again as I passed him at the counter he whispered ” Time to call Lost Kitchen”, and I did. It was early April and Erin had started reserving seats for her 2016 season, after a few exchanged calls I secured a table for 3, Wednesday July 13. Planned in tandem with our visit to catch up with Mansell, our 19 year old camp counselor.

Lost Kitchen outside

{the} Lost Kitchen

It’s not easy to find Freedom, Maine, GPS is strongly advised. After leaving our hotel in Camden we drove past gorgeous lakes, through pine forests and over hills that crested to views of farm fields that went on for miles. The nice thing about being on vacation in Maine is that you must slow down, in some ways I felt forced to. We didn’t need to hurry either as the reservation was set for 6pm. That is the time they start and there’s only one nightly seating at “Lost Kitchen”. Read More »

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Woodfire Beets with fennel, currants, raisins and yogurt

— Posted in: From Seed to Plate, Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian
Woodfire Roasted Beets by chef Megan Huylo

Recipe by chef Megan Huylo of Amber Waves Farm Kitchen in Amagansett

Woodfire Roasted Beets w/ baby fennel, fresh currants, golden raisins & yogurt

Serves 2

  • 6 medium red beets, ends trimmed
  • 4 lemons, zested & juiced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt, whipped with a fork
  • 2 baby fennel, thinly sliced & fronds reserved
  • ¼ cup fresh red currants
  • 2 tablespoons golden raisins
  • 2 tablespoons chopped, toasted walnuts

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Smoked Baby Beet and Arugula Salad

— Posted in: From Seed to Plate, Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian
Smoked Baby Beet and Arugula Salad by chef Sam McCleland

Recipe by chef Sam McCleland of The Bell & Anchor in Sag Harbor, NY

Smoked Baby Beet and Arugula Salad

serves 4

  • 16 baby beets, roasted and quartered lengthwise
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 6 sprigs of thyme
  • 1/2teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 bulb of fennel, cored and shaved thinly
  • 4 cups baby arugula
  • 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
  • 2 oz cranberry vinaigrette (recipe to follow below)

For Beets:

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, toss whole beets, olive oil, salt, pepper and whole thyme sprigs. Transfer to a sheet pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast in oven for 30 minutes or until tender. Cool and then gently remove skin with a dry towel (skin will slip off when gently rubbed). Read More »

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Roasted Baby Beet Salad

— Posted in: From Seed to Plate, Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian, Videos
Roasted baby beets, yogurt, honey, orange, pistachio and mint

Recipe by chef Justin Finney of Highway Restaurant & Barin East Hampton

Roasted baby beets, yogurt, honey, orange, pistachio and mint

makes three salads

  • 2 lb. local beets (tops removed)
  • 2 tbl olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1tsp cracked black pepper

To roast the beets mix all the ingredients together and place in a roasting pan. Cover the pan with foil and place in a 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes. Test the beets with a toothpick to make sure they are done. Let the beets cool for 15 minutes and then remove the skins. Read More »

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Grilled Artichokes

— Posted in: Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian
Grilled Artichokes

Serves 4 as a large starter or 8 with a side salad

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium size artichokes
  • 2 lemons (cut in half and sliced thin)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon white pepper

For Sofrito:

  • 3 tablespoons jalapeño (diced fine)
  • 2 tablespoons red pepper (diced fine)
  • 2 tablespoons red onion (diced fine)
  • 2 tablespoons garlic (diced fine)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

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Valencia Salad

— Posted in: Recipes, Salads
Valencia Salad

Makes entree size salads for 4
Top with shrimp or other protein if inspired

Lime & agave dressing:

1.5 cups olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup agave syrup
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoons freshly grated garlic
pinch of sea salt

Whisk ingredients together and store in a squeeze bottle, refrigerate. Read More »

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Greek Style Salad

— Posted in: Recipes, Salads
Greek Style Salad

Family style recipe – serves 10

Ingredients:

4 large, ripe tomatoes, diced into 2 inch cubes
3 cucumbers, peel 3/4 then dice same size as tomatoes ( a little green skin is nice)
1 red onion, cut in half then slice thin
3 cups cleaned arugula, sliced thin
1 cup basil leaves, sliced and tossed with the arugula
1 cup black Kalamata olives, seeds removed and cut in half
1 cup feta cheese, cut into pieces the same size as the tomatoes Read More »

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Green Goddess Salad

— Posted in: Recipes, Salads

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients for Salad Dressing:

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup greek yogurt (drain through a coffee filter first for at least 1 hour)
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley

Combine in a blender and run until smooth

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