Chop Chop Salad in a Jar

Note: This is part of the Traveling Picnic episode were we featured three ethnic inspired lunches (French, Asian & Italian). I separated the recipes out individually to provide you with a better search option.

This is an Italian inspired lunch in the form of a salad - it's like an antipasto in a jar. Travels very well but because it has meat and cheese,  it should be kept in a cooler. For dessert, pick up some fresh fruit from a roadside stand, dip it in some cool and creamy mascarpone cheese and you have a fabulous roadside lunch. For a little extra zip, try drizzling the balsamic vinegar on the mascarpone before dipping fruit into it. Delizioso!

Serves 2       

Prep time: 20 minutes     

Cook time: zero

 Salad

1 romaine heart, washed, dried and chopped

½ pint cherry tomatoes, washed and halved

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

10-20 pitted Kalamata olives, rough chopped

10 basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons or torn

1/3 lb. fresh mozzarella, cut into small dice

1/3 lb. salami, cut into small dice

Vinaigrette

2 tsp. Diamond Kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

1 clove garlic, smashed (optional)

1/3 cup Lucini Balsamic vinegar

¾ to 1 cup California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil

Layer the salad ingredients in a large Mason jar. In a small jar that has a lid, add the salt, garlic (if using) and vinegar. Close jar and shake to dissolve salt. Add ¾ cup of olive oil, close jar and shake well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. You may add additional oil and shake if you like your vinaigrette less piquant.

Pack the vinaigrette separately from the salad. Five to ten minutes before eating, dress the salad. You should start by using a third of the dressing and adding more to taste. You can dress the salad in the jar and give it a few good shakes, or toss the salad in a bowl to serve. Refrigerate and save any remaining dressing for your next salad.

Encores: Chop Chop salad is like an antipasto plate chopped up and made into a salad. It lends itself well to improvisation. If you have some leftover chicken, ham or steak, chop it up and add it to the salad in addition to or instead of the salami. You can experiment with the cheese as well. Substitute feta, chicken and rosemary in place of the fresh mozzarella, salami and basil and you will have a totally different and delicious salad. You may also add additional fresh or pickled vegetables that you have on hand.

No one pumps cast iron like a TrailerChix

 Fireside or in the galley, nothing beats a good set of cast iron

One of the most challenging rooms for me to downsize was my kitchen. I love cooking, canning, and baking. Nothing brings me more joy than feeding people. So when it came to packing my trailer, I had to make some tough decisions on which pots and pans would make the transition with me – so I decided to bring them ALL. You can’t be a tinker without pots and pans… right?

Like many families, the value of a good cast iron skillet and Dutch oven was passed down through generations. Some of my most treasured memories are of my grandmother’s sauerbraten and pichelsteiner cooking over a low heat for hours in her very well-seasoned, black cast iron pot she received as a wedding gift in the ‘20s.

Although with a little less oil then my grandmother, but with the same eye for quality, I found myself jumping into the Sonoma County dump at the age of 16 to rescue a perfectly good Dutch oven – the very one that I still use today.

I favor the standard black cast iron over some of the new more ‘classier’ versions. To me, they’re still the easiest to clean and the seasoning seems to be more to my taste. They’re also more versatile in that I can go from campfire to trailer cook top.

I’ve since whittled down my pan inventory to five that do more than I need. The big advantage of these pans is that I only need one lid for all of them – another space saver.

1) Flat iron – toast, eggs, tortillas, quesadillas, pancakes (I use this every day)

2) #10 deep dish – go-to for breakfast, roasted veggies, frittatas, fritters

3) #10 fryer – tarts, crisps, breads, pizza

4) Dutch oven – roasting, jambalaya, paella, stews

5) 12# crepe pan – the flat iron can cook crepes, but this is a beautiful pan

 If you think cast iron is only good for frying – guess again! I highly recommend the Cast iron Cookbook by Joanna Pruess. This is a fabulous full color cookbook that not only gives you a great history of cast iron cooking and how to take care of your iron, but also some very current recipes. You’ll find enough great ideas to take you from breakfast to dessert!

Trailer chicks will need to add a little cooking time when cooking with LPG or over a fire pit.

Let us know how you pump your iron!

Chicken On The Run

Rotisserie or roasted chicken is usually available in most grocery stores and is a very versatile item that can easily be turned into a variety of meals. When you are done with the chicken meat, you can use the carcass to make a simple stock. Place all bones in a medium stock pot, cover with water and add ½  an onion, a few stalks of celery, a carrot chopped up and some fresh herbs if you have them. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer an hour or so. Cool and strain liquid from bones. Discard bones and vegetables. Use stock as a base for soups or sauces. Vegetables (especially broccoli) tastes delicious when simmered in stock. 

Rotisserie chickens are also very economical, both on the wallet and on your energy use. I always like to have one or two on hand when traveling or camping.

From one rotisserie chicken I've created several different recipes that feed six very hungry people.

Boston Market

 

Chicken and FetaSalad

Chicken Quesadilla