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.

Potato and Green Bean Salad

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 a refreshing change to the often mayonnaise drenched potato salad, making it a great road trip companion and can be packed in something as simple as a canning jar.

Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 20 minutes 
Cook Time: 30 minutes

 




½ pounds red or white small new potatoes, quartered or diced

½ pound green beans, cut into ½ inch lengths

1 Tbls. chopped shallot or red onion

1-2 ribs of celery, diced

¼ cup California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup Spectrum Naturals red wine vinegar

1 tsp. Diamond Kosher salt

 freshly ground pepper

Vinaigrette

2 Tbls. red wine vinegar

2 tsp. Maille Dijon mustard

1 tsp. Diamond Kosher salt

2 Tbls. chopped parsley

1 Tbls. chopped fresh thyme

¼ cup California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Place potatoes in a medium pot on high and cover with cold water and 1Tbls. Kosher salt. Bring to a boil, turn heat to medium and simmer 8 minutes. In the last 3 minutes, add the green beans. Once potatoes and beans are cooked, remove from heat and drain in a colander. Place in a medium bowl with shallot and celery and toss with ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ cup red wine vinegar and 1 tsp Kosher salt. Let salad marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to 24 hours. 

Just before serving or packing for your picnic, mix up vinaigrette. In a small, lidded jar combine salt, mustard and red wine vinegar. Close jar and shake vigorously. When well combined add olive oil and fresh herbs and shake to emulsify. Pour over potato salad and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Pack in a quart mason jar or cover and refrigerate.

Encores: If you are cooking potatoes for something else, cook a few extra and turn them into potato salad. You can improvise with what you have as far as other vegetables. Cherry tomatoes, radishes, zucchini and corn would also work well.

Pan Bagnat Sandwich

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.

The name of this sandwich, pan bagnat, literally translates to “wet bread” or as I prefer, “bathed bread”. It is a great travel sandwich because the longer the flavors marry and bathe the bread, the tastier the sandwich becomes. You need a very crusty bread, otherwise it will become soggy.

Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 20 minutes   

Cook Time: about 20 minutes

1 French baguette (very crusty)

2 5 ounce cans of tuna packed in olive oil

1 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1-2 medium tomatoes, sliced

½ red onion, thinly sliced

2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced

20 basil leaves

Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp. Diamond Kosher salt

2 tsp. Maille Dijon mustard

¼ cup Spectrum Naturals red wine vinegar

½ cup California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

Make the vinaigrette. In a small jar combine garlic, salt, mustard and red wine vinegar. Close jar and shake vigorously. When well combined add oil and shake to emulsify. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt pepper and additional mustard or vinegar if needed. Set aside.

Make the sandwich. Cut the round ends off each end of the baguette. (You can snack on these while you are making the sandwich). Slice the baguette in half vertically. Then slice each piece in half horizontally. You should now have four pieces. Open the baguette and set the top portions aside. On the bottom portions, start layering by flaking the tuna over the entire baguette. Drizzle with the oil from the can. Next layer on the olives, then peppers, the tomatoes, red onions, egg slices and finally the basil leaves. Shake the vinaigrette and drizzle all over the layered ingredients and on the inside of the top portions of the sandwich. Place the tops on the sandwiches, tucking in all the ingredients and pressing down to smash the sandwiches. Wrap each half tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and set on a tray or in a casserole dish. Depending on space and what you have available, weight the sandwiches down for at least a few hours. This will marry the ingredients to make a delicious sandwich filling. I use a plastic wrapped brick to weight my Pan Bagnat. You could also pack them in a cooler and put heavy items on top-like a few bottles of wine or beer or an extra child. They can marinate like this in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. When you are ready to eat, unwrap the sandwiches and slice into thirds or halves. Serve with lots of napkins and Potato and Green Bean Salad.