Last Weekend, I went on a picnic to Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine. In typical me fashion, I volunteered to bring the food, and decided to make a few salads, in addition to wraps and fruit and cookies. I’m going to combine them all here into one blog post. The types are:
Walnut Pesto Ditalini Pasta Salad
Springtime Potato Salad
Cucumber Radish and Feta Salad, and
Middle Eastern Barley Salad with Pomegranate and Pistachios
They were all a big hit and I would definitely recommend them for any picnic or BBQ potluck that you might be having this summer. None have mayo, so no chance of them going off, although the Cucumber Radish and Feta Salad does wilt fairly quickly. The Middle Eastern Barley Salad with Pomegranate and Pistachios is a very unique one and may not be to everyone’s taste but we all thought it was yummy.
Walnut Pesto Ditalini Pasta Salad with Chickpeas
Ingredients
For the Pesto
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
1/4 cup good extra virgin oil
1 large garlic clove
big squeeze of fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad
1 box ditalini pasta
up to 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 can chickpeas, drained
additional grated parmigiano-reggiano to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
First make the pesto: Pulse together basil and walnuts in a food processor. Add garlic and olive oil. Pulse again. Add cheese, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Pulse until just blended. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and pulse a few more times. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator, although you will use all of it for this salad.
Boil the pasta according to the box directions, drain and cool completely. Dice the avocado and toss in the lemon juice to limit browning. Add cooked pasta and drained chick peas to a large bowl. Add in the pesto and gently toss. Add additional olive oil to loosen up if necessary and add additional grated parmigiano-reggiano to taste. Re-season as needed with salt and pepper.
Springtime Potato Salad
Ingredients
3 pounds waxy potatoes (see note)
1 medium onion, very small dice
1 roasted red pepper, diced (jarred is fine)
3/4 peas, fresh or frozen
1 cup beef broth, warm
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
chives, very finely minced for garnish
Directions
Boil potatoes in their skin until a knife pierces through easily but they are still firm. If you over-cook the potatoes, you will have a mess on your hands. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel skins off and cut into slices. Place potato slices and onions into a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the roasted red pepper and peas.
Add in the warm beef broth, a little at a time. You do not want it to get too liquidy. Stir gently to combine. Add vinegar and oil and re-season.
Let sit at room temperature for about an hour, stirring occasionally. The mixture will absorb some of the liquid and some of the starch will come out of the potatoes, so it will become a little creamy. Re-season and garnish before serving. Best served at room temperature, not cold from the refrigerator.
Note: the potato type that you use is very important. It needs to be a hard-cooking potato that does not fall apart. If you are lucky enough to find German Butterball or Carola potatoes at your local farmer’s market, use those. My next choice would be small Yukon Gold potatoes and in a real pinch, you can use small red potatoes. Do not use russets.
Cucumber Radish and Feta Salad
Ingredients
1 “European” or “English” Cucumber
4-5 radishes
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup feta, diced or crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Using a mandoline slicer on the thinnest setting, slice the cucumber and the radishes, being very careful not to slice your fingers. Place in a mixing bowl. Add in dill, salt and pepper, then vinegar and oil. Toss to combine, taste and re-season if necessary. Add the feta just before serving (which should be pretty straight away as this salad doesn’t hold very long.
Middle Eastern Barley Salad with Pomegranate and Pistachios
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pearl barley
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped coarse
3 ounces feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (3/4 cup)
6 scallions, green parts only, sliced thin
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
Directions
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add barley and 1 tablespoon salt, return to boil, and cook until tender, 20 to 40 minutes. Drain barley, spread onto rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely, about 15 minutes.
Whisk oil, molasses, cinnamon, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in large bowl. Add barley, raisins, cilantro, and pistachios and gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
If presenting on a platter, spread barley salad evenly on serving platter and arrange feta, scallions, and pomegranate seeds in separate diagonal rows on top. Drizzle with extra oil and serve. If packing a lunch, add the feta, scallion greens and pomegranate seeds to the large mixing bowl and toss to combine, drizzling with additional extra-virgin olive oil. Keep chilled until serving.
