M-J’s Elegant Spinach Salad

M-J’s Spinach Salad features bacon, toasted walnuts and Parmesan cheese, in a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. ©M-J de Mesterton 2012

M-J’s Spinach Salad features bacon, toasted walnuts and Parmesan cheese, in a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. ©M-J de Mesterton 2012

M-J’s Elegant Spinach Casserole

M-J's Recipe for Elegant Spinach, Lettuce and Cream Cheese Casserole Appears on The Elegant Cook Vegetable Page

M-J’s Elegant Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

Assembling an Elegant Spinach and Artichoke Casserole: Line Bottom of Baking Pan with Butter. Spread with Artichoke Pieces and Fresh Spinach

Spinach and Artichoke Casserole is Topped with Cream Cheese and Mayonnaise Mixture, then Sprinkled with Grated Parmesan before Baking

LIST OF INGREDIENTS:

One tablespoon of butter, your preference

A 14-ounce can or two small jars of artichoke hearts such as Cara Mia brand (the jarred, pickled artichoke hearts are as appropriate for this recipe as the lightly-brined ones found in cans)–you will distribute half of these, broken into in pieces, at the bottom of an elegant baking dish, which has been spread with the tablespoon of butter. The other half will be used to dot the spinach leaves when they have been added to the baking dish.

A large bag, approximating half-a-pound, of raw, organic baby spinach (it can be found at Sam’s Club in a one-pound plastic tub from Taylor Organic of Salinas, California–I use half a Taylor tub for this recipe.) This baby spinach is almost always washed three times and ready-to-use, therefore I do not wash it a fourth time, as the spinach should be dry in the baking-dish to avoid being soggy. But, follow the directions on your bag of baby spinach to determine whether or not you need to wash and dry it. Arrange this baby spinach on top of the artichoke heart pieces. Evenly distribute the remaining artichoke pieces on top of the spinach-leaves.

Mix the following ingredients together and beat until smooth enough to pour over assembled artichokes and spinach, which have been arranged in a large baking dish:

One half-cup of mayonnaise, your choice of brand and style

Eight or more ounces of cream cheese, brought to room-temperature

One egg

One half-cup of buttermilk or regular milk

About one ounce, more or less according to your taste, of grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

White or Green Pepper, fine-ground

Ladle this creamy mixture over the spinach-artichoke assemblage. Top it with a bit of additional Parmesan cheese if desired, and bake for thirty minutes at 350F or a moderately hot oven. ©M-J de Mesterton

M-J's Elegant Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

Elegant Beetroot from the Home Garden

Beets, Beetroot, Betteraves, Betabel

This home-garden-grown baby beetroot was washed, steamed for five minutes, then dressed with olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. The root, bulb and leaves were consumed by your faithful editor. Grown in soil with only kitchen compost as a fertiliser, and no pesticides, this exquisite, nutritious beet was part of a health-promoting luncheon.

©M-J de Mesterton 

Elegant Summer Squash, from Home Garden to Dinner Plate

Marrows or squash are very easy to grow. They make great soups, casseroles, and fried vegetable dishes.

Fried Summer Squash, from the Home-Garden Harvest

Fried Summer Squash

Liquid: Two beaten eggs, 1/4 cup of buttermilk, cayenne pepper, paprika, to taste

Dredging Ingredients: One cup of white flour

One half-cup of corn masa

One tablespoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

Slice summer squash into discs. Dip these into the liquid. Dredge in flour mixture. Fry in vegetable, olive, corn or coconut oil. Remove with slotted spoon or tongs. Drain on paper towels.

©M-J de Mesterton 2010

M-J’s Golden Potatoes

High Praise for the Lowly Potato

Potatoes: the much-maligned tubers aren’t guilty of fattening us. The added fats in potato-preparation are the culprits. Spuds contain a “resistant starch” that aids in burning body-fat. This humble vegetable that grows low on the ground is high in nutrients. 

A potato supplies more potassium per ounce than a banana. Potassium helps to regulate blood-pressure and blood-sugar. Potatoes also contain vitamin C, B-6 and about 60 anti-oxidants.

M-J’s Recipe for Golden Brown Potatoes

M-J's Golden Potatoes

Peel and cut into quarters or eighths, as many potatoes as you think you need for dinner. The cut potatoes should resemble chunks or nuggets. One potato per person is a safe bet; the leftovers can be re-heated and eaten the next day.

Boil water in a pot, with saffron, salt and/or chicken bouillon to your taste. Add the potato chunks and boil them for twenty minutes. For a more orange appearance, some paprika may also be added. Drain potatoes and then sauté them in butter or the fat of your choice until brown. Alternatively, you may coat the potatoes in melted butter and salt, then bake them on a cookie sheet until brown. A good way to evenly distribute the coating is to put the potatoes, oil and seasoning in a Zip-Lock bag and shake gently, being careful not to break the potato chunks.
Baked or sautéed, these potatoes are soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside.
~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 2008

Making an Elegant Salad

Elegant Salad Design, Ready to Be Tossed by Your Dinner Guest (Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton 2009)

When preparing a salad…

~~M-J de Mesterton Copyright 2009

Composed Salad with Lettuce, Cucumber, Avocado, Grated Gruyère Cheese, Tomatoes and Chile-Roasted Pecans (Photo Copyright Elegant Survival 2009) Elegant Salad Design, Ready to Be Tossed by Your Dinner Guest (Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton 2009)

Keep Your Salad Covered before Serving to Prevent Fruit-Flies (Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton)

Elegant Salad Composition

Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton: Greek Cypriot Village Salad “Horiatikí”

Elegant, Economical British Dishes Presented by Elaine Lemm on Video

Delicious, Economical British Classics Presented by Elaine Lemm

Here are three classic British recipes presented in video form by Elaine Lemm on about.com: the Cornish Pasty (a favorite in my family for four generations, which I made for English-Speaking Union parties at my house many times); Bakewell Tart (invented in Bakewell, England), an elegant dessert, the taste of which  reminds me of Danish pastry; and Irish Colcannon–a vitamin-rich, green-and-white dish that could serve as an economical meal, which contains three vegetables.

Italian Easter Pie: Torta di Pasqua

Torta di Pascua

Puff pastry or pie dough, enough to line and cover an 11-inch pie-plate

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 lbs. of ricotta cheese, well-strained to remove all liquid (setting the ricotta cheese in a strainer over a bowl overnight is best)

1/2 lb. mild or hot Italian sausage, sliced and lightly fried in olive oil

8 to 10 slices of prosciutto ham, coarsely chopped

1/2 lb. of diced mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons of chopped or dried parsley

Freshly ground pepper, and salt, to taste

One egg-yolk and one tablespoon of water for glaze

Prepare your pastry. Beat the eggs into the ricotta cheese, and add the rest of the ingredients. Roll out the pastry or pie dough, and line the pie-pan with one-half of it. Pour filling into the dough-lined pan, and lay the rest of your dough on top of it, sealing, trimming, and crimping the edges. Brush the top with an egg-yolk mixed with a tablespoon of water. Make pretty slits in the top of the crust, and bake in a moderately hot 350* oven for forty-five minutes to an hour, until the top of Easter Pie is golden. Serve Torta di Pasqua either warm or at room temperature. This recipe serves 8 people.

~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton

M-J’s Green Bean and Almond Sauté

M-J’s Green Bean and Almond Sauté

(M-J’s recipe is on the Elegant Survival.net Cuisine page). Empty a bag of frozen or fresh green beans into the hot oil. The thinner the beans, the better. Crush some roasted chile almonds (M-J’s recipe is on the Cuisine page at Elegant Survival.net) inside of a bag with a mallet or potato masher. Empty them into the pan with the green beans after they have begun to look a bit browned. Toss this together while sautéeing it all for a while longer. Serve alongside chicken or beef, or as a high-protein, high-fiber meal if you don’t eat meat.

~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 2009