The Funky Kitchen

I love the combination of these ingredients. Initially, reading the recipe, I was a little distrustful because these amigos don’t really spend much time together in my kitchen. Watermelon, we eat a lot of that. Briny feta cheese finds it’s way onto the plate regularly too. Shrimp? Both Mister and I would be good to consume shrimp most days. Still, all three in conjunction seemed a little weird. I was also excited to bring arugula back into the house, though Mister felt differently (more about that later).

As it turns out, I shouldn’t have been apprehensive. The ingredients went together really well, and truly do make up a quintessential summer salad. It’s substantial enough that you can eat it on its own; and it has a protein source, which certainly makes the carnivore I live with more happy. What is it with the majority of men and not liking salad unless it involves animals too? Ha ha. The really awesome thing, though, is that for a hot day, the combination of watermelon and feta is so good for your body. It’s so refreshing because the watermelon helps hydrate and the feta replenishes some of the salt your body needs to maintain equilibrium. Also, they’re a very tasty flavor combination.

To top it off, the shrimp are spiced with cayenne pepper. It may be a salad to cool you down, but the twang of heat really is invigorating. Maybe all of those cuisines based in equatorial areas have it right, spice in scorching climes isn’t a bad thing.

Shrimp, Feta and Watermelon Salad

(adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy Appetite)

200 g shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1.5 kg seedless watermelon

50 g arugula leaves

120 g feta cheese

2 Tbsp sunflower seeds

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp sugar

4 Tbsp olive oil

• Toss the shrimp with the first measure of olive oil, and then sprinkle with the cayenne, salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Cut the watermelon into wedges, and then remove the flesh from the skin.
• Cut the watermelon into oblique, or haphazard, bite sized pieces. The different shapes are visually appealing.
• Toss the watermelon with the arugula leaves, tipping them into a large serving platter.
• Crumble the feta cheese over top.
• Set a skillet over medium heat, and toast the sunflower seeds. Remove from heat as soon as they start to release their aroma.
• Sprinkle the sunflower seeds over the salad.
• Tip the shrimp into the skillet and cook until opaque, about 1 minute per side.
• Tumble the cooked shrimp over the top of the platter.
• Whisk together the lime juice, sugar and olive oil to create a vinaigrette for the salad.
• Drizzle over top and serve.

What staples do you have in your pantry no matter what? What key things are in your fridge that you could not do without? What is that ingredient in your kitchen that makes appearances so often it’s ubiquitous?

I have a new favorite pantry staple, it’s bringing an additional depth of flavor to a surprising amount of foods, and that is without adding much effort at all to my day to day meal preparation. What is it? I’m sure a number of you out there in the internet ether already use this, but it’s garlic infused olive oil.

Now that I’ve got a bottle of that golden goodness in my arsenal, any time I need to use a cooking oil where I would use olive oil, I use the garlic infused. Not only do you get the additional garlic flavor, but you also avoid the presence of chunks of minced garlic where you do not wish them to be, or the acridity of overcooked garlic.

Instead of frying an onion in a splash of oil, why not use garlic infused olive oil. The additional world of flavor is there, and you don’t need to make any extra steps to what you normally would in pouring some oil into the pan. Also, it is so worth having around if you make your own salad dressings or vinaigrettes. The only preparation you need to do is to infuse the oil, and that isn’t too much work either.

Garlic Infused Olive Oil

8-10 cloves of garlic (~ 1 head)

2 Cups olive oil

• Remove the skins from the garlic cloves.
• Thinly slice the garlic in order to give maximum surface area for infusion. Discard the hard bottom ends of the cloves.
• Mix the sliced garlic into the olive oil. Cover and allow to steep for 2 days, stirring occasionally.
• Strain the garlic out of the oil, and store your infused oil in the fridge in a sealer or a bottle with a cork.

I keep the oil in the fridge because I worry that some of the garlic essence imparted into the oil may spoil kept at room temperature long term. Having the oil in the fridge will cause it to solidify, but as long as you take it out of the fridge before you need it (and maybe set it into some warm water to rush the process) it will go back into the liquid phase.

So, that’s my pantry staple as of recent, and it’s something I’m quite converted to the use of. What is indispensable for you in your kitchen, or makes your food extra special?

Sodium benzoate is a preservative that prevents bacterial and fungal growth. It’s an ingredient I found in one of the salad dressings I use. I can agree with the use of something that will keep bacteria and fungi off my salad. Yes please!

But, (and there is a big but)…

When sodium benzoate is in solution with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) it forms benzene, a known carcinogen. Food products that contain both of these molecules are controlled, so that there won’t be a high enough concentration of benzene for it to be considered harmful. Also, sodium benzoate and artificial color in conjunction may lead to increased hyperactivity in children. Still, knowing that it’s there, do you want to consume it? No thank you sir, not on my salad.

The above, in addition to the fact that you can make your own easily, and save money doing it, has led me away from purchasing ready made dressings. You can make small batches or large batches, depending on the number of people you are feeding salad to. It’s fun to experiment with flavor combinations and ingredients too; pomegranate molasses vinaigrette with black pepper was really tasty and zingy but trying it again with a different vinegar, maybe apple cider instead of balsamic, would change it entirely.

Why not skip the preservatives and pinch a couple of extra pennies? All you need is a jar.

Due to the incredible interchangeability that comes with vinaigrette making, the recipe I’m putting up here is just one of a multitude of examples. What’s important to see, though, if this is new to you, is the ratio. Three parts oil, two parts vinegar, 1/2 a part of mustard (to help emulsify), and the add ins that fit your fancy. Put it in your jar and shake it up.

The vinaigrette I have here for you is a simple balsamic vinaigrette, because we love balsamic around these parts. It also has a really strong hit of garlic, emphasis on really, but garlic breath isn’t so bad when both of you have it.

Groovy Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

(This recipe is written as a ratio, choose a suitable measure and use the same measure with the correct number of parts to make the vinaigrette. In my case, my measure was a tablespoon, and we had enough vinaigrette for a couple of individual salads)

3 parts olive oil

2 parts balsamic vinegar

1/2 part grainy mustard

1/2 a garlic clove, minced or run through a garlic press

a pinch of pepper

• Take a clean jar and put all of the ingredients into it.
• Twist the lid onto the jar and shake until emulsified (perhaps take this opportunity for a random dance party. shake shake shake!)
• Drizzle over salad.  **Do not dress your salad until you’re ready to serve it and enjoy!**

A minute from start to finish is pretty awesome.