Purple Slaw

My friends think the red grape is a rather quirky addition to what essentially is a cabbage slaw. But come on, the color of the red grapes goes so well with the red cabbage and the balsamic vinegar. It's the main reason I added them!

PURPLE SLAW

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small (or 1/4 medium) red cabbage, shredded / thinly sliced
1 cup red grapes, halved
Salt & pepper

Mix vinegar and sugar in a salad bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir in oil. Throw in cabbage & grapes, toss until well coated with the dressing. Season with salt & pepper. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Spinach in Balsamic Vinegar

Recipes are just like fashion; they're almost always a recycled idea. The inspiration for this recipe is he glazing technique, just like you make a sauce or gravy for a meat dish in the same pan that was used to sear the meat. My original intention was to create a warm salad dressing, but since I already got the spinach handy why not throw them in at once? Et voila.

SPINACH IN BALSAMIC VINEGAR

1/2 red onion, chopped (or 2 big French shallots, sliced)
olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp powdered chicken broth
6 oz fresh spinach (1 small pack or 1/2 large pack)
Salt & pepper

Heat pan, drizzle olive oil (2-3 turns of the pan). Sautee onions until soft. Add balsamic vinegar, reduce to half or two-third. Add powdered chicken broth, mix until it dissolves. Add spinach and cook until they just wilt (don't overcook). Season with salt & pepper.

Antipasto Salad

Summer's here! Tomatoes are good, and so is basil ... I love to use them in summer.

Antipasto Salad

2 cups short pasta (penne, rigatoni, shells, etc)
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
16 oz mozarella cheese, cut to bite size
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn or coarsely chopped
Optional: 1/3 jar (12-oz jar) of roast bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 tsp Italian Herb Mix (easily found in the Herbs & Spices section of regular grocery stores)
Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
1 tbsp white vinegar
Optional: a dash of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil (for salads I prefer light to medium instead of extra virgin)

Cooking pasta: boil 4-5 cups of water. Once boiling, add 1-2 pinches of salt and a drizzle of olive oil (one turn of the pan should do it). Add pasta and garlic. Wait until water comes back to a running boil, THEN start your timer according to instruction. Stir occasionally while cooking and remove from heat when timer's done. This should give you a nice, al dente pasta.

Run cooked pasta under cold water, drain and put in a bowl. Throw in cheese, tomatoes, basil and roasted peppers. Mix lightly.

Dressing: peel boiled garlic and mush with the side of a kitchen knife, then transfer to a small bowl. Add Italian Herb Mix, salt & pepper (about 3 grinder turns of salt, 2 turns of pepper). Add vinegar & lemon juice. Dilute with a few drops of water to reduce acidity if preferred. Mix with a fork. Drizzle in olive oil slowly while beating vigorously with the fork to get a smooth dressing.

Pour dressing over the pasta mix, toss until the ingredients are well-coated with dressing. Adjust seasoning if needed. Chill & serve!

Russian (or French?) Salad

I quickly fell in love with this salad after I had it at a potluck dinner. Because the friend who made it is a Russian, I've always called it "Russian salad". I just found out that Irina actually calls the salad "Olivie" -- she thinks it's French in a way. But what's in a name!

OLIVIE SALAD

1 kg of potatoes, boiled and peeled
1 cucumber (fresh or pickled), chopped
1-2 carrot, peeled & boiled until just soft
1 apple, peeled, cored & finely chopped
1 can of ready-to-eat peas
3-5 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
300-400 gr ground beef, browned & seasoned with salt + pepper to taste (substitute with chicken/hotdogs, or none for a veggie version)
1-2 stalks scallion, chopped
mayonnaise to taste (but enough to make the salad "juicy")
salt & pepper
small bunch of fresh chopped dill (optional)

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl and mix lightly. Stir in mayonnaise gradually while mixing the salad. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Kitchen (Not So) Confidential

I first learn how to cook, officially, when I was going through a rather long period of joblessness right out of college. It turns out to be one of the best skills I've ever learned (besides touch typing) – it came real handy when I left my parents' to live on my own!

Cooking your own meals has many advantages: first and foremost, you can save quite a lot of money. Where I live now, eating out costs a fortune if you want to keep a certain quality standard of the food you eat. Which brings me to the second point: cooking and shopping for myself allows me greater control of hygiene and the quality of ingredients. And finally, I don’t have to limit myself to anyone’s menu; I get to eat what I want to eat!

Despite the advantages, some people don't really cook. Sure, sometimes we’re busy or not in the mood for it ... but some people I know don't cook because they don't think they can. Well, from my own experience I can tell you it's a learned skill. Some people may be more talented than the rest of us, and that's why they become chefs, but even the best chefs get to that level because they practice, practice and practice.

I guess some chefs do make cooking looks complicated ... You need to buy premium ingredients, use funky equipments, you have to do it this way otherwise you screw up ... That's why I like chefs like Jamie Oliver or Rachael Ray, who invites everybody to the kitchen. They use everyday ingredients you can find in your local supermarket and they encourage trying out variations of the recipes. They dress like normal people, keep things simple and they cook FAST. Yeah baby, if it takes 30 minutes or less, I’m in! My neighbor thinks Rachael Ray is not a real cook because she doesn't measure anything (and she probably cheats a little using frozen or canned stuff), but I think that’s how real people cook.

So, coming back to the whole point of starting this new blog ... I think everyone can have fun in the kitchen, even children. It’s healthy, you’ll appreciate food more, and it’s even more rewarding if your loved ones also get to enjoy your cooking.

I hope you’ll like the upcoming recipes and tips that I'd like to share here at Kitchen Confidential. Your contributions are welcome too. Obviously the entries are not really confidential; I chose the name simply for cacophony … But let’s get those pots and pans rattling now!