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Each year at Shavuos, we pay tribute to the bounty of springtime by offering a recipe for green salad. This year's choice is the most flexible, since it can be served in versions which are parve, dairy or meat, as the cook requires. In contrast to Ceaser salad, with its long list of ingredients, Antipasto Salad is a snap.
Almost all classic dishes can give rise to salad adaptations; just think of the many chicken salads. Still, no salad is more versatile than one created by using the delicacies that commonly are included in an Italian "Antipasto." An Antipasto is a platter of mixed hors d'oeuvres that is served family-style. Classically, it precedes the pasta course. In fact, Antipasto often is used as an appetizer regardless of the entree to follow, though its very name is structured from a contraction of the Latin "ante," or "before," added to a variation of the word "pasta," or noodles.
The Antipasto platter is carefully arranged for both variety and visual appeal, but here, we more easily toss the ingredients into a bowl. With some cooked chicken, maybe a bit of minced salami, Antipasto Salad can do duty as the main course of a meat menu. Substitute an assortment of cheeses--a smoked cheese plus a Muenster work particularly nicely--and it's the centerpiece of a dairy dinner. By using tuna fish, either canned or fresh, it's kept parve. Or one can leave out all of these proteins and the vegetables remain a fine sidedish. And when Passover rolls around once again, it becomes a chometz-free luncheon dish zesty enough so that bread will not even be missed.
At Shavuos especially, we usually prepare dairy dishes as another way of celebrating the event being commemorated, Moses' receipt of the Commandments. In kindergarden, we are taught that this was a gift as sweet as "milk and honey," hence leading to the tradition of offering dairy meals. Any dairy dish would go well with the parve or dairy versions of the Antipasto Salad: the cheese blintzes that are obligatory in Ashkenazic households, or perhaps a quiche, which is a main-dish cheese pie.
A pasta recipe, and there are dozens, would seem extremely appropriate with an Antipasto Salad. Fettucine Alfredo is one of the greatest inventions of Italian cuisine. In it, broad noodles are boiled and tossed in a sauce blended of butter, cream and grated Parmesan cheese, then finished with a bit of ground black pepper. Not low-calorie, obviously, but deservedly beloved. Some cooks further jazz up this sauce with cooked asparagus or mushrooms; others include even fresh or smoked salmon.
Those who instead want to serve a pasta at a meat meal can take a parve tomato sauce recipe a bit further by supplementing it with olives and capers.
Capers are small, tart berries processed by pickling in a brine. As with many gourmet-style products, the "Season" brand is a kosher resource for this kind of item.
We also include a famous egg recipe, Fritatta. Fritatta is a bit difficult to explain. It's an egg dish, first beaten, then filled with vegetables (or minced salami, for a meat meal.) Cooking begins on the stovetop and ends under a broiler. When presented, it looks like a large egg pancake.
Exactly like the salad, it can be prepared in versions which are parve, dairy or meat, though the dairy adaptation, using cream and lots of cheese, probably is the tastiest. Again like the salad, the same ingredients listed below can go into the Fritatta, but try to choose judiciously. Do not use the identical selection in each of the two recipes. If tomato is to go into the salad, add the sliced bell pepper to the eggs, and so forth. Unlike the salad, all of the vegetables should be pre-cooked before going into the Fritatta.
Though we are offering the Antipasto Salad recipe in the springtime, the entree makes for a splendid dinner all summer long. It's quick...it's easy...it's pretty...it's got some big flavors which stand up to the steamiest weather...and it doesn't make the kitchen hot. Simply put some of the requisite ingredients into a large salad bowl with lots of lettuce. These can include tomato wedges, chopped onion, sliced mushrooms. A more complete list follows. Toss the combination with a generous quantity of Italian dressing, whether bottled or home-made. The salad is ready in minutes. Serve with some good bread and wait for the compliments. It's that easy!
Choose ingredients from the following list, any and all, according to personal preference. Adjust quantities to reflect the size of the group to be fed. Use raw in the salad, pre-cooked before adding to the Fritatta:
lettuce, one or two varieties (use only for salad, not for Fritatta)
chopped onion
wedges of ripe tomatoes
sliced bell peppers
sliced fresh mushrooms
other favorite vegetables; i.e., celery, carrots, broccoli
olives, green and/or black, preferably pitted
bottled pimentos
bottled marinated artichoke hearts
bottled marinated mushrooms
variety of cheeses, shredded and sliced
OR tuna fish, broken into chunks
OR cut-up cooked chicken meat
for meat meals: shredded salami (optional) 1 or 2 bottles parve Italian salad dressing (for salad only)
This is one of the greatest dishes of the already-great Italian culinary repertoire. What exactly is it? Fettucine is the name of a flat, broad noodle; Alfredo sauce is a voluptuous combination of butter, cream and grated Parmesan cheese. The finished concoction is inexpensive and very quick, very easy to prepare. It also seems extremely elegant. Then what's the downside? It's terribly high in both calories and fats. Fettucine Alfredo most often is served as an appetizer, so that each diner receives a fairly small serving. Since the "Parmesan" cheese is high in sodium, there is no need to add any extra salts. Some chefs like to garnish this dish with cooked asparagus or mushrooms. Yet doing so does feel like gilding the gold, that's how wonderful this pasta already is. Your diet won't thank you for serving it, but your guests definitely will! 1 pound "fettucine" noodles 8 tablespoons sweet (unsalted) butter 2 cups of heavy cream (half-&-half may be substituted) 1 cup grated "Parmesan" cheese for garnish: 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in butter (optional) at the table: freshly ground black pepper additional grated Parmesan cheese Boil the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions instruct. Drain well and set aside. In a saucepan or skillet, melt the butter. Do not allow the butter to turn brown. Stir in the cream and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stirring vigorously, beat in the grated Parmesan cheese. Allow to simmer a few minutes longer, until sauce has thickened slightly. Toss the cooked pasta well in the sauce and serve immediately. Top with cooked mushrooms, if desired. Provide a pepper mill and additional grated Parmesan cheese for each diner to add these last two ingredients to taste. Serves 8–12.
FETTUCINE ALFREDO
To keep this parve, omit the cheese and the cream and then increase the chopped onions to 1 cup. For both the parve and meat versions, add 1/2 cup of prepared tomato sauce to the vegetables after they have been sauteed, and mix well, then proceed to add the beaten eggs. Also add 1/2 cup of minced salami, if desired, if the Fritatta is to be served at a meat meal. 4 tablespoons olive oil or butter 1/2 cup chopped onions 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1/4 cup pitted olives, preferably black olives, chopped 12 eggs 1 cup heavy cream salt and pepper 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Preheat the broiler. Add the oil or butter to a large non-stick skillet with an oven-proof handle and heat gently. Add the chopped onions to the skillet and heat gently for about 3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and heat for 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Add the olives and stir to mix. Remove from heat. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, cheese and salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour the eggs into the skillet and gently stir in the vegetables. Return the skillet to the stovetop. Cook over medium-low heat for about 6--8 minutes, until all but the top of the eggs have stiffened. Slide a spatula underneath the eggs to check for doneness; the bottom should be golden-brown. Immediately place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the top turns golden. This requires only a minute or so; take care not to let the eggs burn. Remove skillet from broiler and invert over a large platter. Cut into wedges and serve. Serves 6--8
FRITATTA WITH VEGETABLES
Recipes copyright 2000 by Judith Segal, "The Kosher Gourmet, " New York. All rights reserved.
Recipes are provided for personal use only. Recipes may not be resold or included in any published collections without the express written permission of their owner, Judith Segal; recipes may not be stored in retrieval systems or databases, or transmitted and/or reproduced by any means whatsoever, including electronic, without the express written permission of their owner, Judith Segal.
For the purpose used here, the word "recipe" is defined to include, but not be limited to: Ingredients, such as specificity and/or quantity; and/or language of instruction; and/or the techniques as recommended.
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