Mega Croutons

At this time of year I crave a heartier salad.  I have been making big batches of croutons and putting them in jars so I can throw together a salad quickly. 

Olga's Cup and Saucer sells an un-sliced white bread available at the Aquidneck Grower's Market or at her bakery in Providence that makes croutons with a beautiful texture, crunchy but not too hard. If not available,  I use the best tasting baguette I can find locally.

Ingredients:

Loaf of favorite white bread (like Olga's) or baguette
1/3 c Olive oil 
garlic powder
kosher salt
pepper
1 tbs.grass-fed ghee such as Farm to Gold (available at Aquidneck Growers Market or online via their facebook page.) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice bread into big cubes. Place in big bowl. 

In a small pitcher add olive oil, garlic powder, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Whisk in one tablespoon of ghee. 

Pour oil mixture over the cubed bread and toss with hands gently making sure cubes are well-coated. 

Place cubes on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and bake until golden brown. 

Cool completely before adding to glass jars or ziplock bags to prevent croutons from getting soggy from condensation. Croutons will store for several weeks or longer in jars.

Pickled Celery Root

Ingredients:

Celery Root (Celeriac) 
Distilled White Vinegar
Water
1 Tsp.Peppercorns
1 Tbls.. Salt
1/2 Tbls. Sugar

Julienne a knob of celery root. Place in quart size canning jar. Fill with 2/3 distilled white vinegar and 1/3 water. Add remaining ingredients. Refrigerate. Can be used within a few hours and will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Uses:
Adds great taste to juicing. Try it with a beet, apple, ginger juice
Add to sandwiches
Makes a great accompaniment to smoked fish or appetizer plates
Eat as a side on its own
Make a celeriac remoulade 

Shaved Brussel Sprouts with Citrus Vinaigrette

           

Ingredients

Fresh raw brussels sprouts shaved

Pickled red onion

Scallions

Currants

Parmesan or Percorino Romano

Almonds 

Citrus Vinaigrette

Pickled Red Onion

Slice red onion and put in a bowl with white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar, peppercorns, sprinkle of sugar (optional) and dill.

Citrus Marinade

A mandarin orange or orange juice with lime or grapefruit (optional)

Local honey

Olive oil 

Salt and pepper

Dot of tamarind (optional)

Coconut oil (a teaspoon)

Dash of vinegar from pickled onions. 

Put all these ingredients into a Vitamix and process.

Thinly slice brussels sprouts as thin as possible. Place in bowl.  Chop scallions and pickled onion and add to Brussels sprouts. 

Toss in currants. 

Grate cheese on top. 

Chop a few almonds to mix in after salad is tossed.

Add dressing and toss right before serving so salad stays crisp.