Would You Like to Come to My House for Lunch?

A Working Women's Lunch

I had such a fun morning . . . making lunch for my Research Group. On the menu: chicken salad (my version of the Bloomington Bakehouse salad from years ago), Tabbouli (my riff using farro), black bean salad (a staple in my house), watermelon with riccata salata and mint (recipe "borrowed" from my friend Kelley), and shrimp salad with avacado, mango, and a great sweet chili ginger dressing that I will make again (see this month's Bon Appetit--ok, I followed a recipe for this one). I got to use my antique store unmatched plates and everyone had a great time (I hope).

I do have a new appreciation for what my friend Chef Tania does on a regular basis, however, or what those chefs do on Chopped. While this was terribly fun, I always underestimate how long it will take me--because I enjoy the process as much as the end result. But all went well and it was on the table at noon right when my friends arrived.

One of the favorites might have been the black bean salad, with cumin, chipotle in adobo, grilled sweet peppers, red onion, cilantro, avacado, sun dried tomatos, lime, and olive oil. I'm not sure I could reproduce a recipe, because I just put stuff in until it tastes good and looks colorful. I like grilling those little red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers to bring out their smoky flavor. I don't seed the chipotle, so it adds some nice smoky heat, and I'm free with the cumin. I make this salad a lot for parties. I like sun dried tomatos because they bring some herby olive oil to the party, but I've also used fresh grape tomatos too. Whatever you have on hand.

The other favorite was the chicken salad. This is my take on a chicken salad that I used to get at the Bakehouse in Bloomington and I love it. It had grapes, nuts (I used toasted pecans), and whole grain mustard in addition to the regular chicken salad ingredients. I also added some tarragon. I grilled the chicken to add some extra flavor too. I'm happy there are leftovers!

I can always eat tabbouli however. I just love those flavors. This time I couldn't find bulgher in the store, so I used farro. This is an Italian grain that is new to me. It's bigger than bulgher, but I would like it to have more crunch to it. I wonder if I cooked it longer than I should have (I followed the package directions as a newbie). Pine nuts might have been an interesting addition for texture this time, and about the same size as farro. Anyway, it is tasty and as soon as I drained the farro, I doused it in lemon juice, olive oil, and Greek spices so it could soak up all that goodness. After it cooled, I added the cucumbers, fresh tomatos, parlsey and mint, green onions, and lots of good salty feta.

The most colorful dish was the shrimp with avacado, mango, and sweet chili ginger dressing on a bed of mixed greens. I used pre cooked shrimp from the store, but I think next time I'm going to grill the shrimp to add another layer of flavor. I really love the sweet chili ginger dressing, so that will be a keeper. This is the one new recipe I added to my repertoire, from this month's Bon Appetit magazine. Isn't it beautiful, and so summery. I will try it again.

We rounded out our lunch with a refreshing watermelon salad with riccata salata and mint. Delicious! So don't you wish you could come to my house for lunch? Ian will be happy there are left-overs, and I have a hunch we'll be eating well this week.

Bon Appetit!