A Big Salad….it’s a salad, only bigger, with lots of stuff in it.

So anyone who knows me will tell you that i’m a big fan of Seinfeld and much to the chagrin of my family and friends, I often quote or refer to the show and here I go again.

One of my favorite scenes from the show is when the gang is forced to eat at Reggie’s Diner because George had a falling out with one of the waitress’ from their usual diner Monk’s and he forces them to eat elsewhere because he finds it uncomfortable. Elaine complains to George that Reggie’s doesn’t offer her favorite item as Monk’s as the waitress (Hilde) at Reggie’s takes their order…

Elaine: How about a Big Salad?

Hilde: A big salad?

Elaine: (to George) You see?

George: Just tell her what’cha want, they’ll make it for ya.

Elaine: It’s a salad, only bigger, with lots of stuff in it.

Hilde: I can bring you 2 small salads.

Elaine: Could you put it in a big bowl?

Hilde: We don’t have any big bowls.

Thank you for letting me go off topic a little bit there. Now on to the food!

In honor of this episode, I would like to talk about the concept of the Big Salad and pay tribute to my roommate.  For him, anyone can make a big salad and just put a lot of “stuff” in it, but he has perfected the spin-off to the Big Salad which he calls the Bachelor Salad. The salad is named for its insistance on not eating like the typical bachelor, which normally consists of Kraft Dinner, pizza, take-out/delivery or something that just isn’t very healthy.

Make no mistake about it, the Big Salad is a serious salad and can be a substitute for an appetizer, entree and dessert all in one big bowl, because if it isn’t overflowing with goodness, it ain’t a big salad.  It comes complete with lettuce, fruit, protein, oregano and a vinaigrette consisting of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Since it is a Big Salad, it takes time to prepare, but it is worth the wait. As for what goes into it, my roommate is a creature of habit and likes his Bachelor Salad a certain way, the beauty of it is that there are no rules, you just need an open mind and a big bowl!

The Big Salad (Original Bachelor Style)

• Lettuce of your choice (romaine, red leaf, whatever)
• Strawberries
• Blackberries
• Tuna
• Avocado
• Oregano
• Olive oil and balsamic vinegar

The Bachelor Salad

The Big Salad (whatever happens to be in the kitchen on that particular day)

• Romaine lettuce
• Sliced McIntosh apple
• Dried cranberries
• Tuna
• Sliced almonds
• Oregano
• Olive oil and balsamic vinegar

A Big Salad

Full transcript found at http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheSoup.html

Playing with your food is encouraged!

This entry originates back to the mid 80’s, when my father saw an apple turn into a bird. He had been watching a cooking show, probably one of the three that was on television at the time (I think he learnt this from Wok with Yan). He taught us how and it was always a fun opportunity to play with your food and a great way to get the family into a fruit-related activity, since there are hardly enough of those nowadays!

Now, fast forward 20 years and I was planning a little picnic at English Bay Beach in Vancouver with a friend and I thought to myself, no offence to the apple, but I should raise the bar a notch by using an asian pear (since they are amazing!)  To my surprise, it was a major hit even to the point of naming the bird Hank and taking some candid photos of him along the beach!

Hank with the Inukshuk

Hank's profile shot (his better side)

Hank was not injured, nor even in danger, we were simply going for some "edgier" shots

If you’re interested in learning how the “magic” happens, I have a link here for you…

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1140596/apple_bird_garnish/

Say it with me…Challah

Although my plan is to cook/bake everything for my Rosh Hashanah dinner, I haven’t yet tackled the art of baking bread and I wouldn’t subject my friends to my first attempt!

So another traditional Jewish food is a sweet bread called Challah (pronounced Hallah, well, not quite how it’s pronounced, but for simplicity we’ll use this pronounciation) or sometimes referred to as egg bread. I’ll ask you to visualize while looking at the picture, the dough has initially been rolled out individually into long rolls then braided toegther before being baked. For Rosh Hashanah, the challah is typically round which signifies the cyclical nature of the year and how life is on-going. Like the apples with honey that I mentioned earlier, the sweet bread is symbolic to the sweet year that lies ahead and to really drive the point home, the bread is also eaten with honey for some extra sweetness!

So still learning my way around Vancouver, I did what anyone would do and did a google search for “Jewish bakeries in Vancouver” and I came across Sabras Kosher Bakery at 3844 Oak Street.  I gave them a quick call at (604) 733-4912 and placed my order for 2 challah’s, one with raisins (which is delicious un-toasted, toasted, with butter, with jam, with anything!) and the other with chocolate chips (which i’ve never had, but sweet bread with chocolate chips, come on!) Each was is $7.00, not a bad deal, it’s a huge loaf of bread!

My advice to you in Vancouver, Montreal, London or wherever you are nowadays, stop inside your local bakery and ask if they are baking challah bread (or egg bread) since it’s that time of year and treat yourself  to something different and definitely delicious!

Apples with Honey…Give it a shot!

So I’m thinking of trying my hand at cooking a full-0ut dinner this weekend for some friends to introduce them to Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and I’m beyond excited at the prospect of having apples with honey (among other dishes, which I will tell you about during the week). 

So simple, but it’s something you have to try, simply cut up some Granny Smith or some McIntonsh apples and pour yourself a little bowl of honey for dipping and go nuts! Mmmm, something about the sweetness of the honey with the tart taste of the apple, you’ll be wondering where this has been your whole life!

For the curious mind…the sweet honey represents the sweet year that people wish upon each other to begin a new year. On that sweet note, enjoy!