Murski Homestead Bed & Breakfast, Brenham, Texas » Salad

Street Food….Chinese Noodles & Vegetables Recipe

Pamela Murski — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:54:35 +0000

Street foods have a rich and colorful history where all strata of society, from fishwives to royalty, have played a role in its evolution. Foods of the World—Street Food was chosen as the theme for the September Culinary meeting. My friends hall and back porch were converted into the “street” from which delicious foods such as Italian and Caribbean kebabs and Bolivian cheese empanadas were served. As we continued our “world tour” we sampled falafel from Arabia, spicy potato roti from India, and other delicious treats. Cranberry kvass is a popular thirst quencher in Russia. We were dubious about the mildly fermented creation, but were pleased to discover it was actually quite good. A favorite recipe, Chinese Noodles and Vegetables, is below.

Chinese Noodles & Vegetables

Chinese Noodles & Vegetables

Serves 6
Served at room temperature, these noodles can be eaten by themselves as a main dish; they also make a delicious accompaniment to an Oriental kebab.

1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles

3 carrots, scraped and shredded

2 Tbs. peeled and shredded fresh ginger root

½ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup light soy sauce

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

4 tsp. sesame oil

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

4 scallions, cut diagonally in ½ inch pieces

Cook the noodles according to package directions until just tender; do not overcook. Drain and rinse with very hot water. Steam the shredded carrots for a few minutes until just tender. Make a sauce by combining the ginger root with the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and sesame oil. Toss the noodles with the carrots, lettuce, scallions and sauce. Let the dish set at room temperature until you are ready to serve.

Best of Summer Salads at Texas Bed and Breakfast

Pamela Murski — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:42:56 +0000

Greek Salad

Summer time screams tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and basil….all fresh from the gardens at the B&B. This Greek Salad is a favorite and equally delicious as a side or the main course. Paired with crusty bread, herb butter, glass of vino and you have a feast!

Put together equal parts of chunked tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, whole black olives, fresh mozzarella balls or cubes, bite sized strips of fresh basil. Mix 1/3 balsamic vinegar with 2/3 good quality olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and drizzle over vegies. Toss to mix. Garnish with basil flowers and serve. Be sure not to overdress the salad….you can always serve extra dressing on the side. This salad is great to adjust to your own taste buds by adding whatever you have on hand that is fresh and creating your own version of summer salad. Fresh edible flower buds are a great addition as well as herb fronds such as fennel, thyme flowers, and Fiddle Head buds.

Culinary Queens "Early American Thanksgiving" at Murski Homestead

Pamela Murski — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:03:56 +0000

Another fantastic luncheon with the culinary queens from our Pioneer Herb group celebrating a tradiontal Early American Thanksgiving. Though herbs and spices were not a plentiful nor wide ranging as what we have to offer today, the food was hearty and nourishing. Great thought and preparation began months in advance of the wonderful celebratory meal in the territories to order and stock enough “special ingredients” to make their feast the highlight of the season. Staples included corn, wild game, dried fruits, bread/biscuits and honey, mustard and vinegar.

Our menu consisted of buffalo steaks ( due to the $40 per pound cost of the buffalo we substituted game hens prepared with dried apricots and rosemary….not quite equal in substitution but we could imagine), wild greens salad with honey-mustard vinaigrette, pumpkin soup, biscuits made with “emptyins”, mushrooms in wine for the hens, corn custard, lima beans in cream, Grandmother Tilsby’s Cracker Pudding and homemade wine! Learning about herbs and their uses is one of the experiences you’ll have when visiting the ranch for a foodie weekend……come on up for some fun and great food!

Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup good quality vegetable oil

3 tablespoons honey

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon good quality mustard (not yellow)

fresh pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients and adjust to taste. Make a salad of fresh garden greens (we used mesclun mix, arugula, Black Seeded Simpson and Buttercrunch lettuces), fresh herbs of choice (we used basil, fennel fronds, parsley leaves, nasturtium leaves & flowers), Orchid peppers, dried fruits & nuts (we used cherries, cranberries and almonds). The greens, herbs and peppers came from our gardens. Be sure to wash thoroughly before using. Toss salad with vinaigrette just before serving. May add shaved hard cheese of choice, such as Manchego. Enjoy!