Chapter 13
Salads, Side Dishes,
and Sauces
The best salads, as anyone with a vegetable garden or a good farmstand near their home will tell you, are made with fresh, just-picked produce. That’s true, but it doesn’t mean that dried ingredients can’t be put to very good use in salads. Add them for a flavorful accent and variety. You’ll be surprised at how dried vegetables, when rehydrated, can spark up a fairly ho-hum salad. And then, when the winter months set in and you’re really longing for a vine-ripened tomato and what you have on hand is a home-dried vine-ripened tomato, you’ll be so grateful! You can use the dried tomatoes, broken into bits, sprinkled in salads as a substitute for bacon bits.
Some of the salads here—Mushroom Garbanzo Salad and Pasta Salad with Dried Tomatoes—make very good main courses. If you want to serve them in smaller portions, see soups. Salads and soups—and bread—make natural luncheon or light supper combinations.
In this section, I have included a handful of side dishes plus one of my favorite condiments, Dried Fruit Relish. These are among the recipes I make most frequently—the old standbys that everyone loves.
Using dried ingredients for salads or side dishes is second nature to me now: Over the years, as I learned more and more about food dehydrating, I looked for more and more ways to use the foods I had dried. The journey, if you will, continues. I suspect, and hope, that this will happen to you. Make and enjoy the recipes that follow and, just as important, let them serve as examples of how to incorporate dehydrated foods into your daily diet. The variety of good salads you can make with dried foods is fascinating.
Freeh and Dried Fruit Salad
When I make fruit salad, I always include dried as well as fresh fruits. Be creative in how you use the dried fruits. Substitute dried apricots, cranberries, papayas, bananas, or pears for the usual shredded coconut and raisins. Also, you can rehydrate dried fruit in fruit juice, which adds to the flavor and helps prevent the fresh fruit from oxidizing and darkening. Melon—your favorite kind or the best available locally—is always a good choice for the main fresh fruit ingredient. And if you cannot find a pear apple—a wonderful crisp fruit—substitute a ripe pear. If you’re lucky enough to have some dried pear-apple pieces on hand, add them, too—they are delicious.
½ cup dried strawberry pieces
¼ cup small dried peach pieces
1 teaspoon dried shredded carrot
teaspoon dried mint
teaspoon dried lemon peel
½ cup pineapple juice
1 cup fresh pineapple cubes (1-inch pieces)
1 cup fresh melon cubes (1-inch pieces)
2 bananas, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 kiwifruit, peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices
1 pear apple
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Lettuce for serving
In a nonreactive bowl, combine the strawberry pieces, the peaches, the carrot, the mint, and the lemon peel in the pineapple juice. Let sit for 30 minutes to rehydrate.
In a salad bowl, combine all the fresh fruits. Add the rehydrated fruits and toss to combine. In a small bowl, mix together well the sour cream and brown sugar.
To serve, line a platter with the lettuce and top it with the fruit salad. Pour the sour cream dressing over the salad just before serving.
Serves 4 to 6
Dried Fruit Jell-O Mold
Drying foods is one thing; cooking and using them is another. I am frequently asked, “Now that I have a lot of dried fruits in my pantry, what exactly do I do with them?” Here’s a simple recipe to start you off using dried fruits and rehydrating them. The combinations and flavors are up to you; for example, you can also use apple juice instead of the cold water.
½ cup dried fruit pieces
1 cup cold water
One 3-ounce package fruit-flavored Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
In a bowl, combine the dried fruits and the cold water. Let sit for 10 minutes to rehydrate.
Empty the Jell-O into a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir until dissolved. Add the dried fruits and the rehydration water, and stir again. Pour into a 3-cup mold and refrigerate until firm.
Serves 4
Pasta Salad with Dried Tomatoes
Pasta salad is a great favorite, especially when enlivened with home-dried tomatoes (best from your own garden, of course). This is just the salad to take to a potluck or to a church supper. It’s also good served to family and friends, and great for more formal occasions. For the best flavor, let the salad chill for 6 hours before serving.
1 pound shaped or short pasta of choice, such as wagon wheels
3 stalks broccoli, peeled and steamed until tender
½ cup small pieces oil-packed dried tomatoes
3–4 fresh carrots, sliced on the diagonal and steamed until tender
1 fresh green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into slivers
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
½ cup whole imported black olives, drained
1 small jar (6½ ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained
Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (below)
Fresh parsley sprigs for garnish
Bring to boil a large saucepan of water with salt to taste and add the pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain well and set aside, covered.
While the pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients except the vinaigrette and the parsley. Add the still-warm cooked pasta to the bowl and pour the vinaigrette over all. Toss gently, cover, and refrigerate for 6 hours.
To serve, garnish with the parsley sprigs.
Serves 10 to 12
Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
I like to use olive oil to make this dressing. Try this vinaigrette on mixed green salad as well as on fresh tomatoes.
7 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup red wine or herb vinegar
4 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon oil-packed or dried tomato pieces
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs, including oregano, marjoram, basil, and rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
In a 1-quart jar with a lid, combine all the ingredients. Cover, then shake to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
Makes a scant 1 cup
My Favorite Vinaigrette
Use this hard-not-to-like dressing on salad greens or as a marinade for fresh sliced mushrooms, carrots, radishes, or onions.
¼ cup dried green bell pepper pieces
1 tablespoon water
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon white wine or herb vinegar
½ teaspoon dried garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried onion powder
¼ teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar (optional)
In a small bowl, let the dried bell pepper pieces rehydrate in the 1 tablespoon water for a few minutes.
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk them together until completely blended. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and the sugar, if desired.
Makes about ½ cup
Mushroom Garbanzo Salad
Garbanzos are good for you, and when combined with mushrooms, they become surprisingly elegant as well. Allow this salad sufficient time to marinate for the flavors to marry. It’s best served as a main-course salad and makes a very good vegetarian luncheon or light supper, accompanied by Vegetable Loaf.
1 cup dried mushroom slices
¼ cup water
cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon dried mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of dried tarragon
½ cup sliced fresh celery
cup chopped fresh onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried bell pepper pieces
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried tomato pieces
1 teaspoon dried celery powder
One 20-ounce can garbanzo beans (chick-peas), drained and rinsed
¼ cup chopped black olives
Lettuce leaves
Tomato wedges
Grated Romano cheese for serving
In a bowl, let the mushroom slices sit in the ¼ cup water for 10 minutes to rehydrate.
In a large salad bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and tarragon. Add the rehydrated mushrooms (and rehydration liquid if any remains). Stir in the celery, the onion, the parsley, the dried pepper pieces, the garlic, the dried tomato pieces, and the celery powder. Add the beans and the black olives, and toss to combine. Cover the salad and let it marinate for several hours for the flavors to blend.
To serve, line a platter with the lettuce. Top with the mushroom and bean salad, and arrange the tomato wedges around the sides. Sprinkle with the Romano cheese to taste.
Serves 8
Broccoli and Pineapple Salad
Fresh broccoli, a good source of vitamins A and C, combines here with two unlikely ingredients—bacon and dried pineapple—to make a remarkably tempting mix. I like to take this salad on picnics or to potlucks, where I can be certain it will be a hit! Serve as a main course or in smaller servings, preceded by a simple clear soup and a warm loaf of bread.
4 cups fresh broccoli florets combined with stems, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup thinly sliced fresh celery
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dried onion pieces
½ cup dried pineapple pieces, cut into raisin-size bits
½ pound bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips
In a large salad bowl, stir together gently the broccoli, the celery, and the sunflower seeds.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, the sugar, the vinegar, and the dried onion. Add the pineapple pieces, 1 at a time, and let the dressing sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a skillet cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer it to paper towels to drain.
Add the dressing with the bacon to the broccoli mixture and toss the salad gently to combine.
Serves 6 to 8
Vegetable-Flavored Homemade Noodles
Many’s the time I’ve walked by vegetable-flavored noodles in fancy food shops and smiled, knowing how easy it is to make them at home. All you have to do is pulverize the dried vegetable (or vegetables) you want in the blender: You need only 2 tablespoons of powder. Making your own noodles saves you a considerable amount of money and it’s fun and easy. Imagine a combination of spinach, tomato, and basil noodles. Or just tomato and basil. Or mushroom noodles. You get the idea.
2 eggs
2 tablespoons dried vegetable powder, such as asparagus, spinach, beet, or carrot
¾ cup flour (depending upon the amount of moisture in the flour, an additional ¼ cup flour may be needed)
teaspoon salt
In a bowl, beat the eggs until combined, add the dried vegetable powder of choice, and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
Add the ¾ cup flour to the egg mixture, a little at a time, stirring with a fork until the flour and eggs are combined. Add the salt. The texture should be dense but elastic.
Dust the countertop and your hands with flour, and knead the dough, adding up to ¼ cup additional flour at the most. (You will know when you have added enough flour: The dough will not be able to incorporate any more.) Knead the dough for about 1 minute, or until it is fairly stiff but still elastic. Flatten the dough into a disk, then with a floured rolling pin, roll it out on the floured surface into a 14-inch square. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into quarters, then stack the pieces. Be sure to sprinkle the bottom layer with flour before arranging the next dough sheet on top. Roll the stack into a log.
With the knife, cut the log into - to ¼-inch strips, depending upon how thick-cut you want the noodles. With every third cut, dust the noodles with a little flour, separating them to prevent them from sticking together.
Cook the noodles fresh.
(To cook either fresh or dried noodles, bring a saucepan of water to a boil with a little vegetable oil. Add the noodles and cook them just until tender, several minutes. Drain immediately and top with your favorite sauce or just butter.)
Makes 2 cups noodles, enough for 4 servings
Scalloped Potatoes
Blanched vegetables always rehydrate faster than unblanched ones, and here blanched potato slices, dipped in lemon juice and water, rehydrate best of all. In this wonderfully pleasing old-fashioned combination, use regular grated Cheddar cheese if you cannot find dried Cheddar powder. It’s becoming increasingly available in supermarkets, however, thanks to the popularity of cheese-flavored popcorn!
2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried onion powder
teaspoon pepper
3 cups dried potato slices
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups boiling water
cup milk
Dried Cheddar cheese powder for dusting
In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients and set aside.
Grease a 2½-quart casserole and arrange the dried potatoes in the bottom. Sprinkle them with the dry milk-cornstarch mixture and dot the potatoes with the butter, cut into bits. Mix together the boiling water and the milk, and pour over the dried potatoes. Let sit for 15 minutes to rehydrate.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cover the potatoes and bake them for 30 to 35 minutes. Dust with the Cheddar cheese powder just before serving.
Serves 4
Fruited Hominy Grits
To some people, Southerners excepted, hominy grits—ground kernels of hulled corn—may be too bland. But when flavored with fruit powder and topped with butter and a sprinkling of sugar, they take on another dimension. Serve these fruited grits as a side dish with eggs and sausage or bacon for breakfast; or take the dried mixture in your backpack when outdoor adventuring.
Serve the variation, vegetable-flavored grits, with lunch or a light dinner.
2 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup instant grits
1 tablespoon dried fruit powder, such as strawberry, apricot, or peach
Butter as needed
Sugar as needed
In a saucepan, bring the water with the salt to a boil. Stir in the grits, cover, and cook over low heat, stirring often to prevent scorching, until the grits are tender, about 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the fruit powder.
To serve, divide the hot grits among bowls and top each serving with butter and sugar, as desired.
Serves 4 to 6
Vegetable Hominy Grits: Simply replace the fruit powder with the same amount of mushroom or green bell pepper powder. Top with grated melting cheese, such as shredded mozzarella.
Dried Fruit Relish
Chop the fruits in this marvelous relish into very small pieces—to render them really relishy. Figs, peaches, plums, prunes, and raisins can all be substituted for the fruits here. For the best flavor a total of six different fruits seems to do the trick. Serve this relish at Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday meals. It goes particularly well with game and pork dishes. Or you can tie a bow around the jar to present as a gift any time of the year.
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dried pineapple pieces (¼-inch cubes)
½ cup dried pear pieces (¼-inch cubes)
½ cup dried kiwifruit pieces (¼-inch cubes)
½ cup dried apricots (¼-inch cubes)
½ cup dried apple pieces (¼-inch cubes)
3 cups port wine
In a large bowl, combine all the dried fruits and stir to mix. Place the fruits in a 1-quart canning jar. Pour the port wine over the fruits, cover the jar with the lid, and place the jar in the refrigerator for at least 2 days. Each day, turn or shake the jar to make sure all the fruit is covered with the port.
Serve with meat dishes. The relish will keep for weeks in the refrigerator.
Makes 3 cups
Spinach Pesto
As anyone who makes pesto with homegrown fresh basil knows, there’s no substitute for its magnificent flavor. Basil’s growing season does end, but you can still make pesto—with dried ingredients. If you combine dried basil and spinach, rather than using all basil, the strong taste of which is often overwhelming, you end up with a sauce that’s good in color and texture—and flavor. I also like to add this pesto to stir-fried vegetable dishes just before serving.
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup (1 ounce) dried spinach leaf pieces, rehydrated in ¼ cup water for 5 minutes, or 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, well washed and stemmed
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
cup pine nuts or sunflower seeds
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
In a cup, combine the dried basil with the 2 tablespoons water and the lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes to rehydrate.
In a blender, combine the olive oil and the rehydrated spinach pieces, or the fresh spinach leaves, and blend to a puree. Add the garlic and the pine nuts or the sunflower seeds, and grind them until pureed. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
To use as a sauce on pasta: In a small saucepan, heat a little olive oil until warm. Add the pesto and warm it, stirring constantly, until heated through. Serve over hot cooked pasta, with additional Parmesan cheese and sunflower seeds for garnish.
Makes 1 cup
Rich Cream Sauce
To flavor this sauce or the variation, add a favorite dried herb—or a combination of herbs—or a touch of curry powder, or even another vegetable powder, such as 1 tablespoon dried spinach powder. Or use a combination of dried tomato, mushroom, and herb powders. For a new taste treat, try using fruit powder—apricot or plum. This sauce can be easily doubled or tripled, and it’s wonderful when used as the base for cooked seafood and chicken. Serve over rice or Vegetable-Flavored Homemade Noodles.
¼ cup (½stick) butter
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cup whipping cream
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon dried mushroom powder
cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, add the garlic, and simmer it until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the whipping cream and the sour cream, stir in the mushroom powder, and simmer the mixture, stirring often, until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency, about 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Serve over hot cooked pasta.
Makes 1½ cups, or enough sauce for 4 servings
Easy Cream Sauce: You can make a version of the above sauce—albeit not as rich or flavorful—with just 2 ingredients: Simmer 1 tablespoon butter in ½ cup whipping cream and let the liquid come to a slow, rolling boil. Cook until the sauce reduces by half and thickens. A pinch of nutmeg adds a nice accent. Makes enough sauce for 2 servings of cooked noodles.
Tomato Meat Sauce
(Dried Tomato and Tomato Powder Version)
This sauce combines dried tomato slices (crushed) and dried tomato powder (rehydrated to paste) for a great tomato taste. Remember that dried tomato slices are much easier to crush if they are frozen or at least chilled for 15 to 30 minutes. Break them up with your hands or put them in the blender. When broken into small pieces, the tomatoes rehydrate faster and the skins blend much better into the sauce. Double or triple this sauce to feed a crowd. The sauce also freezes very well.
1 cup frozen or chilled dried tomato slices (about 20)
2 tablespoons dried bell peppers 2 tablespoons dried onions
2 tablespoons dried mushroom pieces
1 tablespoon dried celery powder
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3½ cups water, divided
1 pound lean ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried fennel
½ cup dried tomato powder
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped green olives
With your hands, crush the cold dried tomato slices. In a bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes with the next 6 ingredients. Pour in 3 cups of the water and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to rehydrate.
In a skillet, brown the beef and drain off any excess fat. Add the salt, the basil, the oregano, and the fennel, and stir in the rehydrated tomato mixture, including the liquid. Simmer the sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes, adding more water, if necessary, if the sauce becomes too thick.
When the sauce has just about finished cooking, combine the tomato powder in the remaining ½ cup water, add the sugar and the pepper, and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add the rehydrated tomato powder to the meat sauce and simmer the sauce slowly for at least 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the olives. Serve over hot cooked pasta, with grated Parmesan cheese as an accompaniment.
Makes 2 cups sauce, or enough for 4 servings