Thursday, January 22, 2009

Creole Baby-Mac Salad with Coriander Viniagrette

"A man too busy to take care of his health, is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools."
--Spanish Proverb




My apologies to all my readers, for having been away from blogosphere for the past couple of days. I started my blog on October 15th 2008. Its been a joy ride since then, untill a couple of days back when I came across an unwanted element here on blogosphere (my first bad experience). The person in question has been notoriously involved in chatting up young women bloggers and bothering them (which I later found out from fellow bloggers). I was taken aback when the person dared to leave a comment on one of my posts saying that he has saved my profile picture to his screensaver....talk about pliagrism!

For once I actually thought I should delete my picture.I was upset and very disturbed. But then my hub...my rock...cajoled me into being brave and reinstated the point that this is a public forum, so I should take this incident with a pinch of salt. A few blogging friends too advised the same.



All my readers, my blogger friends, my visitors,...you guys are my support system! I owe it to you and so I had to share this with you all.
I was not going to sit back and let things happen. I want to forewarn my friends here. Be cautious and lets stay united!








We had gone for morning walks lately, as the weather is not all that chilly now. So keeping in with the healthy streak I made some quick macaroni salad.



Creole Baby-Mac Salad with Coriander Viniagrette

Ingredients-
Coriander Viniagrette- (can be made ahead and kept in jars,in the fridge)
1 tbsp white wine
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup coriander leaves
2 tbsp champagne vinegar/plain white vinegar
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp finely minced garlic
a pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste




For the salad-
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
3 salad shallots/onions, minced
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/2 tsp capers
1/2 tbsp minced green/red chillies(adjust according to taste)
3 cups baby elbow-macaroni,cooked
a dash of olive oil



Method-

Coriander Viniagrette-
Roast the coriander seeds slightly in a pan,over medium flame.
Put all the ingredients, except the oil and the coriander, in a blender. Process until smooth.
With the blender running, slowly pour in the oil until it’s well blended.
Chop the remaining coriander very fine and stir into the dressing.
The coriander taste is very strong, start with 2 tblsp and only increase the quantity if you want a stronger-tasting result in your salad.


Note:This vinaigrette is an excellent marinade for ribs or fish. If you like a stronger lime flavour add 1 tsp lime zest to the blender as well.




Now, for the salad--
In a bowl,mix all the ingredients (for salad) and toss with 2 tbsp of the coriander viniagrette.
Check seasoning and serve with some refreshing lemonade.



See the lbs vanishing!! :D








Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana (centered on the Greater New Orleans area) which is a melting pot cuisine that blends French, Spanish, Caribbean, Mediterranean, American, and African influences. It also bears hallmarks of Italian and German cuisine. There are some contributions from Native Americans as well.



South Louisiana has two unique cuisines: the Creole cuisine with its rich array of courses indicating its close tie to European aristocracy, and Cajun cuisine with its one potmeals, pungent with the flavor of seafood and game.



Most people eat to live, Creoles and Cajuns live to eat! Their very existence is food, more food and still more food! They are not greedy and certainly not selfish. They will gladly share a meal with you, offering the choicest morsels for your pleasure. They have adopted the Spanish "my house is your house" philosophy and are happy to make sure your stomach is full.



What is the difference between Creole and Cajun cooking? Most Louisianians claim the answer is simple. Many of the early Creoles were rich planters and their kitchens aspired to the grande cuisines. Their recipes came from France or Spain as did their chefs. By using classic French techniques with local foodstuffs, they created a whole new cuisine, Creole cooking. The Cajuns, on the other hand, were refugees who relied on their Acadian cuisine tradition and made the best of what south Louisiana offered merely to survive!



The Creoles were the European born aristocrats, wooed by the Spanish to establish New Orleans in the 1690's. Second born sons, who could not own land or titles in their native countries, were offered the opportunity to live and prosper in their family traditions here in the New World. They brought with them not only their wealth and education, but their chefs and cooks. With these chefs came the knowledge of the grand cuisines of Europe. The influences of classical and regional French, Spanish, German and Italian cooking are readily apparent in Creole cuisine. The terminologies, precepts, sauces, and major dishes carried over, some with more evolution than others, and provided a solid base or foundation for Creole cooking.



Creole cuisine, then, is that melange of artistry and talent of cooking, developed and made possible by the people of various nations and cultures who settled in and around New Orleans, and is kept alive by Louisiana sharing it with the rest of the world.






I take this over to the Housewarming party hosted here.

And to none other than Presto Pasta Nights, held by Ruth (of Once Upon a Feast) and co hosted by Erin (of The Skinny Gourmet).

To health and happiness!


33 comments:

  1. i knew about cajun n creole cuisines but just last week only, read about it on wikipedia..its amazing how cajun cuisine has adapted to the locally grown veggies and seafood..nice post!!

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  2. I like Cerole cooking.. it is like one HUGE melting pot. The mac looks scrumptious and I like your commentary... Nice well written post!

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  3. Thanks for your visit to my blog and keep visiting..

    You have got a wonderful blog, but somehow shocked after reading your latest post, dont worry, we all will hold our hands together..

    Macroni looks delicious..

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  4. A very niformative post about the cusine.
    Delicious looks salade.
    Wish i had a plate now, it is only 11 in the morning, but am hungry after seeing that pasta salade

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  5. Interesting stuff as always Navita - keep it up! :)

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  6. Navita,we all are here to support you...dont stay back for these people..We are here for a purpose.And in my experinece some people love to give troubles everywhere they go;part and parcel of life itself.Just ignore them and go ahead.think positive and clear your thoughts dear.
    And the dish looks yummy as always..perfect for the season I think.

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  7. Delicious salad, coriander dressing sounds good! :)

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  8. salad looks very delicious & nice photos. Now you have persimmons I am waiting for your entry

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  9. mmm. mouth-watering Salad! looks lovely and rich. Thanks for dropping by and thanks for your sweet words. You have a nice blog too! Keep in touch!

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  10. Thanks for visiting my blog and I'm glad I found yours because this site is so informative. Please do continue what you are doing and don't let others discourage you :)

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  11. Just found your blog. I enjoy creole dishes. The twist with the macaroni/cheese theme is fantastic. It looks delectably good!!

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  12. Navita, I love your macaroni salad and coriander viniagrette sounds wonderful!

    I'm so sorry about the bad experience that you had and glad to see you back on the blog.

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  13. A wonderful dish....looks yummy.Very informative too.

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  14. Salad looks Gorgeous Navita...i love pasta salads very much..

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  15. Simple and lovely looking salad. I love your dressing recipe. And, ur hubby is right, the cyberworld is full of such unsavoury elements; best ignored!

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  16. There are bad eggs in every basket, and when you put yourself out in public you are bound to get some unwanted correspondence once in a while! But I am glad that you are back in action! great looking pasta dish too!

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  17. Don be worried dear..happens in every field..blogging too.Ignoring is the best way..:)
    the dish looks so perfect and yummy..

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  18. Delicious dish....
    First time here, you have a wonderful blog..

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  19. Looks like a great dish for warm weather parties. It sounds absolutely great! Especially the vinaigrette.

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  20. Hey, what an awful experience. Keep your chin up! Nice post, btw! Recently I made a dish inspired by one of your posts. Check it out.

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  21. Oh forgot to mention! You had accumulated quite a number of kudos and badges in just these few months :-) Your blog looks nice.

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  22. Salad looks delicious, nice snaps, n intresting stuff too.
    Don't get worried abt all the stuff, just ignore them..

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  23. Wonderful history lesson, beautiful photos and a great dish. Who could ask for more? Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights and don't let the few creeps out there discourage you.

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  24. The salad looks lovely , the coriander viniaqrette sounds unique and intriguing, is it possible to skip the wine in that or substitute it with something else ?

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  25. Hi Navita,
    Don't worry! Its part of life and blogging... Some gone nuts trouble people! Relax and take it easy!

    Hey!! That mac salad looks awesome yaar..!

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  26. Thank goodness you didn't post too much while I was busy...LOL!

    I love anything with coriander and cilantro in it. Oddly enough, I've never been able to find macaroni noodles in our health food store. I may have to sub in penne instead if I make this.

    Have a nice weekend!

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  27. just a note: yes the wine can be skipped altogether its merely for extra flavour...and not much is lost.

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  28. This looks really good. It's not the usual mac salad you normally see. Thanks for stopping by my page and leaving such a nice comment.

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  29. This coriander vinaigrette sounds delicious. I am going to have to try it :)

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  30. This looks so tasty, thank you so much for bringing it to my party.
    And good for you not letting a bad apple in the blogging world from stopping you from enjoying the rest of the tree!

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  31. Wow! I didn't know that about Creole cuisine. It sounds very interesting. The salad was definitely a hit - gonna have to research this new cuisine further!

    Thanks for posting and sharing with PPN!

    ;)jokergirl

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Thank You for taking out the time to put your thoughts into words. It is appreciated. Hope I am able to keep you involved, intrigued and happy with this blog. Your views are welcome.