When it comes to egg salad, most people don’t want you messing with their momma’s recipe. If Mom made hers with pickle relish, then by golly, all good egg salad needs pickle relish. But if Mom’s recipe came without pickle relish, you might possibly start a household World War III by adding the stuff. There are certain classics that the home cook just doesn’t redesign.

Well, welcome to World War III! I have done the unthinkable. I’ve taken a classic recipe and utterly rearranged it. I have invented Roasted Garlic Egg Salad. And by jiminy, this stuff stands toe-to-toe with the classic version, if I do say so myself. Even my husband gobbled it up happily and without an utterance of “This isn’t how Mom used to make it.”

I hope you’ll agree that this little sandwich is delightful. In fact, now you can freely introduce egg salad to your “company’s coming” menu. By adding roasted garlic and “fancy” brown mustard, you’ve just elevated egg salad from brown bag lunch to Sunday brunch. Roll out the red carpet!

Roasted Garlic Egg Salad
4 organic hard-boiled eggs, peeled and rinsed
4 cloves roasted garlic (recipe follows)
1 ½ to 2 Tablespoons organic mayo (more or less, depending on how moist you like your egg salad)
1 teaspoon grainy brown mustard such as Boetje’s Stone Ground Mustard
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 slices corn rye bread

Farmers’ Market Fare: eggs, garlic, (mayo if you use farm eggs and local olive oil to make your own), rye bread
Non-local ingredients from grocery store: mustard, black pepper

Mash the hard-boiled eggs with a fork. Add the roasted garlic cloves, mayo, mustard, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Divide the egg salad evenly between the four slices of bread and serve as an open-faced sandwich.

Serves 4.

Roasted Garlic
1 Whole bulb garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
A dash each of salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the upper inch off the bulb of garlic so that the whites of the cloves are just beginning to show. Tear off two square sheets of aluminum foil and place them one on top of the other. Set the garlic bulb in the middle of the foil, then drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pull the foil tight around the garlic and place in the middle oven rack for 45 minutes to an hour. You will know the garlic is fully roasted when the cloves turn a caramelized golden brown color. When the garlic has cooled, you can now individually pull off cloves of yummy roasted garlic for your egg salad. You can also use this heavenly invention on pizzas, in pasta sauce, with potatoes, and just about anything that you want to taste better.

Labels: Boetje's mustard, egg salad recipe, farmers' market recipe, local recipe, revising a classic, roasted garlic, Roasted Garlic Egg Salad, roasted garlic recipe, Sacramento local recipe

Meet my winter happy salad! We haven’t seen the sun in days, and the constant grey is starting to affect my mood. However, there is a blessing to California living. Despite the cloudy skies, our trees are covered in bright orange, and our gardens are perky with greens. My own garden is happily churning out spinach, despite the recent frosts. The farmers’ market is still selling the last of the pear crop. All this color calls for a celebratory salad, the likes of which will perk up any mouth and mood!

Welcome to my Zesty Freshy Spinach Pear Salad. When served on a yellow plate (a must!), this delightful salad offers the crunch of strong, fresh spinach, the zip and happy aroma of grated orange zest, the sweet melting away of hearty pear sugars, and the meaty richness of pistachio nuts. The lively orange juice and grainy mustard dressing add the perfect energy to this pick-me-up salad. Top with some parmesan, and you’ve got a true winter winner!

Zesty Freshy Spinach Pear Salad

Ingredients:
One bunch fresh spinach
One pear, diced
¼ cup pistachio nuts
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Zesty Orange Mustard Dressing:
Zest of one orange
Juice from one orange
2 Tablespoons grainy mustard, such as Boetje’s Stone Ground Mustard (you can find it at Corti Brothers in Sacramento)
¼ cup olive oil (depending on how juicy your orange is)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash and dry spinach. Tear leaves by hand into large pieces and throw them in a large mixing bowl.

Make the salad dressing by adding the orange zest, juice, and mustard to a small bowl. Whisk together. While whisking, add the olive oil in a steady stream. Add black pepper and whisk again.

Add desired amount of dressing (you’ll probably have more than you need) to the spinach and mix with tongs to coat leaves.

Split the leaves between two yellow plates. Top each plate with half the pear, nuts, and cheese. Serve and smile!

Labels: Boetje's mustard, mustard, orange, orange mustard dressing, pear, salad, salad recipe, seasonal recipe, spinach, spinach pear salad, winter