salad with bologna, green cheese, cranberry and mayonaise

two interesting dishes came out today.

first, having about half an hour to do something for dinner (with a deadline - going to a movie, Chicken Little, which BTW sucked), with pelmeni already boiling, I wanted to do something for Julia who refused a real dinner (pelmeni qualifies as real here). salad sounded good so I opened "happy days with the naked chef" and the fridge. none of Oliver's salads were possible, nor any of his dressings. some things sounded tasty though.

here is what went into the salad:

• a 5oz box of mixed organic "fresh herb salad" (found in the fridge next to baby spinach, to the right)
• about apple and a half, cut in olive-size pieces (levtover from yesterday's kids snack). looks like golden delicious
• all green cheese I could find - 60 grams or so (more wouldn't spoil it)
• no salt or anything (I wonder now, why not pepper?)

now the dressing which is the interesting part. a couple of Oliver's dressings are the starting point. I think it is Pesto meet "mama stamberg cranberry relish":

• a small handful of cranbery (1/2 cup)
• 3 booolks of olive oil
• just a bit of balsamic vinegar (I added more later to taste)
• some pine nuts (2 table spoons or so)
• sugar powder (1 table spoon)
• a clove of garlic (here is where Pesto comes in; I didn't have any basil, you bet it would be here)

mix all of the above in a blender. mix with the salad and serve. autunno meet thanksgiving meet cheese-and-figs salad (no figs on the tree in november...)

mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

... 8 hours later (2am) I enetertain myself after going out. Julia takes it easy (sleeping). I enjoy my flew-from-tokyo-this-week jet lag and enertain myself. I am not beyond drinking a shot of vodka alone. with a good salad in particular.

Olivie is what I was looking for in my fridge - but it's gone. what do I have? nice salad (not much left, mostly the applies and a bit of cheese...), but where is the mayo? the meat?

add to whatever is left from the above:

• cut bologna (whatever looks like the right amount for Olivie)
• peas (what I have here is some fried peas, gess what - lunch leftovers too. with shrimp which I choose not leave alone)
• myonaise (to taste; my taste is "generously")done. i think it a. tastes great with a shot of vodka. nazdorovie!

I think I am on to something. it needs more work. but looks cool (pink and green;). and tastes yummy. goes great with vodka. wait a minute, I have some left.....