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Taste-Tested and enthusiastically approved by my grandchildren. Our granddaughter likes them finished with a drizzle of ranch dressing, but you could add sour cream, and/or any salsa that you like, but keep the dressings spare or the excess will just ooze out and drip all over you.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef chuck, preferably from grass-fed cattle
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 large, ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and diced
1-1½ cups shredded Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce
½ medium Vidalia Sweet Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Thinly sliced fresh hot Jalapeno peppers, optional
Ranch dressing, sour cream, and/or salsa of your choice, for serving, optional
Warm the oil in a 10-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Crumble in the beef, raise the heat to medium-high, and sauté, tossing or stirring occasionally, until it has lost its raw, red color and is beginning to brown. Season well with Summer Salt and chili powder to taste and lower the heat to medium low. If you’d like a sauce to bind the meat, add the optional catsup or chili sauce. Let it simmer about 2-3 minutes longer, or until the beef is just cooked through (and if you’ve added catsup, it’s reduced and thickened). Remove it from the heat.
Warm a griddle or large non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Lay a tortilla in the pan. Let it get hot, turning it once, and remove it from the pan to a serving plate. Spoon 1/8 of the beef down its center and top with a sprinkling of cheese, then the tomato, lettuce, onion, and jalapeno peppers. Lightly sprinkle with Summer Salt and, if you like, drizzle a little dressing or sour cream over it, or add a spoonful or two of salsa (or offer these for each diner to add to taste).
Fold a quarter of the tortilla at the top and bottom over the edge of the filling and then fold the left side all the way over them. Roll the taco over the filling into a neat package. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and fillings and serve immediately.
Pork tenderloins are the leanest and most tender part of the pig, but they’re also the least flavorful and can become dry if they’re overcooked. A generous dose of Southern Italian Blend takes care of the former, and a protective wrapping of prosciutto takes care of the latter. These can be grilled or roasted, so they’re perfect for your cookouts or any special dinner!
10-12 very thin slices imported Italian prosciutto
2 lemons, cut into wedges
Rosemary sprigs, for garnish, optional
HOW TO MAKE:
Trim the tenderloins and remove the silver skin with a sharp knife. Rub their entire surface lightly with oil. Generously grind Southern Italian Grinder Blend over all sides, patting it into the surface. Wrap each tenderloin with prosciutto, completely covering it, and tied it securely with kitchen twine. Either prepare a grill with hardwood coals to a medium-hot fire or position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425° F. If roasting, skip to step 3.
To grill them, brush them with oil and put them on the grill over direct heat. Grill, turning as needed, until all sides are seared, about 2-3 minutes per side. Move to indirect heat (or put them in a flame-proof pan on the coolest part of the grill), cover, and cook to an internal temperature of 135° for medium, about 15 minutes longer.
To roast them in the oven, rub a roasting pan with oil, put in the tenderloins, and drizzle with them with more oil. Roast 20 minutes in the upper third of the oven and reduce heat to 350°. Roast until meat reaches 135° for medium, about 10-15 minutes longer.
Remove to the meat to a platter, loosely cover with foil, and let it rest 15 minutes. Remove the twine, then thinly slice and arrange the tenderloins on a platter. Scatter the lemons around, garnish if liked
Seasoning traditional Italian-style meatballs is a cinch with The Salt Table’s Southern Italian Blend. Although spaghetti and meatballs are a standard weeknight meal in our country, meatballs are not served as a pasta sauce in Italy. These can be used Italian-style, as a meat dish, or American-style as a pasta sauce or hot sandwich filling
4 cups marinara sauce (good bottled or Southern Italian Marinara, recipe following)
Salt (for the pasta, if using)
12-16 ounces spaghetti, thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta, for serving, optional
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving optional
HOW TO MAKE
Put the bread in a mixing bowl and drizzle enough milk over it to saturate it. Let it soak for a minute, then squeeze it dry, discarding the milk. Crumble the bread into the bowl. Crumble in the beef and add the onion. Season well with Southern Italian Blend and mix until everything is evenly blended. Moisten your hands with water and form the meat into 1½-inch balls.
Put enough oil in a 3-4 quart Dutch oven to cover the bottom by ¼-inch and put it over medium heat. When it’s hot, raise the heat to medium high, add enough meatballs to fill the pan without crowding, and brown them on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a plate and repeat until all the meatballs have been browned.
Drain and discard the browning oil and wipe out the pan, but don’t wash it. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the onion and return the pot to medium heat. Sauté, stirring often, until the onion is softened and golden, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about half a minute, then pour in the wine. Bring it to a boil and cook until it loses its sharp alcoholic aroma. Add in the marinara, bring it to a simmer, and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the meatballs to the sauce, bring it back to a simmer, and adjust the heat to a slow, steady simmer. Simmer until the sauce is thick and the meatballs are very tender and deeply flavored with the sauce, at least 1 hour—longer won’t hurt.
The meatballs can be served as a meat dish, on toasted sandwich rolls as a sandwich filling, or as a sauce for pasta. To serve the meatballs with pasta, bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil. Stir in a small handful of salt and the pasta, bring it back to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (firm to the bite), using the package directions as a rough guide. Drain and toss with a cup of sauce, then serve topped with meatballs, passing the cheese separately.
Basic “Southern Italian” Marinara
You can use a jar of marinara for the above recipe, (they’re right at 4 cups) or make your own: it’s easy with The Salt Table’s Southern Italian Grinder Blend. Southern Italian Blend has garlic powder in it, so you can omit the fresh garlic, although it freshens the flavor.
Put the oil and onion in a 3-4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté until the onion is pale gold, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, if using, and sauté until fragrant, about half a minute.
Add the tomatoes and season well with Southern Italian Blend. Bring it to a boil, then adjust the heat to a slow, steady simmer, and let it cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and the flavors are well-blended, about half an hour.
Salt Table’s All ‘Round Good Grinder Blend & Leek and Chive, and Onion Seasoning Blend
All ‘Round Good Grinder Blend is ideal for marinades and vinaigrettes, providing all the flavorings the marinade will need with a simple twist of the mill. It’s especially cooling way of using up the leftover roast, but in Savannah’s changeable climate, it can be a welcome supper dish at any time of the year. Try it also with roasted pork tenderloins or leg of lamb.
1 head romaine lettuce, pulled apart, washed, and spun dry
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
12-16 ripe cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons nonpareil capers, drained
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut into wedges
2-4 ounces Roquefort, gorgonzola, or other blue cheese, roughly crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
HOW TO MAKE IT:
Make the vinaigrette: chop the garlic fine and sprinkle with salt. Rub it to paste with a flat side of the knife. Scrape it into a mixing bowl. Whisk in vinegar and mustard. Slowly whisk in oil, a few drops at a time, until emulsified. Whisk in 1 teaspoon Good Grinder Blend and thyme. Set aside 10-15 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasonings. Put the beef in a glass or ceramic bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over it, toss, then cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until needed.
Make potato salad: Put 1 inch water in pot fitted with steamer insert and bring to rolling boil over medium high heat. Scrub potatoes under cold running water, slice 1/4-inch thick, and put in steamer insert. Cover and steam until just tender. Transfer to mixing bowl and while still hot sprinkle lightly with wine. Toss and let sit a few minutes. Sprinkle lightly with vinegar and season with Leek, Chive, and Onion Seasoning Blend. Toss and let cool. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss, taste, and adjust the vinegar, oil, and seasoning blend. Set aside until completely cooled.
Line a platter with whole lettuce leaves. Tear the remaining leaves into bite-size pieces. Drizzle lightly with vinaigrette, toss and spread over the whole lettuce leaves. Add the scallions to the marinated beef, toss, and spread it over the center of the platter.
Arrange the potato salad around the beef in several mounds. Toss the tomatoes with a spoonful of vinaigrette and arrange them between the potatoes. Scatter the capers over the beef, potato salad, and tomatoes. Arrange the wedges of egg around the beef and drizzle them with vinaigrette. Sprinkle Roquefort cheese over the salad to taste and finish with a sprinkling of parsley. Serve at once, passing the remaining vinaigrette separately.
Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, featuring 
