It’s a crisp day in September and you’ve just walked in from your garden with yet another bowl full of fresh vegetables. Excited about the bounty you’re reaping from your hard work all spring and summer, you wonder what you’re going to do with it all. As you contemplate canning, freezing, sharing, or drying some of your produce, why don’t you fuel up with this delicious smokey fresh chicken salad? Most of the ingredients are flexible, so whatever you’ve got growing, can probably be added while still retaining a “bit of smolder”!

This recipe was inspired by the Disney villain, Hades, the god of the Underworld, known for his ability to create flames. While not as fiery as some of his creations, the almonds and paprika are the smoked variety which sparks this salad with a unique flavor.

Smokey Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken. Using rotisserie chicken adds extra flavor, but canned chicken breast or plain cooked chicken works just fine too.

1 cup mayonnaise

1 fresh green or red sweet pepper, chopped

2 large stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 handful of garlic or regular chives, chopped

1 cup chopped smoked almonds

3 finely chopped garlic tips

1 large carrot shredded

4 red globe radishes, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh pea pods, cut into bit sized pieces

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half. I used “golden globe” orange ones

1 head fresh broccoli, peeled and cut into small florets

1 cup Pastina (very small pasta shapes, typically star-shaped), cooked al dente about 6 minutes

1 T. smoked paprika

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Fresh lettuce, washed and torn gently into bite sized pieces

Process: 

1. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the smokey paprika, salt and pepper, stir until blended.

2. In a large bowl, toss together all the vegetables and chopped nuts

3. Stir the pasta into the vegetables

4. Add the mayonnaise mixture, stirring gently

5. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking

6. Serve on top of a bed of lettuce

A perfect follow up to this smokey chicken salad is a very old recipe from Sweden, it was common years ago at Swedish smorgasbords, remember those?! It’s called Saftkram and is a sweet thin-set pudding traditionally served with milk or cream. I serve it without the milk or cream. I purchased a fruit steamer last year and it has been a wonderful way to get pure juice from plums, apples, grapes, rhubarb, and currents. I haven’t tried pears yet, but I can imagine that juice would be delicious too. I don’t add any extra sugar to the steamed juice. I pressure can it in sterile jars. You can use any fruit juice for this recipe, but dark colored juices are the prettiest and most flavorful.

This is a very easy recipe, when you don’t have much time, but are hankering for something a little sweet and fruity. Leave it to those hard working, thrifty Swedish grandmas to come up with something easy, inexpensive and delicious.

Saftkram

Ingredients: This is the traditional recipe. I used 4 cups rhubarb juice, no extra water, for the photo.

1 ½ cups fruit juice or 1 ½ cups berry juice

2 1/2 cups water

¾ cup sugar (to taste)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Slivered almond, garnish

Directions:

1. Bring juice, water and sugar to boil

2. Mix cornstarch with a small amount of cold water

3. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in cornstarch

4. Return to heat and bring to boiling point

5. Simmer 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally

6. Remove to serving bowl, cover and chill

7. Garnish with almonds if desired and serve with cream or milk

Photo credits: Joy Johnson (1-3)