An Oldie But Goody

Ok, I haven't been doing too much cooking in the past week or so. I work for a corporate food service, and I opened a new account this past week. I am running the cafe for the corporate headquarters of David's Bridal. It's really kind of neat being surrounded by all these beautiful wedding gowns, veils, shoes, and bridesmaids dresses. It's like a fairyland. Well, a fairyland in an old mill building along the river. Where I  never leave the kitchen because I am so busy. Oh well...but I am really enjoying it. I just have not had time to do anything other than come home, shower, cram a sandwich or a bowl of cereal in my gob, and go to sleep.
That being said, I am going to dip into the cookbook file, and pull out an oldie but most definitely a goody. It's a salad. The first time I ever had Japanese food, I got a green salad that had the most amazing ginger dressing on it. I vowed to figure out the recipe. The dressing is so good, that when I had my restaurant, I would pour it into little souffle cups, and we would actually drink it! As for the salad, I love the crunchy freshness of Napa cabbage, so I built the salad around that. This salad can be the base for shrimp or chicken, but it also stands up well on its own, as a side dish.
The dressing itself will hold for a week or two in the fridge, and can also be used as a sauce for fish or chicken. And here's a little secret to peeling ginger: instead of trying to use a peeler or a paring knife, just take a spoon and run it down the ginger. The skin will come right off, and you won't lose so much of the "meat" of the ginger.
So...here it is.

Napa Cabbage Salad with Shrimp and Ginger Dressing

Dressing (makes 1 pint)
3/4 cup diced onion (just hack it up, it's going in the blender)
1/2 cup diced celery (that's about 1 rib)
1/4 cup fresh gingerroot, peeled
1 TB+1tsp sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce (remember, I said Kikkoman)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest (that's about the skin of half a lemon)
1 tsp ketchup
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup vegetable oil

Place all ingredients except the oil in a blender, and process until smooth. Add the oil in a steady stream to finish.

For the salad:
1 head Napa cabbage
1 carrot, peeled and shredded on a grater, mandoline, or the grating blade of a food processor
3 or 4 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias
1 red pepper, julienne

Peeled, deveined shrimp (as many as you like per person)

Cut the cabbage in half, and then slice as thinly as possible. Toss together with the carrot, scallion and red pepper. Dress with the ginger dressing. Place a small mound of salad in the center of a plate. Saute or grill the shrimp, and place around the slaw. Drizzle a little extra dressing on the plate

Boy, I could go for that right about now. Maybe I'll make it this weekend for my company that's coming. Yum.

Be good. Talk at you all again soon. I promise more pictures.