Hearty Winter Salad

This stuff is so good! And if it sits for a day or two, it gets even better...

1 dry pint cherry tomatoes
8 - 9 red potatoes, medium sized, cubed
1 clove garlic
grease from slow cooking 1/2 lb bacon
1/2 lb blend of Crimini and Shitake mushrooms
4 TBSP Madeira please trust me and just buy cheap Madeira - do not use 'cooking wine.' Cooking wine is a travesty.
2 TBSP pesto
1 6 oz. jar of capers
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
1 can of black olives (6 oz of olives when drained)
1 TBSP wasabi powder
1 TBSP Better than bouillon, chicken flavor



In a 13 x 9 Pyrex, place the tomatoes, bacon fat and potato mixture under the broiler until potatoes crunchy on outside. Add pecans on top and toast under broiler for a minute.

To make this vegan, sub in 1 tsp salt into 4 TBS olive oil for bacon fat, and tsp salt, 3 TBS dry imitation chicken broth mix and 1 TBS warm water for the better than bouillon.


Melt 1 tbs butter in a skillet, add 1/2 lb Crimini and Shitake mushrooms plus 4 TBS Madeira.
stir in 2 TBS pesto plus a small jar of capers (plus caper juice). Add 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, 1 can black olives (or green for extra acidity), plus 1 TBS Wasabi powder. Add 1 tbs better than bouillon (chicken flavor) and 1 clove of garlic very finely grated or minced. Add the tomato, pecan and potato mixture. Cook covered until heated through.