Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Rosa Marina Salad


Another dessert made with something processed. I know, I know, I am slippin'. Well, it's that good! If you want you can use real whipped cream instead of cool whip. It tastes like the creamiest ambrosia salad you ever had.

I have three pint jars of the maraschino cherries I canned last summer.  We don't really eat a ton of maraschino cherries so they last around here. The ones I can are about half the sweetness of the ones you find in the store.  It was perfect for this salad. I used fresh pineapple which also made the salad taste more fresh.

There are two ways to do this salad if you look at all the recipes out there.  One is with egg and one is without.  I highly recommend you make it with egg as it makes it more creamy and sets it up a little better.  Having said that, the one above is not made with egg because I completely spaced it. Still very creamy.

I think however because you know how I feel about processed food, that I will have to come up with a way to make this salad without using cool whip.  Maybe a custard base.  Or maybe real whipped cream with a little gelatin to set it up better.

If you are looking for a quick easy salad- now, Rosa Marina- she is your gal!

Rosa Marina Salad
Keep in mind that all measurements are subject to your preference.  The fruit too- as long as you have juice to thicken up for sauce- your good to go with whatever you choose.  The cherries, however, is why this salad is called Rosa. I did not add the food coloring which is pretty characteristic of this salad.

2 cups fresh pineapple or a can of pineapple, juices reserved
2 cans of mandarin oranges, juices reserved
1 pint or 1 jar of maraschino cherries, juices reserved
1/2 pound orzo (you can use ancini de pepe as well)
1- 8 ounce tub of cool whip
3 heaping tablespoon of all purpose flour
pinch of salt (completely optional)

The day before you want to use this salad, make the pasta.  Drain the liquid from the fruits (keep the fruit in the strainer).  Set aside 2 cups of juice (color it with red if you would like the classic red color of this salad).  In a sauce pan whisk together the flour with about a half of a cup of the juice.  Slowly whisk in the remainder of the juice (this will help to avoid clumps).   Heat the juice until it comes to a boil and thickens. Pour the sauce over the cooked and drained pasta. Refrigerate overnight. Leave the fruit to drain overnight as well.

The next day stir in the cool whip and the drained fruit. Done. Delicious.

15 comments:

kat said...

This kind of salad makes me think of big summer family get togethers.

Mary Bergfeld said...

I love recipes that bring back memories. This was part of our holiday celebrations for many, many years. It is still a very popular item in our local delis. I love the "Lori" touches that you've made to the original recipe. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

grace said...

this sounds like a perfect picnic or potluck dish, which is timely--i've got about 5 of each coming up within the next month or two. interesting and delightful little salad, lori!

Maria said...

Perfect for picnics!

Karolyn said...

Interesting sald but tell me truthfully....is the fruit in it mushy? LOL, I hate mushy foods. I know. I know, but I just can't do mushy. My kids on the other hand would enjoy this the mushier the better....EW! LOL
~ingrid

Taste of Beirut said...

That creamy and delicious salad reminds me of one a Texan friend used to make and it did have cool whip and some canned fruits in it but it was so so good!

Audax said...

Wow this is one cool and delicious looking recipe. But I have no idea what cool whip is maybe canned whipped cream maybe? But it does look so tasty and yummy.

And I hope the black bean and pineapple goes well for you it is one of my favourite picnic recipes!

And yes my name does means something in Latin as my parents used a Latin dictionary to chose it means something like "daring maker of artifacts" and yes it is very appropriate maybe too appropriate sometimes LOL LOL.

Ping me if the bean/pineapple salad works out of you.

Dewi said...

Absolutely lips smacking salad. Sounds so delicious Lori!

Kris Ngoei said...

This looks totally scrumptious and healthy, thanks for sharing!

Sawadee from Bangkok,
Kris

Fresh Local and Best said...

This looks like a great fruit salad. I've never thought to add orzo, but I bet it gives it nice texture.

Murasaki Shikibu said...

Considering the fact that you made your own maraschino cherries, you aren't 'slipping'. I mean it's much easier to make whipped cream from scratch than those cherries...and sometimes we just haven't got the time and need to whip things up real fast!

vanillasugarblog said...

hmmm, this sounds good. i'm not a big fan of cool whip but i imagine fresh whipped would do? never heard of this...love to hear of new things.

Mimi said...

Such a classic summer salad.
mimi

lorid318 said...

This is one of my favorite summer salads. I've been asked to make a triple batch for a grad party in July. Just wanted to say that I stopped making the "cooked" part of the sauce years ago. No more eggs or flour. I just boil the pasta el dente and let it soak in the juices, along with the fruits overnight & add the Cool Whip in the morning. Awesome!!!

Lori said...

lorid318- That is a fabulous idea. I will try that the next time. Since it has all that starch from the pasta I dont see why it wouldn't work! Good thinking.