Fish-Free Salad Niçoise, a recipe in River Cottage Veg, written by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

This week we celebrated the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere. Folks, it’s fall. I’ve never picked a favorite season. Love them all…….Retreat (winter), Rebirth (spring), Relax (summer) and Regroup (fall). Autumn, to me, is about lists, to-dos, projects, planning and catch-ups. Simply put, it’s getting your ducks-in-a-row.

Today I’m posting three ya-gotta-try recipes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg cookbook. I’m a bit tardy because my Cottage Cooking Club colleagues chose these recipes for August and September. Missed the August deadline but in under the wire for September. Here’s a bonanza, a trifecta of delicious menu suggestions. Since these recipes are already published on the Internet, I can share them with you.

Duck eggs are larger than those laid by chickens. Their shells are various pastel colors.

I’m a fan. Just love Salad Niçoise. That’s why this salad, Fish-Free Salad Niçoise, works. No matter what’s on the menu, you can still enjoy its flavor but without the tuna and anchovies. What might be blasphemy to the French is still darn spectacular and was the perfect foil to roasted shrimp. Last week I traded Sunday supper for technical assistance from my computer guru, Zoe Zuker. One might say, shrimp, this salad, crusty herb-buttered bread and a bottle of Peachy Canyon’s Zinfandel solved all my technical glitches.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will now admit to using duck eggs in this salad. Since discovering the gorgeous eggs at our farmers market this summer, I’ve become a fan. No, no, no, these beauties are not from your run-of-the-mill Mallards but rather from domesticated Pekin and Welsh Harlequin Ducks. I didn’t know if Zoe would be squeamish about this so I didn’t dish about the ducks. Since my computer is now humming along, I am baring my soul.

Hard-boiled Duck Eggs

Fish-Free Salad Niçoise
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pound new potatoes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

7 ounces green beans, cut into roughly 1-inch lengths

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 or 3 Little Gem or similar lettuces

A handful of small Niçoise olives (Cailletier)

About 12 large basil leaves, torn (or use small ones whole)

Dressing:
1/2 small garlic clove, crushed with a little coarse sea salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

A pinch of sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. You can cook small new potatoes whole, but cut larger ones in half or smaller so the pieces are all roughly the same size. Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 12 minutes until tender, adding the beans for the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain, tip into a bowl, and leave to cool.

2. To cook the eggs, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the eggs, return to a simmer, then cook for 7 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan, lightly crack the shells, and run the eggs under cold water for a minute or two to stop the cooking. Leave to cool, then peel and quarter the eggs.

3.To make the dressing, put the garlic, oil, vinegar, mustard, and sugar into a screw-top jar, season with salt and pepper, and shake until emulsified.

4. Halve, quarter, or thickly slice the cooked potatoes. Put them back with the beans, add some of the dressing, and toss together gently.

5. Separate the lettuce leaves and gently toss in a bowl with a little of the dressing. Arrange the lettuce, potatoes, and beans on a serving platter and distribute the olives and eggs over the salad. Scatter with the torn basil, trickle over the remaining dressing, and grind over some pepper. Serve.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Pasta with Fennel, Arugula and Lemon

If you delight in the faint flavoring of licorice, you’ll love Hugh’s unique Pasta with Fennel, Arugula and Lemon. Quickly thrown together, it’s easily made and even more easily enjoyed.

This ribboned pasta was glorious. Buy the best-quality pasta you can find.

Mix together the sliced fennel and sliced garlic and sauté for ten minutes.

Pasta with Fennel, Arugula and Lemon
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 large fennel bulb

1 tablespoon canola or olive oil

1 garlic clove, slivered

5 ounces pappardelle, or other pasta

2 or 3 good handfuls of arugula

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons crème fraîche

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan, hard goat cheese, or other well-flavored hard cheese.

1. Put a large saucepan of well-salted water on to boil so that you’re ready to cook the pasta while the sauce is coming together.

2. Trim the fennel, removing the tougher outer layer or two, then slice thinly. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and fennel and sauté gently for about 10 minutes, until the fennel is tender.When the fennel is almost cooked, add the pasta to the pan of boiling water and cook until al dente.

Add the arugula to the fennel and stir until wilted, then add the lemon zest and crème fraîche. Stir well until the crème fraîche coats all the vegetables, then add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Drain the pasta well, toss with the fennel mixture, and serve right away, with grated cheese.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

White Beans with Artichokes

What is best about my last recipe, White Beans with Artichokes, is that I always have these ingredients on hand. This could be lunch, a side for dinner, a filling and nutritious snack or a tasty addition to a buffet table or potluck gathering. Link to the recipe here.

Mise En Place – Here’s what you need for this recipe.

Heating the garlic, artichokes and, eventually, the beans.

The Country Cottage Club is am international group which is cooking it’s way through Hugh Fearnlet-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg cookbook. To see more of Hugh’s recipes, link to his Pinterest page here. If you are interested in joining our adventure, go here.