Next-Day Beef Salad, my French Fridays recipe this week and my last lunch on my balcony. Can you tell by the shadows that Old Man Winter is lurking nearby?
This week presented another opportunity to choose a recipe my colleagues made before I joined them. My family’s been here for their autumn vacation and my friend, Judy Boyd, brought us some fantastic meals. Judy deals very patiently with Low-fat, Gluten-free, No Dairy, Bring It On (my son-in-law) and I’ll Eat Anything (me). She had our bases covered all week while Melissa and I relished the breather.
After the kids left, I dealt with leftovers. When I spotted the remains of a skirt steak, Dorie’s Next-Day Beef Salad came to mind. It wasn’t hard to pull together this voluptuous salad by revisiting my fridge. What’s distinctive is its simple dressing – mayo and two French mustards, Dijon and grainy. A diced, tart apple alerts us to this salad’s sweet side. Add onions, olives, cornichons, tomatoes, capers, red bell and chile peppers to the mix and it’s a meal. Serve it over greens, with crusty bread, and your leftovers become super stars.
A big bowl of ingredients for my beef salad: diced beef, onions, olives, cornichons, tomatoes, capers, red bell and chile peppers.
Last Tuesday’s Post, Pumpkin & Raisin Tea Loaf, tackled the 6 steps involved in putting together a post: Choose; Make; Photograph; Eat; Write; and Go Live. For me, it’s a week-long process. As promised, here’s Part II, “Why the effort?”“Why bother?”
WHY I BLOG
1. Realistically, a food blogger must be multi-talented, blessed with kitchen skills, camera-ready, technically astute, creatively imaginative, and more. Think Barnum & Bailey’s Big Top and you’re the only performer. Truthfully, I didn’t qualify. I began blogging because I needed Structure, a framework in which to rebuild my Life. For the last two years of my husband’s life, while in a Memory Care Unit and under Hospice care, and for the next two years that it took to plant myself where I could nurture, the one constant activity in my Life was that damn blog. Whatever else was happening with me, I plodded through those six necessary steps to post a “product” every week. It often wasn’t pretty but, for me, a great accomplishment, week in, week out.
2. “I don’t know where the Summer went,” a friend lamented to me recently. “I can’t even remember what I did.” That’s not a problem for me. My blog is a Diary and Journal. I associate weekly Posts with lifestyle events and activities. At a time when pen-and-ink has become passé, my Blog lives safely on my portable hard drive.
To complete this lunch (or, dinner) cut up crusty bread and pour a glass of apple cider.
3. Using business jargon, food blogging requires a Low Start-up Fee. This project was something I could begin at a nominal cost. I found inexpensive tech assistance via Craig’s List. We all need to eat. Food bloggers wisely feed their families and friends with menus incorporated into their Posts. In our French Fridays group, there are many fine bloggers who are thrifty and cost-conscious.
4. I Am The Boss. My blog is all ME. A dream come true! For the first time in my adult memory, I am responsible for and to no one. When I returned to Aspen, I could either wilt or blossom. Throw a pity party or do and be everything that wasn’t possible in prior decades. I felt I owed my friends and family who offered us unconditional caring, support and love for ten years, to at least try. My blog has evolved from that effort.
I poured a two- mustard/mayo dressing onto the mixture and tossed lightly to saturate it.
5. Friendships. Number 5 is an unanticipated bonus. Without a doubt and throughout my life, I’ve collected the best group of “reality” friends ever. To me, they are priceless. But, virtual friends? Who knew about that? Being a lover of all things Greenspan, in February 2011, I joined French Fridays, an internet food group cooking through Dorie’s Around My French Table. Somewhere between the Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin (12/30/11) and Cocoa Sablés (3/23/12), I realized these were not just colleagues, they were friends. Through virtual networking I’ve met other foodie pals. Blogging in not a lonely sport and I’ll keep doing it if only to maintain these relationships.
6. Through blogging or because of it, my little world has grown richer and been enhanced by the experience. Examples — Because my kitchen is a constant companion, I’m a better cook. I’m on a first-name basis with all the butchers, bakers and candlestick makers up and down Colorado State Highway 82. Food blogging is a daily on-line education. What I’ve realized is how much I don’t know especially when interacting with international colleagues. There’s no time-out for boredom when your investment is in yourself. I thrive on praise (who doesn’t?). Alex, a young bellmen here at The Gant, is still talking about the meatballs I made last Christmas. My blog comments are encouraging, uplifting and sometimes hilarious. “Wear Your Lipstick.” is the heads-up to my friends whenever a social occasion is to become a blog. Good Sports, always. Every day has become an adventure.
Just too much salad – it’s filling. My eyes were bigger than my appetite.
7. By dumb luck, I slide into a perfect niche. As I’ve written, I believe anyone can flourish in the landscape where they’re planted just by dovetailing their passions into the Life they’ve been dealt. We’re all blindsided by challenges and bumps. How we deal with those is key. My blog tells my story, showing how I muddle through my days. My greatest wish is that it provides Inspiration, Hope & Humor to my readers.
To see how my colleagues muddled through their week, visit our French Fridayslink. The recipe for today’s salad is here. As I mention weekly, we are an international cooking group having a blast working our way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table.
Pear and Almond Cream Tart, my French Fridays recipe choice this week.
In early June, while shopping at our local Farmers Market, I spotted my friend, Judy Wrigley, walking towards me. Following the Hi’s, How are yous, she got down to business. “Mary,” she asked, “can you help me bake a paté sucrée? Show me how to do it right?”
Just to be clear, Judy is no slouch in the kitchen. Last December, at a holiday dinner party I attended, she served a Bûche de Noël with Marzipan Mushrooms as a finale to her spectacular homemade meal. However, being of sweet tooth rather than sound mind, I agreed. Whether a caveat or just hedging my bets, I suggested it be a collaboration. We decided to wait until Fall and cooler weather for our pastry project.
As a reminder, a Paté Sucrée Tutorial: “Leave it to the French to create a pastry dough specifically for tarts,” explains Renee Schettler Rossi, editor of Leite’sCulinaria. “Although it isn’t nearly as ridiculous as it may sound when you consider that pastry for a tart must be sufficiently sturdy to support itself—and whatever luscious filling you’ve decided to heap upon it—after the tin has been removed. It took quite a lot of egg yolks and sugar to create a solution, but the result, known as pâté sucrée, was worth it. It’s more tender and chewy than flaky and crispy,”
It’s all about the sweet pastry dough which is easily made in a food processor.
First on the schedule, Judy makes paté sucrée.
Pastry Overload. We made and refrigerated six sweet pastry dough disks
Remembering I had missed the French Fridays week when my colleagues made a Poached Pear and Almond Tart, this would be a perfect make-up opportunity. Judy’s request became reality last Wednesday at 9am when I drove over to her house in Mountain Valley. Earlier in the week we worked out our schedule, timing, necessary ingredients and equipment list.
Because paté sucrée needs to be refrigerated at least 1 or 2 hours, the day before I made three different versions of the sweet pastry dough using recipes from Dorie, Leite’s Culinaria and Bon Appetit. (You can link to each recipe.) I also mixed together Dorie’s knock-em-dead Almond Pastry Cream. (If all else failed, we could take 2 spoons and just devour Dorie’s divine bowl of cream.)
Judy wanted to make a strawberry tart with mascarpone pastry cream. Shortly after I arrived she put together her pastry dough and stuck it in the freezer. Together we had six paté sucrée disks (and, enough pans) for our play day. For fillings we wanted to try almond and mascarpone pastry creams, lemon curd and various jams, all topped with fresh fruit.
After filling the unbaked tart shell with almond cream, I placed sliced canned pears on top.
Carefully.
Strawberry-topped Tart with cooked Mascarpone Cream
We were most satisfied with our beautiful and delicious Pear and Almond Tart. While freshly poached pears are more desirable for this tart, Dorie admits French cooks often use canned.pear halves. Although I tried all three pastry recipes, what worked best for me, the most manageable, was Leite’s Culinaria. Judy preferred the Bon Appetit recipe. Most of my colleagues swear by Dorie’s sweet tart pastry.
So many pans. So much dough.
Some tips from our baking day:
1) Be organized and prepared for disappointments or disasters. We practiced rolling out the dough, over and over, tossing two attempts.
2) For the pear tart, use canned pears. Dorie’s correct, there is little
difference.
3) I would not cook the mascarpone pastry cream as we chose to do. Just fill a pre-baked tart with Dorie’s no-fail Cream Cheese Pastry Cream (or, your favorite mascarpone pastry cream) and top with any fresh fruit.
Dorie’s Cream Cheese Pastry Cream
For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
⅓ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup cold heavy cream
Put the room temperature cream cheese in a large bowl and sift the powdered sugar over it. With a sturdy rubber spatula or sturdy whisk, stir everything together. Add the vanilla and continue to stir. In a separate large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Stir about a quarter of the whipped cream into the cream cheese ( You don’t have to be toooo gentle. This is more about getting the textures of the cream cheese and whipped cream similar to each other.) Gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream in 2 or 3 additions (This time, be ginger, as not to deflate the whipped cream.)
Our favorite. The star of the show.
Although every week I cook virtually with my French Fridays colleagues, this was tartful reality and a successful learning adventure. Why not take your cooking show on the road, sharing your skills, friendship and flour.
The question is….. should I kick off this post with The End? Or, do I stir things up and toss the lentilles du Puy in the pot. Better yet, chicken joke, anyone?
Q:What did the bad chicken lay? A:A deviled egg
C’mon, follow me, let’s see where my words need to wander?
French Lentils, this week’s French Friday’s recipe choice. Dorie finally spills the beans on her delish adaptions.
I’m hooked on a Barbara Kingsolver quote from Animal Dreams: “The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.”
For two years, since Michael died, my hope has been to find that roof of contentment and mindfulness and hang out under it. I needed to enjoy being Me again, making every day an adventure. Thankfully, I’d already built a structure, a framework for my future. I only questioned if I could close the sale.
Celebrating Summer’s End at Betsy’s Last Night for Whites pre-Labor Day dinner party. Carl Schiller Photo
Joyfully, it’s been a wildly successful summer for me. The same cannot be said for our World. I’ve consciously decided this blog will not deal with the world’s injustices. Those problems cannot be solved here. I’ll continue to tell stories, make you laugh (admit it, my posts are smilers). I’ll try to inspire you with ideas, suggestions and hopes. Then, there’s the food. Almost 200 posts later, is my cooking improving?
Chicken, Peppers, Onions and Peas are tossed together in a spicy curry seasoning. Note the yellow coloring of the sliced chicken pieces. To my thinking, the spicier, the tastier.
Let’s first talk about Curried Chicken, Peppers, and Peas en Papillote. (Here’s the recipe.) Whether a newbie or pro, this is dinner party fare. En Papillote means in paper. That’s how you cook this spicy chicken and veggie medley, in a pouch of foil or parchment. This takes 10 minutes to assemble and 20 minutes to bake before being whisked to the table for its Voila! moment. Each guest opens his own poultry pouch. I suggest you crank up the spice by doubling the curry powder or adding Aleppo Pepper or Cayenne.
Four poultry pouches, ready for the oven.
Freed from its pouch of foil, this curried chicken with peppers, sliced onions and peas looks good enough to eat.
I served French Lentils, this week’s recipe choice, with the curried chicken. All lentils are not born alike. Brown lentils are soft, turn mushy and best for soups. Use the more colorful lentils in purees and Indian cooking. For this recipe you want dark green lentilles du Puy.
Be sure to buy the beautiful and special lentilles du Puy
These babies remain firm when cooked, are nutty in flavor, taste delicious as a side dish (serve warm) or salad (room temperature). Your local grocery store probably carries them. Don’t settle for less. Here’s the recipe. If serving lentils hot from the pot, drizzle olive, hazelnut or walnut oil and a splash of lemon juice on top. Or, if you have a favorite vinaigrette, use that instead. Always dress lentils while hot so they can absorb the seasoning.
Our end-of-summer hike last week-end to Lake Hope, an alpine lake in the San Juan Mountain Range near Telluride. Tag Liebel Photo
Last year an exasperated friend suggested to me that Life cannot be perfect. Although he’s right, of course, there’s nothing in my DNA that allows that thinking. This summer I finally managed to complete My Version of Perfect. (Long may it last!). I believe anyone can flourish in the landscape where they’re planted just by dovetailing their passions into the Life they’ve been dealt. That combo makes magic.
One of our majestic resident moose at the just-as-majestic Maroon Bells. USFS Photo
Although every day has been memorable, with adventures I’ve often shared in this blog, here are two more moments:
Most Bizarre Memory – When I’m not doing a Ranger patrol, I often hike up Smuggler Mountain, a short, in-town “bit of a huff” and good exercise. One morning I was hiking down, closely followed by a fifties-something couple. During those 30-minutes, oblivious to my presence, they had a serious (and, loud) conversation, discussing where to buy Weed (Pot) locally, the various choices available, price comparisons and preferences of friends. (I knew those friends.) Not good hiking form, that’s for sure, but very entertaining.
2) Funny & Heartwarming Memories – On a recent Saturday, I rangered the Crater Lake Trail at Maroon Bells. During my patrol I encountered 451 hikers (we carry counters), answering many questions. These were two:
“Ranger, hey, do you carry Nitroglycerin?” a hiker yells, as he approaches me.
Be still my heart.
Further up the mountain, I spot his friend, slumped on a rock, holding his head in his hands. I’m now thinking that even if that guy doesn’t have a heart attack, I might! In the end, after TLC and water, the hiker survived without needing the Nitroglycerin tablet that I did not have.
—————————————————————————————————-
Later, as I was hiking down from Crater Lake, I spotted two boys, with their Dad, hiking toward me. The first young man, about 10, totally stopped in the middle of the trail. I couldn’t pass him.
“You ever hike those?” he asked seriously, pointing with his thumb to the mountains behind me.
“What?” I asked.
“The Bells,” he replied.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. (Egads, the peaks of the Bells are over 14,000’.)
He thought about this for a few seconds. “Too dangerous, huh?”
I nodded in agreement. Too dangerous. He hiked on, followed closely by his brother. As his Dad walked by, I muttered, “Your son has made my day, just by thinking I could.”
According to the Colorado Mycological Society there are 200 varieties of mushrooms growing in our Valley’s high-alpine climate and 800 statewide. In the Aspen area, the most prized edible fungi are Porcini (King Bolete), Chanterelles, Oysters and Morels. Although I have taken mushroom courses and have also foraged for them, my mantra has always been, “When in doubt, throw it out.”
In truth, most mushrooms I gather never cross my lips.
This week’s French Friday’s recipe, Chanterelles with Napa Cabbage and Nuts, was a perfect menu choice right now. Luckily, I was able to find some thin-stemmed, fan-shaped golden beauties.
Mise en Place
Napa Cabbage – You will notice later that I used three times the amount Dorie specified in her recipe.
First, however, let me introduce you to this nine-pound, nine-inch Western Giant Puffball.
Western Giant Puffball – an enormous mushroom
My friend, Donna Chase, called me last week with the exciting news that she had acquired a huge puffball. “When I was at the grocery store,” she said, “this guy had found it and asked if I wanted it.”
“Did you know him?” I wondered.
“Well, no,” she answered. “And, it smells. Steve [her husband] told me not to bring it in the house.”
“Where is it?” I asked.
“In the house,” she replied.
“If I can’t find chanterelles,” I told her, “I can always make Puffball with Napa Cabbage and Nuts.”
The next morning, another friend and I showed up at Chases for a puffball viewing. I was given the honor of slicing it open. If the interior was white, it’s considered edible. If it’s green-brown with a putrid odor, I’d be forced to continue hunting for chanterelles. These photos provide the verdict.
I eventually did find chanterelles at my grocery-of-last-resort, The Butcher Block. The Block is a great meat/gourmet market but très cher. The mushrooms cost, Gulp! Gulp!, $39.50 a pound. I was hosting a luncheon meeting during the week so this dish would be a unique appetizer. Very appropriate, in fact, since my luncheon colleagues were both terrific cooks and local Naturalists. They know their mushrooms. A bad one in the basket? They’d spot it.
Marcia Johnson, Executive Director of the Forest Conservancy, trims stems off the chanterelles.
On Wednesday, the three of us hunkered down around the cookbook and read the recipe carefully. Since this is a last minute, quickly concocted dish, we divided the chores: slicing, dicing, shredding. It is exactly nine minutes from the moment EVOO warms in the pan to when the mixture is plated. All hands on deck for the dash to the table.
My friend and fellow chef, Donna Grauer, minces the shallot.
The Accolades:“Earthy. Rocky Mountain Foie Gras. Sublime. Rich. A Little Dab Will Do Ya.”
Shallots and chanterelles, nicely coated with olive oil and on the fire.
Chanterelles with Napa Cabbage & Nuts is a stand-up/clap-your-hands appetizer. Donna’s warm baguette with herb butter was perfect for sopping up the juices. Dorie suggests serving this also as a side to a meat dish or with an herb salad for lunch. To my mind, this very special chanterelle mixture should bask in its own spotlight, sharing the stage with no one.
The complete recipe is here. My additional tips are:
1. I would add 1 cup of shredded Napa cabbage instead of the 1/3 cup suggested by Dorie.
2. Since the chanterelle blend is very rich, a 1/2 to 3/4 cup serving is sufficient.
3. Have all your preparations completed and ingredients ready before pouring your first tablespoon of oil into the skillet.
Enjoy.
Whoops! No photographs of the plated chanterelles – don’t they both look smug?
Read about my colleagues’ foraging skills on our French Fridays link right here. As I mention each week, we are an international cooking group having a wonderful time working our way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table.
Roasted Peppers, this week’s FFWD recipe, are a versatile, delicious and healthy veg,
This week’s French Friday’s with Dorie recipe choice is Roasted Peppers. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit I’d never roasted peppers before. That’s why I am able to promise that these are the most delicious peppers I’ve ever roasted. Like many of you, I get my roasted peppers from a jar and always have one jar in the fridge with two unopened jars as back-up in the pantry.
Before the fire…..
After roasting my own peppers, adding fresh herbs, garlic cloves and salt/pepper, I promise you this. Jarred roasted peppers will never grace my kitchen again. The technique and process are fun. Granted, it takes time, is messy and heats up your kitchen. I cranked up my oven to 500 degrees F rather than the 425 degrees F suggested by Dorie. (Instead of the oven, in hot weather, use your grill.)
Ready to roast in my 500 degrees F oven
But the rewards are many and plentiful, adding flavor, color and depth to a myriad of dishes. “In France, roasted red peppers slicked with olive oil, sometimes scattered with garlic, and often speckled with herbs are a time-honored bistro dish,” Dorie suggests. “They’re served as a starter with a fork, a knife and plenty of bread.”
Blistered and charred – that’s the look we’re wanting
Dorie serves her peppers as an appetizer with a fork, knife and crusty bread.
Need an alternative? I scoured the Internet and searched through my cookbooks. Here are some other great ideas to pepper-up your menus with this versatile, nutritious vegetable:
1. Red Tomato, Red Onion and Roasted Pepper Relish, an alternative to pickle relish
2. Red Pepper Hummus
3. Deviled Eggs
4. Muhammara – a hot pepper dip which blends roasted peppers, lemon, olive oil, pomegranate and walnuts. (used in Middle Eastern cuisines)
5. Roasted Pepper and Tomato Pasta Sauces, pureed or chunky, regular or meat-based.
6. Topping for Pizza, Bruschetta, Flatbread or Galettes
7. Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Bisque or Gazpacho
8. Fold into pasta or grains for an additional kick.
9. Stir into egg, chicken, tuna and potato salads.
10. Roasted Pepper Puree
11.Serve as an additional filling for fajitas
12. Roasted Pepper Dip (pureed with sour cream, Greek yogurt or cream cheese)
13. Fold into scrambled eggs, frittatas and omelets.
14. Stir into mashed potatoes (sweet potatoes, also), mashed celery root or cauliflower.
15. Add as an additional item to any sandwich.
16. Add to the steaming broth for mussels and shrimp.
17. Add roasted peppers to traditional condiments and side dishes like Ratatouille, Gremolata, Shakshuka, and Harissa (which already uses some roasted red peppers)
18. Add to roasted vegetables like corn, green beans, brussels sprouts, artichokes or zucchini.
19. Use it in your preserved lemons recipes which turns the preserved lemons into a delicious relish.
20. Have I missed anything? Now, it’s your turn.
Check out these food sites where I gleaned these many ideas: here and here and here and here and here. My Colorado friend, Michele, who blogs at Cooking with Michelle, offers many unique recipes. You’ll find Dorie’s version here. Pinterest offers other suggestions. Can’t find a particular recipe? Contact me. I’ll send it your way. Find my colleagues’ roasted peppers on our French Fridays link. As I mention each week, we are an international cooking group having a wonderful time working our way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table.
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. And, these are duck eggs, fresh from our local farmers market. Another first for me.
Do you sometimes have an experience, create a memory you just want to wrap your arms around and hold on to forever? Without seeming really sappy – drip, drip, drip – may I share with you a recent evening of friendship, nourishment and reminiscence.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Wilderness Act of 1964, last week three local environmental groups threw a party, the Maroon Bells Birthday Bash. The Act established the National Wilderness Preservation System, designating the original 54 wilderness areas. That’s when our beloved Maroon Bells-Snowmass area, visited by over 100,000 visitors each year, was saved in perpetuity.
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act with the magnificent Maroon Bells as a background.
Partying on, Sunday afternoon, at the Aspen Musical Festival’s weekly concert, the orchestra got into the act of honoring the Act by playing Richard Strauss’s magnificent Alpine Symphony. Strauss created his musical homage to a trek in the Alps. For the purposes of the weekend, his Alps was to become our Rockies. That’s when I decided to call my friend, Judy Schramm, and plan a bash of our own.
Judy and I have been friends, it seems like, forever, but we never have time for each other. Sounds crazy, huh, but don’t you get that? We were among the 16 original volunteers who our mentor, Joanne Lyon, corralled into becoming forest rangers. But it was Judy and Joanne who, in 2001, founded the Forest Conservancy and nurtured it to the 120 boots on the ground we have today. We lost Joanne last year.
The best of the supper menu: Roasted Shrimp Salad, Roasted Artichoke Hearts and Colorado tomatoes.
I called Judy and suggested we attend the concert together and then have dinner at my condo. We would have an opportunity to celebrate, savor and recollect some priceless mountain memories only we share. Game on. She’d bring the vino. I’d make the food. We’d both bring the laughter and remembrances.
For an after-concert supper, I needed something simple and made ahead. Turning to Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? cookbook, I found the perfect menu. The following two recipes were especially delicious. Although these are Garten’s recipes, I changed them some to save calories. Kept the flavor. Lost some fat.
Call a friend you don’t see often. Plan something special. It’s magic.
Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there. Anonymous
Roasted Shrimp Salad, adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 pounds (16 to 25 count, jumbo) cooked, tails on, peeled shrimp
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon good white wine vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons diced shallots
2 tablespoons diced canned Jalapeño peppers
Preparations:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
1. Defrost shrimp according to package directions. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
2. Place shrimp on a sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper before toss together. Spread the shrimp in one layer and roast for 4 minutes, turning once. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Make the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
4. When the shrimp are cool, add them to the sauce and toss. Add the dill, capers, red onion, and jalepeno and toss again well. Because I substituted yogurt for some mayo, my dressing is thinner than Ida’s. Place the salad in a colander to drain off the extra sauce to serve at the table in a pitcher. The flavors will improve when you allow the salad to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Otherwise, chill but serve at room temperature.
Roasted Artichoke Hearts, adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa
Serves 8
(The only change made to this recipe is the addition of preserved lemons. Use your leftovers in a pizza or as part of an antipasto platter.)
Ingredients:
2 boxes/bags (9 ounces each) frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup diced preserved lemons
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoons capers, drained
1 jarred roasted red pepper, small-diced
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1/4 cup minced red onion
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1.Place the artichoke hearts on a sheet pan in a single layer. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and roast for 20 minutes, turning once.
2. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Place the shallot, diced preserved lemons, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender or in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend for 5 seconds. Add the basil and blend to make a purée. With the blender running at low speed, slowly pour in 1/2 cup olive oil until all is incorporated and the vinaigrette is an emulsion.
3.When the artichokes are done, place them in a bowl and toss with enough dressing to moisten. Add the capers, red pepper, red onion, parsley, and vinegar and toss gently. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. If you do refrigerate this, bring to room temperature before serving.
Quick Preserved Lemons, Mark Bittman, The New York Times
To prepare the preserved lemons, first slice.
Then, dice.
Ingredients:
4 lemons, organic (or, scrubbed of wax)
(To remove wax, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Then rub off the wax with a towel.)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar.
Preparation:
1.Dice lemons, including peel, removing as many seeds as possible.
2. Put the lemons and their juice in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and sugar; tossing well before transferring to a jar.
3. Let the mixture sit for at least 3 hours at room temperature, shaking the jar periodically. It can be served at that point or refrigerated for up to a week.
Yield: About 2 cups.
Time: At least 3 hours, largely unattended
