National Flag Day, June 14th
You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away, Know when to run.
Kenny Rogers
I once was required to take a psychological test as part of an employment application. Maybe I was in my late thirties. While discussing the results with me, the male evaluator mentioned that I would keep hitting my head against the wall to get something done. “You just won’t give up,” he said, shaking his head.
I beamed with pride. “Got the job,” I thought to myself.
“That’s not a compliment,” he quickly added.
“What a jerk,” I thought to myself.
End of the Story: I got the job and succeeded. Head. Wall. Banging.
Crab-Avocado “Ravioli”
Admittedly, despite my success, he wasn’t all wrong. I understand the need to sometimes give up or give in. I’ve just never learned to do that well. This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe choice, Crab-Avocado Ravioli, put me to the supreme test. I glanced at the recipe and then heard that my colleague, Diane, had already drawn blood. I folded. Readers, it was the fastest “fold” of my lifetime.
Amy Butler’s 2013 Galaxie Rosé
Crab-Avocado Ravioli is a deliciously divine crab salad mixed with lime zest/juice, minced shallots, cilantro and olive oil. I used Pasolivo’s California Blend olive oil and also added Penzey’s Sunny Paris seasoning. The avocado-part of the recipe is when it gets “twicky”. Dorie suggests slicing avocados on a mandoline without peeling or pitting them first.
(Memo to Ms. Greenspan: Now, Dorie, you know me well enough to realize this could just not happen in my kitchen.)
During our birding field trip this week, we watched a very noisy House Wren and a determined Tree Swallow duke it out over a excavated tree cavity nest originally chiseled out by a woodpecker!
Despite going rogue on this recipe, I enjoyed a lovely lunch of Crab Salad embellished with avocado and washed down with Amy Butler’s Ranchero Cellars 2013 Galaxie Rosé. The next day I turned the remaining salad into a mouth-watering Crab Roll, my picnic lunch during an all-day Audubon field trip. My blogging companions, Susan and John, can always turn leftovers into spectacular main entrées. See their magic, Crab Risotto with Artichoke Hearts, here.
Tomorrow, June 14th, is National Flag Day, a celebratory nod to our Stars and Stripes. The first official flag – the blue canton contained 13 stars – was approved by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. For the past 237 years it has stood (and, fallen) as a symbol of hope and glory and gratefulness throughout the world. Bravo to the Red, White and Blue and may we sometimes just remember and honor all that is right and good about this country.
French Fridays with Dorie is an international cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table. You can grab this week’s recipe from Liz, another Dorista. To see which flags my FFWD colleagues from around the world fly, go to our link here.
Oh Mary, I’m happy that you were able to avoid any hazards! And to use the leftovers so delightfully too! Well done. Looks like you’ve been having fun with your birding and beautiful weather!!
I ended up making a few ravioli, then punted, mixed the remainder together and made mini tostadas with the rest. I could not bring myself to mangle so many avocados just for a presentation… oh well! Happy that you enjoyed yours. And Happy Flag Day too!
We love you, Mary! Glad we all steered clear of losing digits this week! This was really good, wasn’t it? Next time we’re in Paris, we’ll just order it and not ask any questions if the plate has a few red drops on it! LOL! Have a lovely weekend!
When is it we are leaving for Paris, Susan? I’m in.
Clever post…and I think you were smart to fold. First, why ruin a good salad by encapsulating it into a flour and water overcoat? And I assume it will resist the process of being en-cloaked.
Yes Mary you are a smart cook-ie.
As are you, Ms. Donna.
The whole time I was using my mandoline I was thinking, don’t cut yourself, don’t cut yourself. I think you took the smart way out!! I’ll go to Paris with you and Susan to eat this made by professionals!
That was lovely Mary and a great use of the leftovers! I have seen many, many bad things happen with a mandoline. Happily, none were my bad things. I usually reserve the bad injuries for a meat slicer. I have an amazing recipe for asparagus ravioli from my last trip to Italy, you want? Be very happy that you are not in Vegas right now. Hot and windy, even my doggie hates to go out. Miss you!! I am buying a sous vide machine so if you need a guest blogger about preparing things sous vide, I am happy to help. Just give me about a month to test some things.
First and foremost: enjoyed your post and your writing. Secondly: If the Doristas are planning a trip to Paris… I AM IN!
You did good with this week’s recipe!
I’m SO looking out for this dish that is apparently “everywhere” in Paris (never seen it) when I am there this summer. I’ll let you know. In the meantime, yours looks great 🙂
There wasn’t a chance I was testing my mandolin on avocado pits. No way, no how. Love the idea of turning the leftovers into a crab roll. Yummmmmm. For my part, the Commissary struck again. Cruddy ingredients produced disgusting results. No bene. Oh well.
Although I haven’t posted mine yet, I did make it today. I used my mandoline very carefully…mostly because of Diane’s accident! You were smart to stay clear of this very dangerous tool! I actually enjoyed it! You make the best lunches…Smokey must be jealous! Have a great week, Mary!
I enjoyed the salad…not the mandoline!
I avoided the mandoline, too – as terrified as I am of them, there was no way I was going to try this move on one! I managed to get decent slices using a knife, though. Next time, I’ll follow the rest of the gang and make a salad. Yours looks lovely. And I wish I’d seen Susan & John’s risotto recipe before I gobbled up the leftovers. I think I had all those ingredients on hand.
LOL – good on you for “going rogue”. It looks good!
Mary, you are wise woman… I usually think through Dorie recipes and I just had been busy this week and blindly went ahead with the mandolin. I may need to take out hand insurance, have injured myself with the blender, the immerison blender and now the mandolin all on Dorie recipes. Glad you had a lovely, injury free salad. Happy Flag Day, we fly one everyday at our house.
Wise, wise Mary with the intact digits.
Since I have already done my time in the box with a tendon severing kitchen accident, I figured I would steer far away from this week’s daunting task.
Your safe salad looks lovely and I am in on that trip to Paris too!
XO
I sort of turn the other way when Mandolines are required – the ER told me it is one of their top reasons for visiting the ER in the desert.
This really sounded so lovely and I hope to try it soon – hard to find good crab in the desert in the summer.
PS, great photos!
I agree, it would be very easy for the knife to “slip” when trying to go through those avocado pits, yikes! I think you were smart and I probably would have done the same thing 🙂 The crab salad sounds amazing on it’s own 🙂
Your story hit a little close to home, but also made me laugh. My boss has used the much kinder term, persistent, to describe me:-)
Great, now I’m going to have “The Gambler” stuck in my head all day… You folded only slightly faster than I did, but it didn’t matter, because the salad was delicious.
I have a mandoline, but I just couldn’t imagine how this would work with an avocado. (I’m also scared of it.) I went the salad route myself. I wish I’d though to turn the leftovers into a sandwich instead of simply eating it with a fork.